Pediatric Dentistry
At Dr. Pamela Erickson’s office, they said the open environment, where the four main chairs in the pediatric dental office were installed, contributed to a greater cooperation by the kids. They said things like this mattered. I listened in one ear while thinking “Yeah, pop psychology is all that is.” Then today, I saw a wide-eyed four year old hesitantly walk beyond her mother’s reach and gaze around the room, inquisitively searching for anything familiar. Then, two chairs over, she saw a boy her age, calmly waiting for his fluoride treatment to be completed. Immediately she stopped fidgeting and looked completely at ease. I smiled and watched her calmly climb into the chair. She took a bit to pick out her prize.
Of course, I simply saw some routine cleanings today; pediatric dentistry is an entirely different bag of tricks when you have to use needles and drills inside the mouth of a person who has only recently learned to use the bathroom on their own. Despite the sheltered view I got, treating children would be very fulfilling. It is another area to consider in this field. In this past month, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and am leaning more and more towards dentistry. Obviously, I have some major hurdles to examine; EE and dental school preparation do not play well together, but I think anyone would agree: seeing your goals in front of you and working towards them is a most satisfying feeling.