Russell Pollina, DDS

My kids dread going to the dentist even for cleanings. I dread going too because I hate seeing them scared; though I cheerily prep them before each visit to try to make it less scary. This has all gone a little easier now that we’ve found Dr. Pollina and associates.
The way we were referred was not pleasant — I’d been in search of a new dentist for our kids since our current one is too far away, but my son’s cavity got worse before I’d found one. We went to our neighborhood ‘family’ dentist in Roselle who, despite knowing he had a scared 4-​year-​old with a cavity and was in pain, took one look at my son whimpering in the chair, became impatient, rolled his eyes, said «Go see a pediatric dentist,» then proceeded to harshly and temporarily fill the affected molar, leaving my son crying in anguish. Thankfully his reception desk was compassionate, having a pediatric dentist referral list ready for us and helping to comfort my son.
We tried calling a few of the peds dentists on the list, and after a few unsuccessful calls, were greeted by a friendly, pleasant voice at Dr. Pollina’s office who listened patiently as I frantically explained our situation — 4 yo in pain, just came from family dentist who wouldn’t help, now he’s in more pain, can they possibly see us today? The pleasant voice replied, «How about 4pm today?» She proceeded to let me know that they would first do a consultation, might not do any work today, and that they were already booked, but wanted to get us in since my son was hurting. How awesome. She then gave me detailed directions to the office (behind Motor Werks in Barrington, Bldg 5, lower-​level, park near the end slope of the hill so that we don’t have to take the stairs) and instructions for filling out the new patient forms online to minimize our wait in the waiting room. I loved them already.
We arrived a little before our appt time, completed forms in hand, and the sign in process was seamless. Friendly faces greeted us, and the waiting room here is better than our pediatrician’s office! Comforting color scheme on the walls some with murals, comfy chairs, game system (Xbox?) with TV in one corner, separate toy room, and a central TV showing movies (Rise of the Guardians on this day). Coffee/​Tea available for parents, tons of magazines. My kids forgot they were at the dentist.
We were shown to the room after a slight wait (which we were prepped for!), and each room has a TV mounted on the ceiling. The kids were in awe. My son eased into his chair and was neatly distracted. Once they dentist and assistant showed up, the calm façade went out the door and he started crying and screaming. Dr. Pollina put my son at ease, explaining that he wanted to count his teeth and see what was hurting… and, could they take some pictures of his teeth? My son hesitantly obliged. The XRay machine here is out of this world. Instead of trying to shove a piece of plastic in his mouth and expecting him to comprehend he was to bite down on it while managing a heavy xray vest on his chest… there’s a machine where your child stands and bites while the xray moves around them. So cool that even my daughter wanted an Xray. Images were displayed on a laptop and shared with us.
Unfortunately, my son’s cavity had gotten so bad that he needed what is equivalent to a root canal. Dr. Pollina explained what needed to be done, outlined the decay in the cavity, then walked us to the reception desk so we could make our next appt. Again, being considerate of my son and wanting to get him better ASAP, they squeezed us in two days later, 1^st appt on the weekend. To end the visit, they let each of my kids pick from the massive treasure chest… and these weren’t dollar-​toy stores… these were good toys!
We came back Saturday, and Dr. Pollina’s associate, Dr. Hall took care of my son. She was pleasant and friendly, explaining in detail what was going to be done, and distracted my son by talking with him. Again, once he got into the chair, he freaked, crying, screaming, and fighting the whole way. It took a while to calm him down, inevitably strapped him into a blanket (think strait jacket), but they got the job done, all the while patiently and and as comfortingly as possible (a mean feat with my boy). While my son was still hysterical afterwards, he was happy his tooth was fixed.
I can’t say enough about the doctors and staff here. We liked our previous dentist and I was afraid I wouldn’t find one comparable, but I’m glad we made the switch. On their patient questionnaire, they ask whether your child has had a previously bad experience at the dentist. I can see that Dr. Pollina’s office really cares about that question because they do all they can to make visits quick and painless. You just can’t beat the bedside manner and expertise here.