Publisher: Kool Smiles | General Dentistry for Children | General Adult & Kids Dentist | Dentist Accepting Medicaid, Tricare

Kool Smiles, founded in 2002, is built on the belief that all families have the right to receive quality dental care. Our goal at Kool Smiles is to provide first-rate dental services to communities that are often overlooked or are otherwise underserved. We welcome the entire family, from children as young as 1 year old, and also treat adults in most of our offices. The Surgeon General has reported that dental care is the number-one unmet healthcare need for children in the United States. Kool Smiles was founded in response to that unmet need, to provide access to quality dental care in communities throughout the country. Here are the facts on why good dental care is vital to lifelong health: Tooth decay is the most common childhood disease, and is five times more common than asthma. Tooth decay affects more than 50% of kids in first grade—and 80% of 17-year-olds. Almost 2.5 million days of work and 51 million school hours are lost each year due to dental-related illnesses. Dental disease can cause serious health problems and can affect a person's well-being and self-esteem. Children with dental health problems can have difficulty eating, sleeping, and paying attention in school. Recently, the Pew Center on the States completed a study, The Cost of Delay: State Dental Policies Fail One in Five Children, that reinforced the Surgeon General's findings. The report graded each state, outlining strengths and weaknesses in their various approaches to providing dental care to children. Kool Smiles believes every person should have access to quality oral healthcare, and is pursuing a mission to expand oral healthcare to underserved communities across the United States. With its larger reach, Kool Smiles has secured some of the nation's most respected senior general dentists to lead our clinical team. We also use authoritative third parties to routinely audit doctors and report their findings back to the board of directors—similar to the way a company's board of directors audits financial results. In addition to this clinical oversight, Kool Smiles uses award-winning electronic health records systems (PDF) to measure and report on clinical compliance, to make sure all offices are in strict compliance with government and professional guidelines. Finally, patient satisfaction is measured and reported publicly. We call thousands of patients each month to learn about their experience. We're proud to report that 97% of our patients plan to return and refer their own friends and family to Kool Smiles. Less than 1 in every 10,000 appointments results in a clinical complaint, and only about 1 in every 4,000 appointments results in a complaint of any kind. We take every complaint seriously, and publish them publicly in our quality report, which you can read here. Kool Smiles strives to deliver the quality care all patients deserve in a fun and friendly environment. In fact, all of our offices were built specifically with kids and their parents in mind. We have play areas for children and large offices with plenty of space for the whole family to participate. Walls are decorated with family- friendly decor, most offices feature windows for parents to check on their children, and there's plenty of room to accompany your child through the entire visit. Kool Smiles accepts most types of insurance, including Medicaid, and state-sponsored programs (SCHIP). In addition, we proudly accept military insurance from United Concordia's Tricare. We also can help with cash, credit, and CareCredit payments. Every office is encouraged to contribute to the community. We've partnered with local schools, daycare centers (PDF), and community organizations to provide needed oral health screenings and supplies, all free of charge. In addition, we frequently partner with state agencies to find ways to lower the barriers for all kids and their parents to receive the dental care they deserve.