Why Smyrna Pediatric Dentistry?
As a dental student in Boston, one of the most treasured memories that I have is walking through the Boston Common park and passing by “Make Way for Ducklings,” a sculpture of bronze ducks. I always thought of tenderness, innocence, protection and family when passing by and it always made me smile. A mother duck with her babies, leading the way. Throughout the year they even dress up the statues with hats and scarfs . . . so much fun! So, when I moved to Delaware, the first thing I noticed was that the ducks are back in my life. This time I had my own family and I was looking for a place to call home, to grow roots, to start my own clinic, and after 10+ years of working, it was finally my opportunity. It took us a couple of years to settle down. We were always looking for the right place. I worked in Southern Delaware and always passed Smyrna, and all I heard was how much it had been growing in the past 10 years and with more growth to come. With no Pediatric Dentist serving the community, it was a true blessing in disguise.
We did our homework and we found the perfect spot, a building mid-construction, and we could not believe the space was available, just waiting for us. It was serendipitous that Smyrna was once known as Duck Creek, reminding me of my favorite memory. So, to pay homage to Smyrna, we created our lovely mallard duck hugging a tooth over a body of water representing history, tenderness and dental health awareness.
The design process went really quickly. Thankfully my wife is an architect and interior designer. We put together so many ideas: rivers, ponds, trees, doodles. But mainly, we wanted to provide a unique experience for kids, teens and parents, with color and joy. The goal was not to saturate the eye, but to make your head move and discover different details, shapes, and sensory experiences. The key was for “ALL AGES,” create a space that will let you imagine and get distracted, allowing you to disconnect while you wait. Like an art gallery for all members of the family.
One of the most eye-catching details are the epoxy floors, an abstract design evoking a pond /river that will take you from the check-in to your individual chair and back to check-out. And then there are our prize towers. We added elements like peaking windows with angles and an arched door, a curved hallway, and a sensory room just for our VIP patients. It features pendant lights, colorful ‘spider pendant light bulbs,” a wall with a splash of color. There are neon lights, a wooden train set, and a Special Tree at the main entrance with pendant crystal lights. It definitely has a little bit for all ages. Whimsical you might say.
We want Smyrna PD to be exceptional, not just the office design, but the quality of service. We want to be a healthy pillar of our community and in our patients’ lives. As parents, it is hard not to show anxiety to our kiddos, but pulling teeth without anesthesia no longer exists. Be sure that we will do everything in our hands to make every single appointment as comfortable as we can. Some visits will require treatment, some days it might be just a cleaning, or taking a nap and waking up and the treatment is done. Whatever it is, we will do our best. Communication with parents is one of our values, because we have been in your shoes too. We believe in positive reinforcement, that’s why we have prize towers at the end of every appointment, no matter what, they get a token. Especially at the beginning of their first visit, it is scary and overwhelming, so we go step by step. Maybe today the exam was done while they were standing up and on the next visit, they might use the chair. We take a lot of pride in those little accomplishments and simple steps forward.
Our mission states “With compassion and efficiency, we will provide oral health care for our patients. Being communicative and assertive to their individual needs and overall health in a collaborative approach.” So, being parents ourselves, we understand that each patient is unique and requires an individualized approach through trust, compassion and communication.
Smyrna Pediatric Dentistry opened its doors in June of this year. We are very proud and excited to meet you all. – David Delgado & Silvia Valldeperas-D.
Smyrna Pediatric Dentistry
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