Iowa Kids Pediatric Dentistry

Iowa Kids Pediatric dentistry is a godsend for parents of little ones! My 5-year-old used to scream at the dentist, but after one visit here, he runs in excited. Dr. Lee is amazing—she turned his checkup into a "tooth safari," using a tiny flashlight to "hunt for sugar bugs" and letting him hold a toy mirror. The office is a kid paradise: bright murals, a play area with blocks, and TVs showing cartoons during treatments.

The hygienists are so patient, taking breaks when he gets wiggly. They send cute reminder texts with a "smile challenge" for the car ride, and the staff remembers his favorite color (blue!) for stickers. Finally, a dental office where kids feel happy, not scared—worth every mile we drive!

July 25, 2025

Samuel Gire

This place is amazing. I am biased because I do love dogs, and there are two that are regularly at the office. Even if that weren't the case, every person on their team is wonderful. They have coffee and multiple activities for kids to do while they wait.

My kids that don't have an appointment that day regularly ask me to come along when someone else does. I feel so blessed that this great team chose Marion to set up shop.

May 13, 2025

Kismet Knight

I have been taking my son to see Dr. Kaaren Vargas for 16 years. We drive from Iowa City to see her in Marion. She and her staff are so kind, professional and most of all, caring! Always gives clear answers to any questions I have and is so good with my son. She remembers us and is interested in us too. Plus she has the best canine welcoming crew!!

April 25, 2025

Liliana Turner

We switched to Iowa Kids Dental because of an insurance change, but after our first visit, we decided to go back to our old dentist—even if it means paying out of network. There were a few things that just didn’t work for our family. 1. Dogs in the Office They mention on their website that there are dogs in the office, but I assumed they’d stay in the waiting room or reception area. That’s not the case—the dogs roam freely, including into the exam rooms. There was dog hair on the exam chair, which was a big issue for us since two of my kids have pretty bad dog allergies. If the dogs had been kept up front, this would have been manageable, but it made the whole visit more stressful than it needed to be. 2.

Issues with Sending Records Getting our kids scheduled was easy, and everyone was nice at first. But when we decided to go back to our old dentist and asked for our X-rays to be sent over, it was really frustrating. I called a week ahead and was told no release form was needed and the records would be sent that day. They weren’t. On the day of our appointment with our old dentist, the records still hadn’t been sent. After several calls and about 30 minutes of back and forth, they finally emailed them—right as we were checking out. It almost made the whole appointment a waste. 3.

No Parents Allowed During Treatment The office has a strict policy that parents aren’t allowed in the room during treatment. I get that every office has a right to make their own policies, however, I feel the policy is indicative of an inability or unwillingness to view patients as individuals. Certainly there are cases where having a parent present is beneficial to the child and to have such a strict rule rather than evaluating each case individually makes me wary of their ability to view my child as an person rather than “just another patient. ” Dr. Vargas seemed knowledgeable and was thorough in her explanation of her recommendations, and the place is new and modern, but in the end, those positives didn’t outweigh the downsides for us.

June 5, 2025