As a parent, you want to know your kids are in good hands. At Poplar Pediatric Dentistry, Dr. Katelyn and her team take this to heart and seek to provide the highest-quality pediatric dental care.
Dr. Katelyn, a board-certified pediatric dentist and the owner of Poplar Pediatric Dentistry, wants to break the mold when it comes to dental care for children. “We do pediatric dentistry differently here,” she says.
Born and raised in Indiana, she has strong roots in the Hoosier state. In fact, her office was named after the state tree (the tulip poplar). Her offices in Zionsville and Lebanon provide comprehensive care for the children of Boone County and beyond, from preventative cleanings to full-mouth dental rehabilitation.
Poplar’s mission is for each dental visit to provide a positive experience for patients and families. “Our goal as a team is to create a kid- and parent-friendly environment,” says Dr. Katelyn. “We know visiting the dentist can be intimidating, so we encourage parents to join their children for both preventative and operative appointments.”
Physical spaces were intentionally designed with the little details in mind for little ones, too. They have items such as a Tooth Fairy door, a mailbox for the Pacifier Fairy, and a Free Little Art Gallery that caters to their patients’ needs and inspires creativity.
More than that, the entire team strives to make each child’s visit a personalized, fun dental experience and uses patient-specific preferences to theme each visit. Her team even consults with parents prior to visits to help identify ways to make children more comfortable.
In certain situations, this can involve singing Disney songs and sending home “Mouseketools” to help support at-home dental care practices. “We know that not all kids will sit like adults in the dental chair,” Dr. Katelyn says. “We take the time to understand each patient and their needs, and then we adapt to meet them where they are.”
Poplar Pediatric Dentistry also welcomes children with special health care needs, sensory issues, and those who have difficulty with social interactions. “We understand every child is unique and that a visit to the dentist can be even tougher for some,” Dr. Katelyn says. “To help, we offer certain products without flavor and texture for those with sensory sensitivities.”
With their patient-centered approach, Dr. Katelyn and her team continue to raise the bar. Another strategy for patient care involves a Tell-Show-Do approach, which can employ the help of a patient’s stuffed animal, for example, to alleviate anxiety. “This involves a verbal explanation using kid-friendly terms, or the ‘tell’ part, along with a demonstration, the ‘show’ part, and the completion of the treatment, or the ‘do’ part,” Dr. Katelyn says. “It’s a way for our patients to become familiar with the tools we use and allows them to be the ‘dentist’ for a toy they love.”
In addition to being in private practice, Dr. Katelyn is an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at the Indiana University School of Dentistry and Riley Hospital for Children. She also serves as the State Public Policy Advocate for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. In that role, she helps promote the oral health needs of children in Indiana with legislative bodies at the local, state and federal levels.
Whatever the issue, Dr. Katelyn and the entire Poplar team have what it takes to provide top-notch care for children. “Boone County is our home,” she says. “Whether it’s a dental visit or local event, we love being there to support our patients and this community.”
Services Unique to Poplar:
- Private treatment rooms for each family
- Tongue and lip-tie releases with CO2 laser (laser frenectomy)
- Prior to performing releases, a team-centered, functional assessment is completed
- White crowns for baby teeth, including on back teeth
- In-office dental surgeries under general anesthesia with an MD anesthesiologist
- State-of-the-art dental surgery room with Category 1 medical gas equipment
- Hospital privileges at Witham Hospital and Riley Hospital for Children
