At Growing Smiles Children's Dentistry, our goal is to provide the highest quality and most compassionate dental care to our patients from infancy through adolescence, including those with special health care needs. We appreciate and respect the trust parents place in us by allowing us to care for their children as if they are our own. We aim to treat our patients needs while providing a learning environment that promotes prevention and fosters optimal oral health. Growing alongside our patients, we adapt to their individual needs thoughtfully and safely, ultimately making dentistry a positive experience for all of our families.
Growing Smiles' practice philosophy is treating every child as if they were our own and developing a lasting relationship not only with the patient, but also the parent. Whether were discussing our water whistler and Mr. Thirsty with a two-year-old or reviewing the proper techniques for brushing and flossing with an eighteen-year old before they head off to college, we focus our chairside manner on your child and getting to know them better at each visit. Our goal is to deliver quality care to each patient while fostering habits beginning at age one and continuing into early adulthood. With our focus centered on prevention at each visit, we teach patients our favorite secret tooth rules to keep a healthy and lasting smilewhat foods, drinks, and habits are integral to maintaining optimum oral health and overall health. With sealants, fluoride, and special toothpaste options, our first goal is to always prevent dental disease before it occurs.
However, if more extensive work is required, such as fillings, crowns, root canals, and extractions, we strive to provide the highest quality dental care possible. To help maintain healthy, esthetic smiles, we try to utilize tooth-colored restorations whenever possible. We are also able to offer a variety of behavior management techniques to put your child at ease and have an enjoyable dental experience. Additionally, we screen patients of all ages for orthodontic care at each six month examination.
Not only do we focus our attention on your child, but we also work hard to address parental concerns by explaining each child's unique dental situationwhy and what type of treatment has been planned, and what to expect moving forward. In all aspects, we hope that every patient and parent has a positive experience in our office. We believe that when the child, parent, and dentist actively participate in prevention, a child can stay cavity-free. We appreciate the trust you have placed in us and look forward to growing this relationship. We will do what is best for your child while planting the seeds for their healthy smile!
At Growing Smiles, parents can look forward to visiting a pediatric practice that boasts provides a whole team of dedicated and friendly dentists who have all your childs best interests at heart. As on-staff doctors at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, were all extensively trained, experienced, and dedicated to going above and beyond to meet the needs of our patients.
In 2009, after much hard work and thought, Dr. Kristin Elliot and Dr. Reena Shah opened the doors of Growing Smiles. They have been able to put their personal touch on most everything at Growing Smiles.
Dr. Kristin, a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, is originally from rural Watseka, Illinois. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in three years before moving to Chicago, where she received her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. While in dental school, she enjoyed participating in service opportunities to promote oral health for children in the Chicagoland area. She also traveled to both Fort Lupton, Colorado, and a remote village in the Yucatan Peninsula for dental service trips to treat multiple families in need. Receiving acknowledgements for her service and academic accomplishments, she graduated with honors from UIC Dental School. Given the love she has for children and teaching, pediatric dentistry was the natural choice for Dr. Kristin. She feels very fortunate to have found a job that she thoroughly enjoys.
Dr. Kristin completed her pediatric dental residency at Childrens Memorial Medical Center through Northwestern University, where she served as the Chief Pediatric Dental Resident. She was trained extensively in treating medically compromised children at this hospital-based residency program. One of Dr. Kristin's passions in pediatric dentistry is management of dental trauma, and she has given various lectures on this topic. Dr. Kristin is currently on staff at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital in the department of surgery, performing full mouth rehabilitations under general anesthesia.
Not only is Dr. Kristin a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, but she is also an Illinois State Board Certified pediatric dentist. She is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American Board of Pediatric Dentists, American Dental Association, Illinois Society of Pediatric Dentists, Illinois State Dental Society, and the Chicago Dental Society.
Motherhood has given Dr. Kristin a unique perspective when practicing pediatric dentistry. Not only does she empathize when your child doesn 't 'want' to brush their teeth, but she is also able to distract them with the latest children 's topics. Luckily, she brushes all the Superheroes ' and Disney Princesses ' teeth and has lunches regularly with the tooth fairy. Outside of dentistry, Dr. Kristin enjoys spending time with her husband, Dan, and their three daughters. Dan is originally from Ontario, Canada, and is a commercial real estate broker based in the West Loop. Their family enjoys traveling and sports theyre all avid Chicago sports fans, especially the Blackhawks and Bears! Dr. Kristin is known for her sweet tooth (doughnuts are her favorite!) and can offer many tricks for having both a sweet tooth and a healthy smile.
Dr. Reena is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, and has been practicing in the Chicago area since 2000. Originally from Michigan, she received both her Bachelor of Science degree and Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Michigan. After dental school, Dr. Reena moved to Chicago to complete a General Practice Residency in a joint program with the University of Illinois and University of Chicago. She practiced general dentistry for the next four years before returning to Northwestern University to complete her pediatric dental residency at Children's Memorial Hospital.
During her residency at Children's Memorial Hospital, Dr. Reena served as chief resident and focused her research on prevention and infant oral health. She has presented information on these topics to her dental and medical colleagues, as well as to various parent groups. After completing her specialty training, Dr. Reena was invited to remain at Children's Memorial Hospital as one of only three pediatric dental specialists. In addition to maintaining a private practice within the hospital, she is responsible for training the current residents in all aspects of pediatric dentistry. She appreciates the challenges that are unique to an academic environment and enjoys her teaching role. Dr. Reena will continue in her current role as an attending doctor at Children's Memorial Hospital while working at Growing Smiles.
Dr. Reena has received her Illinois state specialty certificate in Pediatric Dentistry and is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, a national distinction achieved by very few pediatric dentists. She currently holds memberships in the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists, American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Dental Association, Illinois Society of Pediatric Dentists, the Illinois State Dental Society, and Chicago Dental Society. In her free time, Dr. Reena also works with CARE, an organization that advocates for women and children worldwide.
Dr. Reena is married to Jeffrey Wojno, a general dentist in Lincoln Park, and they have two daughters. As a parent herself, she knows and understands the needs of the young patients she treats. Her daughters help keep her current on all the new books, plays, and children's activities throughout the city! She enjoys traveling, playing dress-up with her two girls, and spending time with friends and family.