medicaid+dentist in ABQ, NM

[jessaroo]

we currently see Dr. Martinez and really enjoy his watch and wait method rather than filling in everything. He will no longer take medicaid this fall. Does anyone here know of any dentists in ABQ who take medicaid that they would recommend?

thanks

[Eman'smom]

We aren't on Medicaid, but in my experience every dentist that we have ever seen that happened to also take medicaid I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole. Sorry I can't help.

[jessaroo]

no worries. I am not sure where to go. I called around a while ago and was scarred off by the "pappoose method" where they tie the kids down or they do not let parents go with the kids.


I am not sure where to turn.

[Blue Lotus]

After dealing with many of the Pediatric Dentists in town, we ended up with Dr. Spencer Tasker. We like him a whole lot, but I have heard that he can be hard to get into now as a Medicaid patient. He has a good bedside manner with our little ones, and he is more on the "wait and see" approach rather than filling everything in sight. Since our DD had some serious teeth issues we ended up seeing several in town and interviewing many more than that.

The ones I would avoid, personally, due to bad experiences were Dr. Rachelle Shaw and Dr. Hess.

[tgrlilly]

Hi-I have been very happy with Dr. David Martinez - he does use the pappose method, but DS said it felt like he was in the sling. (this was a few years back). We still see him and I am happy. Good Luck

[ABQsnippet]

I'm surprised to read that you didn't like Dr. Shaw, Blue Lotus. I absolutely love her and would recommend her to anyone! I guess maybe your personalities didn't mesh? I'm pretty certain that she does not use a papoose board but am also thinking that she does not take Medicaid. Frankly, though, I like her so much that I'd pay out of pocket to take my kids to her.

[Guinevere]

For the past couple of years, my kids have been seeing Dr. Stephen Cito, who practices with his son. Both are very good, the office staff is equally good, no papoose/restraints, parents are allowed and encouraged to be with kiddos, and they have been very good with my SN DD, too, which was something I was concerned about. They take Medicaid and are located in NE, near Eubank/Montgomery.

Kind regards,

Guin

[indigolilybear]

We also use Dr. Tasker.  We like him really well...but as parents who had a 2 yr old with LOTS of dental prob's., I liked that they also do in-house sedation.....after some traumatic experiences in CO as well as very real dental issue w/her, we appreciated their full range of services.  We like him a lot...and also like that they have TV screens the kids can watch.  Again, appreciation comes from trying to get work done on a screaming 2 yr old. 

[Blue Lotus]

ABQ Snippet - when I took DD to see her, she blamed my extended nursing of DD for her teeth problems (she had some serious dental problems due to being born with thin enamel, just like my mother and probably myself, and unlike my son who doesn't have this issue at all. I nursed them both the same so that wasn't the problem). She was rude and arrogant and abrasive to me, and wanted us to not be in the room if she was to treat DD, which I didn't find acceptable since she was around 20-24 months at the time. Maybe it was a personality issue, I don't know. She, like Dr. Hess, may do just fine with older (over 5 years old) kids, but they just weren't a good fit for our family.

[alwayssunny4]

I've heard of a lot of bad experiences with Dr. Shaw, Cito, and even Dr. Tasker's office- he has a lot of other doctors working for him that are not actually pediatric specialists.  I've heard Dr. Martinez is good.  

We recently went to Dr. Sjostrom at Sandia Pediatric Dentistry, and I would highly recommend him.  I am not sure if he takes medicaid, but I think he does.  He spent a lot of time with my kids and answered all of my questions.  It was a nice change from being rushed through like where we used to go.  I definitely think it is important to do your homework on the doctor and staff.  I take my kids to a pediatric dentist because they have extra training just like a pediatrician has more training and only treats kids, plus the office is more kid friendly.

[ambersrose]

My kids have Medicaid but we pay out of pocket and see Dr. Stanley Hess.  He is an advocate of extended nursing.

[tanyam926]

This thread is perfect! 

We currently see a wonderful Ped dentist but have only been going for 1 yr.  At the first visit my kids had xrays and when we went last week they wanted to to them again and I declined, I think every 12 months is excessive when my kids have no problems.  I was informed by the lady who made me sign the form that going longer than 12 months is "below the standard of care" and when I pressed about what would happen if I refused again in 6 mo she said they will no longer be able to see my kids...which is ridiculous since the ADA recommends 12-24 months as a range and says should be limited to only when necessary.

So, they will kick us out????  I haven't actually discussed it with the dentist but that's what she said...so I will be talking to him at the next appt and depending on what happens I will proceed from there. 

Interestingly I had never taken my kids to the dentist (well, ds1 went once but the younger 2 had never been) and when I did for the first time I allowed the cleaning, xrays and flouride (even though we don't do flouridated water-need to research that more), older 2 ea had 1 small cavity, got it filled, then ds2 had another small cavity the next visit, had it filled, and now he has another small beginning cavity PLUS the enamel on 2 of his teeth is all of a sudden not growing properly...no problems before the dental visits and flouride.  I don't feel sufficiently educated on this so I don't know what to think about it but it seems curious that his teeth would get worse AFTER going to the dentist right?  Other 2 boys have no cavities or any issues at all.  I am going to try MI paste without flouride, has anyone heard of that?

Thanks for the list, I might be interviewing new dentists in the near future.

[Blue Lotus]

We used MI Paste for a while when DD was little. I'm still not convinced that it helps (or hurts). I do know some people saw a vast improvement, so it might be worth a try.

If you are drinking any sort of city water (unless you have a filter system that removes fluoride), then you are drinking fluoridated water.

What really ended up helping us the most was seeing the dentist every 3-4 months for cleanings (since DD had HUGE dental issues, it was her Dentist that said he wanted to check up on her more often). We also give the kids liquid CLO (cod liver oil) every day, and they have really limited sugary treats. They also don't drink water with fluoride, and don't have any fluoride treatment at the dentist.

We also (as part of a different issue) changed our diets as a family to eating minimal to no processed foods, no wheat, no corn, potatoes or rice. I think it made a HUGE difference overall, but the results were slow to see (im months to years, rather than weeks).

DD's teeth have slowly gotten stronger, so she occasionally has a spot they keep an eye on, but no real cavities for a couple of years now.

Good luck on finding a new dentist, it sounds like the one you have isn't worth keeping.

FWIW, we still love Dr. Tasker. Over the years the office staff has been indifferent to a bit rude, and my kids refuse to see any of the other dentists that practice there. Dr. Tasker is still an awesome dentist though, and really tries to work with parents on what is best for the individual child rather than the self-interest of the doctor.