Growing Smiles

What Growing Smiles does

Growing Smiles is a privately-held pediatric dental practice founded in 2009 in Chicago, Illinois by Dr. Kristin McCullough Elliot and Dr. Reena Shah, two board-certified pediatric dentists and mothers. The practice operates two physical offices — its original location at 3701 N Southport Ave in Chicago (near Wrigley Field) and a purpose-built second location at 9 N. White Street in Frankfort, Illinois opened in 2024 — serving children from infancy through adolescence, including a dedicated offering for children with special needs. Service breadth spans preventive dentistry (checkups, cleanings, fluoride, dental sealants), restorative dentistry (crowns, tooth-colored fillings), cosmetic dentistry (bonding, whitening), sedation dentistry (nitrous oxide and outpatient general anesthesia), pulp and root canal therapy, tooth extractions, and same-day/after-hours emergency dental care. Hospital-based full-mouth rehabilitation under general anesthesia is delivered at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital via staff privileges held by all dentists.

The clinical team consists of five board-certified pediatric dentists — Drs. Kristin, Reena, Paula Gomez, Lexi Nash, and Shilpa Joshi — all Diplomates of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, supported by 11–50 total staff across hygienists, dental assistants, and administrative roles. There is no proprietary technology platform, software product, or AI/ML capability; the offering is purely in-person, service-based care. Patient acquisition relies on local community involvement, Google Reviews, a Facebook presence, downloadable school dental exam forms, and patient and doctor referrals, rather than on paid acquisition.

Growing Smiles operates a fee-for-service professional services revenue model. Patients pay per visit, with the practice acting as an in-network provider for Delta Dental Premier and accepting all PPO dental insurance plans; claims are filed on the patient's behalf. Out-of-pocket expenses not covered by insurance can be financed through CareCredit, often at little to no interest. The practice does not disclose pricing publicly, has no subsidiaries, no parent company, no institutional funding, and no disclosed M&A activity, operating as an independent, owner-operated specialty dental group serving the greater Chicago metropolitan area.

Name

Growing Smiles

Legal name

Growing Smiles

Website

https://growingsmileschicago.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Growing Smiles is a privately-owned pediatric dental practice operating two offices in Chicago and Frankfort, Illinois, delivering preventive, restorative, cosmetic, sedation, and emergency dental care to children from infancy through adolescence, including children with special needs, via a five-dentist board-certified team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Dentistry

NAICS

Offices of Dentists (6212)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Pediatric Dentistry Group Practices (HLABAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Preventive & Wellness Pediatric Dentistry (Cleanings/Fluoride/Sealants) (HLABAGAA), Pediatric Restorative Dentistry (Fillings/Crowns/Pulp Therapy) (HLABAGAB), Hospital-Based & Medically Complex Pediatric Dentistry (HLABAGAE), Special Needs Pediatric Dentistry (HLABAGAD)

Keywords

• Pediatric dentistry
• Children's dental care
• Preventive dentistry
• Restorative dentistry
• Special needs dentistry

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Dental services revenue: Fee-for-service pediatric dental care including preventive services, restorative treatments, cosmetic procedures, and sedation dentistry. Revenue generated from patient visits, procedures, and treatments. Accepts insurance (in-network with Delta Dental Premier, accepts all PPO plans) and offers CareCredit financing for out-of-pocket expenses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Growing Smiles is a privately-owned pediatric dental practice operating two physical office locations in Chicago and Frankfort, Illinois. The practice provides comprehensive dental care for children from infancy through adolescence, including preventive, restorative, cosmetic, sedation, and emergency dentistry, plus specialized services for special needs children. All care is delivered by an all-female team of board-certified pediatric dentists with privileges at Lurie Children's Hospital.

Product overview

Growing Smiles is a pediatric dental practice offering comprehensive dental services through two locations (Chicago and Frankfort, IL) for children from infancy through adolescence. The practice operates as a single unified offering with distinct service categories including Preventive Dentistry (checkups, cleanings, fluoride, sealants), Restorative Dentistry (crowns, fillings), Cosmetic Dentistry (bonding, whitening), Sedation Dentistry (nitrous oxide, general anesthesia), and Emergency Dentistry. The practice also provides age-specialty services for Infants, Toddlers, School-Aged Children, and Teens, as well as specialized care for children with special needs. All services are delivered by an all-female team of four board-certified pediatric dentists who have privileges at Lurie Children's Hospital.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Preventive Dentistry Routine dental checkups, professional cleanings, fluoride treatments, dental sealants, orthodontic screenings, TMJ treatment, sportsguards, antibiotic treatment, and tooth decay prevention for children.
• Restorative Dentistry Dental crowns, one-visit restorations, and tooth-colored fillings to repair damaged and decayed teeth in children.
• Cosmetic Dentistry Direct bonding, metal-free dental restorations, and at-home teeth whitening to improve the appearance of children's teeth.
• Sedation Dentistry for Kids Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and general anesthesia at Lurie Children's Hospital to help anxious children receive dental care comfortably.
• Children's Emergency Dentistry Same-day, after-hours, and weekend emergency dental appointments for sudden injuries or severe oral pain in children.
• Pulp & Root Canal Treatment Root canal therapy, pulpotomy, and pulpectomy procedures to treat dental infections and save damaged teeth in children.
• Tooth Extractions Gentle and safe tooth removal for severely damaged or infected teeth, including primary and permanent tooth extractions for orthodontic treatment.
• Dentistry for Special Needs Children Specialized dental care for children with special needs, including accommodations for sensory sensitivities and general anesthesia for complex cases.
• Dentistry for Infants Oral wellness checkups and guidance for babies before their first birthday, establishing dental health baselines early.
• Dentistry for Toddlers Dental care for toddlers including teething guidance, baby tooth development monitoring, and oral hygiene instruction.
• Dentistry for Children Dental services for school-aged children including checkups, cleanings, sealants, and orthodontic screenings during the baby teeth transition.
• Dentistry for Teens Comprehensive dental care for teenagers including orthodontic screenings, athletic mouthguards, and restorative treatments.

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll four pediatric dentists (Dr. Kristin, Dr. Reena, Dr. Paula, and Dr. Lexi) hold staff privileges at Lurie Children's Hospital. They provide hospital-based dental care including full mouth rehabilitations under general anesthesia. This partnership enables the practice to serve children with complex medical needs and special healthcare requirements.
• Delta Dental PremiercoreOthersIn-network insurance provider for the practice. The practice accepts Delta Dental Premier and all other PPO dental insurance plans, filing claims on behalf of patients.
• CareCreditminorOthersThird-party financing partner enabling patients to pay for dental treatments over time, often with little to no interest. Helps families without insurance or needing treatments not covered by insurance.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Marquee Dental Partners: Multi-specialty DSO with a meaningful pediatric and family dentistry presence in the Midwest. Comparable as a regional incumbent that competes for practice acquisitions, associate dentists, and patients in Illinois and surrounding states.
• Heartland Dental: One of the largest DSOs in the U.S., supporting hundreds of dental offices including pediatric and family practices. Relevant as a broad incumbent shaping the competitive backdrop, insurance leverage, and consolidation trends in the markets where Growing Smiles operates.
• Aspen Dental / TAG - The Aspen Group: National DSO with branded dental offices and growing pediatric and specialty footprint. Comparable as a large, well-capitalized incumbent whose expansion and marketing spend shape local competitive dynamics for independent pediatric practices.
• Pacific Dental Services: Large national DSO supporting general and specialty dental practices across the U.S. Comparable as a broad incumbent that competes for the same patient and dentist talent pool, particularly in suburban Chicago trade areas.
• Smile Doctors: Largest orthodontic-focused DSO in the U.S. with growing pediatric dental adjacency. Relevant as a comparable specialty DSO that illustrates the scale and capital structure a specialized dental group practice can achieve, and competes for orthodontic referrals Growing Smiles currently captures in-house.

Direct peers

• Children's Dental Health (CDH): Multi-location pediatric dental group on the East Coast with a comparable single-specialty pediatric focus, hospital affiliations for GA cases, and service mix spanning preventive through sedation dentistry. Comparable peer illustrating the scaled pediatric-dentistry group practice model Growing Smiles could evolve toward.
• Smiles Pediatric Dentistry (Chicago area): Pediatric dental practice operating in the broader Chicago metropolitan area with similar service offerings for infants through adolescents. Direct competitive peer in the same regional market.
• Chicago Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics: Chicago-based pediatric dental practice offering comprehensive children's dental services including preventive, restorative, and orthodontic care. Direct peer given overlapping Chicago market, similar patient demographic, and comparable scope of specialty pediatric services.
• North Shore Pediatric Dental Associates: Multi-location pediatric dental group serving the northern Chicago suburbs with a comparable service mix including preventive, restorative, sedation, and special-needs care. Closest direct regional competitor to Growing Smiles given overlapping Chicago metro trade area and similar specialty positioning.

Regional players

• Lurie Children's Hospital Pediatric Dental Clinic: Hospital-based pediatric dental program at the same institution where Growing Smiles' dentists hold privileges. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but competes for complex and special-needs cases under general anesthesia in the same Chicago market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/growingsmileschicago2014
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/growing-smiles-chicago

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Growing Smiles