The Ins and Outs of a Dentist Office: Pediatrics Edition

Presenter: Nagomi Myers, Public Health Science, Global Public Health Scholars

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For my practicum project, I worked as an assistant and front desk administrator at Silver Spring Pediatric Dentistry. Through this experience, I learned about the clinical side of dentistry, as well as the financial and administrative aspects of the field as well. In terms of the clinical aspect, I was tasked with assisting chairside during filling and extraction treatments, chairside manners, sterilizing, and coping with behavioral difficulties in patients. Additionally, I learned about the relationship clinics have with insurance companies, as well as the difficulties families face in terms of affording quality dental care and insurance to cover necessary treatments. The largest public health issue I witnessed throughout my time there is the limited access to proper oral health care and the obstacles that come with trying to afford dental insurance. At Silver Spring Pediatric Dentistry, we have a large amount of patients insured by Medicaid, and this is due to the fact that there are very few dentists across the U.S. that accept Medicaid, so we have patients coming from a wide range of areas in Maryland just to acquire treatment they need and deserve. Overall, this experience has strengthened my passion for a career in dentistry, and it has inspired me to build my career around the basis of public health and health equity.