*Update November 2023 and my mom gives me a copy of a local magazine with the "Best Of" in Kansas City. Jenkins is not with LeBlanc anymore, but LeBlanc is apparently the best of dentists in the city. I disagree. Overpriced services, too many flashy extras, no humility, and the filling fell out anyway. Someone who owns their own business should be humble enough to apologize to a customer when they keep them waiting, no matter the reason. Sometimes the customer just likes to be validated and then they'll love you forever. No validation of the experience = a customer who not only will never come back with their five kids, but a customer who will write about their bad experience for all to see.
If you live in South Overland Park in the great state of Kansas, get ready to be offended.
So I took Callie to this Kansas City children's dentist because they could get her in sooner for her filling. The first appointment found us waiting for 40 minutes so she could be seen for about 2 minutes. The waiting room had a big, flat-screen TV on the wall playing
Despereaux. There were video game stations. There was a huge aquarium. Then there was the Starbuck’s brew-by-the-cup station for the parents.
After her “appointment,” Callie got a token to put in the toy machine. Then she got a balloon. And stickers. And each of my kids got a popsicle because the ice cream machine was down.
They sneak the cost of all this crap into the cost of nitrous oxide, apparently, because we had to come up with $200 for that alone. I like Karen’s idea of having your kid get comfy with a dentist so there isn’t a need for nitrous or Baby Valium (recently heard a report that nitrous oxide is contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer, as well), and I will probably try that in the future.
Here’s where I will offend you, Ladies of South Overland Park (for those of you from out-of-town, South OP is akin to Beverly Hills):
The day of her actual visit Aron took off work and we ALL went to the dentist. Why not, when there’s a playland there AND Starbuck’s for us? Every mother who came through the door was super-skinny and totally put-together. Their kids were all immaculate. The women all had these high-pitched Valley Girl voices. And felt like they were sacrificing their lives by not having their NANNY bring their kid to the dentist (yes, I got that from an actual conversation). I felt like I was in an episode of
90210: The Mommy Years.
The dentist was 45 minutes late, and Callie hadn’t been allowed to eat breakfast since they’d be using the nitrous oxide. Being
Pregnant Me right now, I chewed him out really good and he acted offended that I would dare to call him out on being so dang late.
Growing up, I was lucky to get a toothbrush and floss at my family dentist’s office. I’m thinking of taking my kids to MY dentist so they don’t come to expect a Bentley every time they do something necessary like get their teeth cleaned or get a Pap Smear.
Update: then the filling fell out. We didn't go back. Not our kind of place.
