A member of the American Dental Association, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American Academy of Pediatrics, Illinois State Dental Society, Chicago Dental Society, Illinois Society of Pediatric Dentistry, Fox River Valley Dental Society and I am the past-president of the Elgin Dental Society / study club.
Dr. Matt Karsten, pediatric dentist and founder of Kids First Pediatric Dentistry received his bachelors degree cum laude from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Next he attended the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine. After graduating from dental school, he completed a 2 year residency in pediatrics at St. Christophers Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. After residency, he started Kids First Pediatric Dentistry. Since he was born and raised in the area, it is an honor to serve the children growing up in the community. His vision for the practice is to nurture and care for childrens oral health from infancy to adulthood. He is an accredited member of the American Dental Association, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American Academy of Pediatrics, Illinois State Dental Society, Chicago Dental Society, Illinois Society of Pediatric Dentistry, Fox River Valley Dental Society and was the past-president of the Elgin Dental Society/study club. His free time is devoted to his loving family. He and his wife Samantha have five children. When he is not spending time with his family, hes an avid sports fan.
Dr. Amanda Frankel is originally from NewJersey. She graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL where she obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She then went on to attend dental school at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA where she received a Doctorate in Dental Medicine. After graduating from dental school, she completed a two-year specialty-training program in pediatric dentistry at the University of Illinois at Chicago,while also receiving a Masters Degree in Oral Sciences. Dr. Amanda lives in the Chicago suburbs with her fianc Jared. In her free time, she enjoys doingpuzzles, playing tennis with her fianc, and biking along the many beautiful trails in Illinois. Dr. Amanda looks forward to meeting and working with all the families at Kids First Pediatric Dentistry.
Every accomplishment I have ever had pales in comparison to being a father to my daughters and a husband to my wife. My family is what drives me every day to be the best dentist I can be for other families. ~ Dr. Gil
Dr. Gil was born and raised in Chicago, IL. He graduated with a BS in Chemistry from DePaul University in 2002. After college, he immediately went on to dental school and became a graduate of the College of Dentistry at University of Illinois at Chicago in 2006. He practiced General Dentistry in private practice from 2006 until 2018 as the owner of a small practice in Palos Heights, IL. He found great joy in treating patients of all ages, but his passion had always been treating children and patients with special needs since his training in dentistry began over a decade and half ago. When he was accepted into the pediatric dental residency at Childrens Hospital of Michigan, he accepted it as one of the greatest honors of his life. Finally, now having his chance to fulfill his passion for specializing in the care for childrens oral health, he was compelled to liquidate his lifes work to gain extra training as a pediatric dentist, which was completed in 2020.
He finds pleasure in being an integral part of your childs oral care by creating a fun and comfortable setting where oral care can be accomplished safely and efficiently. He feels strongly that both education and prevention are the best ways to manage childrens oral disease, and he will compassionately work with your family to make your childs dental experience a positive one.
Spending time with his two beautiful daughters and his wonderful wife of over 10 years currently fills Dr. Gils personal life. They enjoy traveling, cooking, baking, exercising and rooting on the Chicago Bears, White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks.
Teething is a natural occurrence that is necessary for the growth of your child. Although it can be difficult to handle, we have information designed to help you to prepare for this stage in your childs life.
There is a lot of misinformation out there about teething, so it is important to understand what exactly to expect. Knowing the correct symptoms will help you to know when you must contact a dentist or doctor for your child.
Abnormal symptoms would be if your baby has a fever, rash, diarrhea, severe gum swelling, redness, or bleeding. If your baby has any of these symptoms, call your doctor immediately to make sure it is not an indication of a larger problem.
Teething TreatmentIf your baby is experiencing sore or inflamed gums, it can be quite difficult to calm them down. A solution to soothe their mouth would be trying a chilled pacifier or teething ring. You can also try massaging their gums gently with a clean finger or dampened piece of gauze.
For the safety of your child, do not use topical pain relievers or homeopathic teething gels and tablets. These forms of relief have not been evaluated or approved by the FDA, which means they might be dangerous for young children.
Dental care is needed as soon as your baby develops their first tooth. When that first tooth emerges you should gently wipe your babys gums with a dampened cloth at least twice a day. Also, once your child develops two teeth that touch, you should begin using floss or an interdental brush daily.
Within 6 months of developing their first tooth, your child should visit our pediatric dentist in 60194. When telling your child about the dentist, maintain a positive attitude so they feel as comfortable as possible.
Reviews
Rating 4.4 out of 5 based on 80 reviews
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newest oldest highest lowestYoga Gelli
2 years ago
Wonderful service by hygienist Jen. She makes my daughter comfortable first and takes care of all the things in her annual visit. Highly recommend this dental clinic.
Julie CHEN
2 years ago
Beware of their billing. I was given a treatment estimate that would cost about $2000 out of pocket for two kids. Some of the items did not seem to be reasonable. For example, my two kids were told to come to a total of 6 follow-up visits. For every single visit laughing gas was prescribed, regardless of the nature of the treatment or the age/behaviors of the child. I wish the doctor had discussed with me why she considered laughing gas was necessary for every visit, and whether the parent was comfortable using sedation on their kids. Also there were two teeth extractions listed on the treatment plan that I didn't recognize. There was no discussion about extracting teeth during our visit. I tried to reach out to the doctor to bring up my concerns but it was hard to get through. No one ever answers the phone at the office. I tried to call at different times during the day but it was always the answering machine. Eventually I thought maybe it's easier just to see a different dentist. It was easier. The other dentist we saw was able to perform the treatments my kids needed in fewer visits and at a fraction of the cost. Only a total of three follow-up visits were needed. No laughing gas was used for either kids and they were completely fine without it. I understand different doctors do things differently, but this time I was quite unhappy because I genuinely felt the time-stretch of the treatment plan as well as some of items were just put in there for billing purposes.
Mark Nordli
2 years ago
Horrible experience. When work was being done they forced my child to take gas after we said we don't want gas. Then they told us to go wait in the waiting room. Also they lied about my insurance being in network. They also don't answer there phones and the staff is extremely rude. Horrible horrible density.
Jonathan Fernandez
2 years ago
Listen as a kid to adulthood I hated the dentist, HATED! Going here for a required tooth pull for my son, I went in blinked and my son was already being taken care of. Dr Matt was great advised against a unnecessary follow up, which saved time and money. The staff naturally gravitates to him and you can tell they enjoy working with him. Can't ask more of any business then a thoughtful and efficient owner and pleasant staff.
Namrata Upadhyay
2 years ago
Told me my insurance covers x-ray of my 5 year old and then takes few more x-rays without letting me know those are not covered by my insurance and just paid $92 for what it should be a free cleanup. Not going there again.
D B
2 years ago
This is the best experience I ever had with any dentist, not just kids dentist. All of my 3 kids went to this place and I cannot recommend it high enough to everyone. These are the doctors will not make unnecessary procedures and are also cost conscious and mindful of your wallet. Please, please, please take your kids to these dentists and turn away from other ones in the area. You will thank me later.
Christina E
2 years ago
Request for Dr Matt. He is the BEST!!! No matter if its just a simple cleaning or your kid needs extra work You will love this guy!!
natali garcia
2 years ago
DO NOT GO HERE! They are so money hungry and push unnecessary thing. During my child visit they try to make parents wait in the waiting room and I refused to which they got upset. If you go here they will bill you the highest they can. They never answer the phone and the person that handles billing is always out of the office and never calls back.
Tammy Sheehan
2 years ago
Awesome first dentist experience! My son is 4 1/2 years old and autistic so needless to say I was very anxious leading up to this appointment but everyone from the receptionist at the dentist made me feel completely at ease. My son was super happy and comfortable there and he made me feel like my child was normal. Blowing up gloves like balloons and making faces on them made my kids day. His school is next to the office and later that day when I dropped him off he tried to run into the Dentists office again. I would say that's a win! Definitely would recommend.
Sylvia Vazquez
2 years ago
Dentist and staff are very friendly. Office is very clean. It was my 5 yr old's son's first time at this office. He can get super nervous. The staff was very patient and calm with him.
Hortencia Geiger
2 years ago
My kids love going to the dentist. The staff are nice, friendly and helpful. Love this place!! Highly recommend!!!
Stacy D'Agostaro
2 years ago
According to my boys (who are now teens) Dr Matt is fantastic! When I was young I was afraid of going to the dentist. I'm so lucky to have found Kids First Pediatric Dentistry. Dr Matt and staff are phenomenal. Highly recommended
Allison Lindrum
2 years ago
Great staff. Wonderful with children, even with my son who has anxiety issues and ADHD. Cannot praise them enough!
Heather Natal
2 years ago
Fantastic group for kids. I had terrible experiences growing up which made me anxious for our son. KidsFirst puts our son and us at ease. He just had his first filling today and not a single tear was shed. He did wonderful thanks to how Dr. Matt and his team handle care.
Kim Saftig
2 years ago
My children love every person that works there . We have been going here for over five years and I recommend everyone to do the same . The staff is friendly and always makes my kids smile .
Dibya Sahoo
2 years ago
I asked the front desk for annual cleaning visit only but I got additional charge without informing us detail about the X-ray. Which I don't want to go for it and paid extra for the visit.
Laura Machulskis
2 years ago
Dr. Matt and his team are fantastic with my children and us parents as well. Dr. Matt helped my son that has Autism,ADHD, and Sensory Issues to concor his being able to handle the exams and x-rays. When we started with Dr. Matt he encouraged use to try different things to help prepare our son for the visits and we were able to make a dental plan to keep with every visit. We've been to both locations and both are really easy to get to. We just happen to prefer the Schaumburg location since we live on Streamwood it's conveniently just down Schaumburg rd. for us.
Aleks Karpovas
2 years ago
impossible to reach them over the phone, they never pickup if you have any question. But when you arrive for app and call that special number to check in, they are right there. they switch doctors on your kid without warning. Been there 4 times, 3 different doctors. they dont bother to help you with insurance, they bill wrong code in first place, then just tell you its your problem , call insurance. looking for different clinic who has better attitude then this place
Briana Olsen
3 years ago
This place is great!! Very clean and kid friendly. My sone loved the "cool chairs" in the waiting area. He tends to get very nervous at new places, but was immediately talkative and exploring. Dr. Matt was awesome, he explained things so that my son could understand what he was saying and was very friendly. I will be scheduling an appointment for my younger son here very soon.
Courtney Arroyo
3 years ago
Great office, staff and dentists!!
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