Little Pearls Kids Dentistry & Orthodontics has 3 office locations to betterserve our patients. We have dentists and an orthodontist that rotate to ourdifferent locations. Our locations includeSeattle and Bothell.
AtLittlePearlsKids Dentistry & Orthodontics we strive to give each child theopportunity to learn and grow with us, providing the necessary knowledge andtreatment they need to maintain a healthy smile for years to come. Wewelcome children with special health care needs to our practice as well.
Dr. Derek Zhao was born with a sunny disposition thanks to the lovely weather in Hawaii. He grew up in Shoreline and Bellevue and completed his Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of Washington. Dr. Derek discovered a passion for treating children during a year of dental assisting and pursued that interest throughout dental school at NYU in New York City. He liked it so much there that he spent two more years completing his specialty training in Pediatric Dentistry at NYU. Having had enough of the Big Apple, Dr. Derek is very happy to be back on the West Coast, where he spends his free time...
...hiking, playing racket sports, and growing new plant babies with his wife. He is excited to meet new people and spread smiles all around. Dr. Derek believes that connecting with people of all ages takes building a trusting bond and having lots of laughs together.
Dr. Smita Patel has been creating beautiful smiles with the latest types ofbraces in Washington since 2007. She was born in India and grew up inBolton, England. She earned her bachelors degree in Chemistry andComputer Science at Nottingham Trent University before coming to the UnitedStates to attend graduate school. She graduated from the University of SouthFlorida with her masters degree in Biochemistry and went on to pursue herDoctor of Dental Medicine degree in 2003 from Nova Southeastern College ofDental Medicine. In addition, she completed a General Practice residency atMount Sinai Medical Center in North Miami Beach.
Having gained a finer appreciation for dental esthetics and the importance of a good bite she went back to school to obtain advanced training in Orthodontics. She earned a master's degree and a certificate in Orthodontics from Marquette University.
During her tenure at Nova Southeastern she received the Eleanor J. Bushee Senior Student Award for her academic excellence and outstanding leadership and was elected by the faculty into membership in Omicron Kappa Upsilon, the well-recognized dental honor society for academic achievement and leadership in dentistry.
In addition to her private orthodontic practice in Federal Way and Seattle, Washington, Dr. Patel is an affiliate professor at the University of Washington, as well as a published author in several academic journals.
Dr. Greg Maggass is passionate about providing dentistry for children,creating and maintaining healthy smiles as well as crafting a comfortable andpositive experience for every single one of his patients. Dr. Greg grew up inParadise Valley, Arizona, earned his bachelors at the University of Arizona,and graduated from the University of Washington in 2018, obtaining a licensein General Dentistry. He received courses in how to kids dentistry andSpecial Needs Dentistry, and Dental Fears and grew his devotion to pediatricdental health as a general dentist. He has worked at Little Pearls KidsDentistry since 2018 and has loved his time here.
Dr. Greg has lived in Argentina, Brazil and China, and can speak English, Spanish and Portuguese fluently, and speaks a little French and Italian, and enjoys conversing with patients in other languages for better communication. Dr. Greg enjoys skiing, golfing, surfing, biking,traveling, dogs and reading.
Reviews
Rating 3.7 out of 5 based on 18 reviews
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newest oldest highest lowestBrittany Warren
2 years ago
This is a past employer of mine. While departing from this employer, they have not paid me. and it's been at least 3 months. It's very unfortunate. I'm not sure if this is a place you can trust their word.
Jordan Kenniston
2 years ago
My daughter got her tooth filled after having a bad experience at another place, the gentleman and his wonderful assistant were so kind and fun while working on my scared child, they checked in with her frequently making sure she was confertable the whole time, in and out quickly with no issues my daughter had a smile on her face when she left! All kids are different so it was nice to meet him before booking the appointment to express any concerns!
Melanie Ross
2 years ago
We are very happy with the communication and orthodontia care we received from Dr. Patel and Little Pearls. We received prompt responses to our questions and they were very accommodating on scheduling. The whole process went very smoothly.
Cheryl Schaap
2 years ago
I lucked out calling them! I'm leaving this review because I want this office to be around a long time. They had the misfortune of opening up not long before covid and you I can imagine what that would do to a new place. So clean, friendly, efficient, definitely awesome view and really cool glass sculptures everywhere in a type of underwater theme. Staff is treated kindly from what I've seen over several visits and overall good vibe. Not affiliated, but coming from a dental background I 100% recommend them. Not stuffy yet professional and great w my kid.
Rachel Hannah
2 years ago
I've been in a lot of dental offices. Dr. Patel is one of the good ones. She is great at what she does, and genuinely cares about her patients. Her offices have a fun and welcoming vibe for families.
Heidi Homanick
2 years ago
I got 3 appointments with no problems, All three of my kids were able to get an appointment back to back. Also, they are the only pediatric dentists who actually accept my kids insurance. Most places I have called will only accept our insurance for kids 5 and under. Thank you little Pearl's for actually caring about ALL kids under 18, and staying inclusive.
It's Me Betsy!
3 years ago
We love the staff at Little Pearls. They have always been kind and patient with our two little ones and we always end up all in smiles. :) It's hard to find a practice that you actually get excited to see the people when it's check up time. Thank you Little Pearls for taking such great care of our kids!
Chase Bryden
3 years ago
Great service, lovely bedside manner, the dental techs are always amazing. The entire office always make my appointments quick and efficient! Definitely recommend!
Judy Sinclaire
3 years ago
I recently had braces (as an adult) and had an excellent experience with Little Pearls and Dr. Patel. Professional, clean, friendly office. The assistants are very caring and gentle, and Dr. Patel is excellent - very competent with high level of expertise. She explains everything in detail, and makes you feel very comfortable. And, the final results were amazing. I am very happy, and highly recommend this office!
Judy Sinclaire
4 years ago
I recently had braces (as an adult) and had an excellent experience with Little Pearls and Dr. Patel. Professional, clean, friendly office. The assistants are very caring and gentle, and Dr. Patel is excellent - very competent with high level of expertise. She explains everything in detail, and makes you feel very comfortable. And, the final results were amazing. I am very happy, and highly recommend this office!
It's Me Betsy!
4 years ago
We love the staff at Little Pearls. They have always been kind and patient with our two little ones and we always end up all in smiles. :) It's hard to find a practice that you actually get excited to see the people when it's check up time. Thank you Little Pearls for taking such great care of our kids!
Chase Bryden
4 years ago
Great service, lovely bedside manner, the dental techs are always amazing. The entire office always make my appointments quick and efficient! Definitely recommend!
Shelby Beeler
4 years ago
Been to all Little Pearls locations, and this one is great! Lovely aquarium theme and tablets on the walls while you wait. The only tricky thing is parking as snow is blocking at least 6 of the available spaces (that's on property manager). Came for Anesthesia dentistry today. Staff is warm and welcoming. Drs. Are super nice and full of resources and info.
Anil Rachapalle
4 years ago
Reached them thrice, left voice messages no call back even after 2 days!
Kristy Relkoff
4 years ago
Horrible. Took 6 messages, 1 call back, and me calling other locations and getting them to call for a call back trying to get the form i needed signed for my daughters wisdom teeth removal. Few times my 3 kids were out so fast, watched them do one and was shocked at how limited their cleaning was for a 17 year old compared to other places. Went back to another place and they couldn't tell teeth had recently been cleaned!
nicole reiber
4 years ago
My daughter has a tooth that developed without enamel and needs emergency care. We were referred to Little Pearls in January of 2019 where she had the evaluation, mind you shes been evaluated 4 times for this tooth at other places and still not treated. We then went ahead with a plan and made an appointment, which is hard for me given I'm a college student and working. We came in for the appointment to only find the dentist who was scheduled to do the procedure was not there because he was called to another location to work on someone else. The woman who replaced him said they didn't have the right size cap to fix the tooth so again nothing was done to treat my daughters emergency. I then had to go home to check what day would work to be seen again and when I tried calling them to make an appointment no one answered. I left a message and got no call back. I made many other calls throughout the months and still nothing. When I finally got a call back they said they would email me when they could find a day that worked. I got one email stating they were still trying to figure it out then nothing. I waited a bit longer for a response and when I got nothing I tried calling again. Still no answers, after calling over and over again, and no calls back to my messages I left. I finally got ahold of them again and was able to make an appointment, adamant that they have the right size cap and that they will actually take care of the tooth this time. I go in today, July of 2019, expecting the tooth to finally be taken care of and not surprisingly the doctor who was supposed to come in had a family emergency and didn't show up. After waiting 30 minutes for the dentist who was to cover for her showed up she tells us she can't do it because shes an orthodontist. I told them to find me someone else who can take care of this problem and as they are calling places tell me they can't find one and for me to look as well. At this point I am livid and offended that they would tell me to now waste my time again trying to find someone after all the time they have wasted of mine already trying to get my daughters painful, deteriorating, tooth taken care of. They are extremely unprofessional and do not take care of their patients at all. I would not recommend you waste your time with these people. They are never even there, I don't even know how they are still allowed to practice with such unprofessionalism. They should all lose their jobs based on what other reviews I have seen.
nicole reiber
5 years ago
My daughter has a tooth that developed without enamel and needs emergency care. We were referred to Little Pearls in January of 2019 where she had the evaluation, mind you shes been evaluated 4 times for this tooth at other places and still not treated. We then went ahead with a plan and made an appointment, which is hard for me given I'm a college student and working. We came in for the appointment to only find the dentist who was scheduled to do the procedure was not there because he was called to another location to work on someone else. The woman who replaced him said they didn't have the right size cap to fix the tooth so again nothing was done to treat my daughters emergency. I then had to go home to check what day would work to be seen again and when I tried calling them to make an appointment no one answered. I left a message and got no call back. I made many other calls throughout the months and still nothing. When I finally got a call back they said they would email me when they could find a day that worked. I got one email stating they were still trying to figure it out then nothing. I waited a bit longer for a response and when I got nothing I tried calling again. Still no answers, after calling over and over again, and no calls back to my messages I left. I finally got ahold of them again and was able to make an appointment, adamant that they have the right size cap and that they will actually take care of the tooth this time. I go in today, July of 2019, expecting the tooth to finally be taken care of and not surprisingly the doctor who was supposed to come in had a family emergency and didn't show up. After waiting 30 minutes for the dentist who was to cover for her showed up she tells us she can't do it because shes an orthodontist. I told them to find me someone else who can take care of this problem and as they are calling places tell me they can't find one and for me to look as well. At this point I am livid and offended that they would tell me to now waste my time again trying to find someone after all the time they have wasted of mine already trying to get my daughters painful, deteriorating, tooth taken care of. They are extremely unprofessional and do not take care of their patients at all. I would not recommend you waste your time with these people. They are never even there, I don't even know how they are still allowed to practice with such unprofessionalism. They should all lose their jobs based on what other reviews I have seen.
Shelby Beeler
5 years ago
Been to all Little Pearls locations, and this one is great! Lovely aquarium theme and tablets on the walls while you wait. The only tricky thing is parking as snow is blocking at least 6 of the available spaces (that's on property manager). Came for Anesthesia dentistry today. Staff is warm and welcoming. Drs. Are super nice and full of resources and info.
Kristy Relkoff
5 years ago
Horrible. Took 6 messages, 1 call back, and me calling other locations and getting them to call for a call back trying to get the form i needed signed for my daughters wisdom teeth removal. Few times my 3 kids were out so fast, watched them do one and was shocked at how limited their cleaning was for a 17 year old compared to other places. Went back to another place and they couldn't tell teeth had recently been cleaned!
Anil Rachapalle
5 years ago
Reached them thrice, left voice messages no call back even after 2 days!
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