Driving along Main Street Ann Arbor back in January, I noticed a beautiful old house that had been transformed into a pediatric dental practice. I called and asked to shadow immediately. Although I never pictured myself working with kids, I knew the experience couldn’t hurt.

 

Walking into the office was a whirlwind. One child was crying in the waiting room, another was climbing on the x-ray machine like it was part of a jungle gym, and another was debating between a Batman and Paw Patrol sticker. Every parent was juggling a work call and a younger sibling. It was absolute chaos. It was stunning.

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The main dentist, Dr. M, came out of an exam room calm as could be.

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“Welcome.” he said with a soft smile and tired eyes.

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Dr. M has been practicing dentistry since the 1980’s. He built his practice from the ground up after finishing his masters in pediatrics from Michigan’s dental school. Now, he has two offices with 6 full-time dentists. 

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Once there was a break in-between patients, I started asking him about his path to pediatric dentistry. He mentioned how different it was back in his day.

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“There were no exams for dental school. There was no GPA requirement. If you wanted to be a dentist, no one was going to stop you. I hated the hospital environment, and at the time thought dental school was the next best thing after medical school. So I went.”

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“Why did you choose pediatrics? From everything I’ve heard, this is the specialty no one wants.” I said.

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“I’ve always had a calm presence about me. In dental school I gravitated towards the pediatric workshops. Once I graduated with my DDS, my mentor suggested I specialize in pediatrics, so I did. There was a lack of offices in the area and I thought it was a great business opportunity for me.”

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“What about the patients? I’ve heard horror stories, but that last patient was fine!”, I said.

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“Most of the patients I see are fine. But sometimes you get one that makes you rethink your whole career path. The thing about pediatric dentistry is that it is very simple dentistry with complex patients and parents. The actual work I do is simple, I could do it with my eyes closed. The hardest part about the job is dealing with the parents. You have to give the kids a break, they’re only products of their parents. I care about these kids so much, so it is so frustrating when parents neglect their child’s oral health or deny treatment because they’re terrified of their kid being in pain.”

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We got to talking about the dental climate in Ann Arbor specifically. Dr. M is an Ann Arbor native, and had lots to say about how it has changed since he started his practice.

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“When I first started this practice, parents were strict. Like how I grew up. Most parents didn’t even come back with their kids. Kids didn’t scream and parents weren’t afraid of dental work. It was more tough-love. And honestly, the kids had healthier teeth.”

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Now, Dr. M says parenting styles are leading to the decline in their children's’ oral health. 

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“Parents over the years have changed their parenting styles. Their kids are so coddled now. They are allowed to eat whatever they want whenever they want. Kids come in here and kick and scream and their parents just hold their hand. The kid controls their parents instead of the other way around. If a kid doesn’t want to brush their teeth, that's fine. If a kid doesn’t want to go to their cleaning, that's fine too. I’ve seen horrible cases come in that are directly from parents not being parents.”

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“You have offices in Ann Arbor and Chelsea. How do the parenting styles compare between the two offices?” I asked.

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“I’ve seen a lot, but I will say, Ann Arbor is a different animal. Parents here have adopted a more coddled-way of parenting than in Chelsea.”

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After our lunch break, an 8-year-old child and his mother came in. The child was referred to Dr. M by a general dentist due to the amount of cavities. Dr. M asked the mother about her child’s diet.

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“He’s a picky eater. I can really only get him to eat Cheez-Its and apples. Oh, and he also still breastfeeds every night before he goes to sleep.”

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Dr. M glanced at me across the room. This mother was an exemplary Ann Arbor parent. Who the hell breastfeeds an 8-year-old?

 

“Only in Ann Arbor,” Dr. M said with a smirk.

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While the majority of Dr. M’s patients are not as bad as this one, it was interesting to see how much parenting can affect health. As a college student, I feel very removed from parenting. My future child’s oral hygiene is the last thing to cross my mind these days. With that being said. I took away a lot from my hours spent with Dr. M. Most importantly- tough love is the way to go when dealing with oral health.