We used Dr. Cassinelli for both of our sons' tongue tie revisions and were happy with the procedure. The office is beautiful and clean, the procedure was done well and quickly. Our older child has had decent experiences there for dental care. They have TVs above the chair to help keep them entertained/distracted. Unfortunately, once we brought our younger child, it became clear that the positive experiences only exist for compliant children. Our younger one (2 at the time) was afraid of the cleaning and was not cooperating, at least not quickly. As soon as it became clear that he was not having it, the hygienist started pressuring me to hold him down and hold his mouth open so that she could do the cleaning. I explained that, since she had already informed me his teeth were healthy and clean, we would settle for a normal tooth brushing so as not to reinforce his fear. Since he didn't really need a full cleaning at that moment, my priority was to create a positive experience so that he would not develop an enduring fear of the dentist. I also explained that, when possible, we try to respect their bodily autonomy, and I did not feel comfortable holding him down and prying his jaw open when it was not truly necessary. She replied "so if he needs a shot at the pediatrician, what do you do?"
That was the moment we decided not to continue with Peak. I did not go there to have my parenting choices judged, and if they disagree that creating a positive experience is important for a 2 year old, then they are not the right fit for us. And by the way, yes, we do hold him still as needed for life-saving vaccinations; that is not the same as a routine dental cleaning. Had he needed an actual procedure, we would have figured out how to make it happen, but that was not the case.
When Dr. Cassinelli came in, she was short and brusk, and clearly annoyed with us before she even walked in. This had not been our experience with her in the past; I suppose the hygienist had told her we were being difficult?
Finally, they give children tokens for prizes without asking parents. When the 5 year old received one and got to choose a price from the machine, of course the two year old wanted one as well. He was given an age appropriate toy, and they would not exchange it for a token for him as well (again, I am the parent and can judge which toys my child can handle). So, in addition to being scared and having an overall terrible experience, he was also devastated that he did not get a cool prize from the machine like his big brother. A big nope for our little guy, we are switching to a new practice that will respect me as a parent and him as a full human with feelings. read more
