The Children’s Hospital: A Local Family’s Choice for Care

from Shine Newsletter, Summer 2006

When a spill from her bike left 2-year-old Rachel Tobler in need of emergency dental care, her mother, Laura, chose the pediatric expertise of The Children’s Hospital.

A few months ago, Rachel Tobler and her older brother, Drew, were enjoying an evening bike ride in a park near their Littleton home. Rachel began to speed down a hill when Drew called out for her to slow down. She looked back at him, and in seconds, her front wheel turned, tossing her over the handlebars and onto her chin.

Open Wide

At home, their father cleaned Rachel’s face and tried to investigate her injury, but Rachel wouldn’t open her mouth until her mother arrived home 30 minutes later. Inside the girl’s mouth, Laura found that one of Rachel’s front teeth was shattered and a nerve was exposed.

Although several other hospitals are near the Tobler’s home, they chose to take their daughter to The Children’s Hospital, where they knew she would receive expert pediatric care. When they arrived at Children’s that evening, Rachel was taken to a room right away. The on call dentist arrived moments later.

“Even though it was late, we’ll never forget how tender the dentist was,” Laura says. “He earned Rachel’s trust quickly by kneeling down and gently talking to her directly.   She let him examine her head and mouth. He pulled her tooth in the emergency room and walked with us to the dental clinic where he took X-rays and treated Rachel with great care. We were also grateful that the dentist called the next day to make sure she was comfortable and recovering from her experience.”

Still Smiling

Several months after her accident, Rachel is fully recovered. She enjoys doing funny things like sticking her tongue through the hole where her baby tooth was or drinking through her teeth. Each time Rachel smiles, the Tobler family is reminded of the kindness of Children’s. “Even though Rachel’s injury wasn’t life-threatening, it was a big deal to us,” Laura says. “We are so happy that we chose Children’s.”