… I am sure that pediatric dentistry is one of the most beautiful branches of dentistry.

  1. How long have you been a dentist? Describe in one sentence the path of your career so far.

My name is Dr. Denes Melinda, I graduated in 2011 at the Faculty of Dentistry in Targu-Mures. Ever since, I have been practicing in the field. I have started working at the “Happydent Clinic Junior&Family” in Cluj Napoca for ten years and I have worked there ever since.

  1. How was the debut / first meeting with the field of Pediatric Dentistry?

After graduation – moving to Cluj – I started looking for a job. That’s how I got to HappydentClinic where they received me with open doors and I was told that a Hungarian-speaking pediatric dentist for Hungarian-speaking children and not only, would be very helpful. The sincerity, the naivety, the sweetness of the children convinced me and now I am sure that pediatric dentistry is one of the most beautiful branches of dentistry.

  1. How long have you been feeling confident in your field of expertise?

I remember how – after two years I seemed to start to be more relaxed – to sleep more peacefully at night, not to feel nervous about going to work and to start feeling and being more confident. But today I can state that I am learning something new every day, not a day / a week goes by without having any new experience, and any experience helps you to improve. Just as medicine itself, it is not a fixed science and we must always acquire new knowledge.

  1. What has helped you grow?

I believe that the road to excellence is paved with a lot of personal study, with the desire to learn, to become the best both professionally and as a person, with the understanding that it is vital to communicate well with our colleagues who help us treat a patient as, in fact, dentistry involves teamwork. At the beginning of my career, I was young(er), flexible, I managed to dedicate a lot of time to the office to assist significantly alongside Dr. Nicoleta Van Gelder, a professional with a lot of experience in pediatric dentistry who helped me train as doctor and as a person. The monthly meetings organized at HappydentClinic gave us the opportunity to share our experiences, and thus accumulate new information from colleagues’ presentations and cases.

Then there were the national and international congresses as sources of precious information, in terms of pediatric dentistry.

  1. What obstacles (rules, principles, prejudices, maneuvers, procedures) did you encounter during your career?

In order to gain the goodwill of the children during the dental consultation, as well as during treatments, you have to be in a way an artist actor but also a good psychologist. This manner of thinking is often cherished by parents (placebo parents), but unfortunately it also happens that our strategy regarding dental treatments is not accepted (speaking in this case of nocebo parents). some prejudices appear: e.g. “Why is the extraction not performed during the first consultation, if I came for this problem?” “Why so much chitchatting and no obturation, when we have come from such a distance?”. Some parents do not understand that by “talking” we are actually trying to gain the child’s trust, because at the time of their visit, they are not yet ready for an intervention planned at home by the parents. The cases differ a lot from each other, and we have to find solutions, treatment methods depending on the pace and level of cooperation of the child, general condition, age, patience and so on.

  1. How difficult do you think a child’s first dental consultation is?

The child is a good detector of people they come in contact with. As such, if you cannot create positive emotions and you cannot play with a child, you will not be able to consult them in detail. The first consultation involves a lot of responsibility, dedication, attention to data. Most of the time the child is scared when they go to the dentist, but generally with a welcome tactic, with a smile, a caress – these moments can be overcome.

  1. What is the procedure or treatment with the greatest degree of difficulty?

Each treatment has its degree of difficulty and differs depending on the working conditions. If the little patient is not familiar with the new sensations that may occur during a treatment (e.g., sounds, vibrations or even numbness) the otherwise simple intervention can become a real challenge.

  1. What is the treatment you like and that gives you the greatest satisfaction?

Each treatment has its own charm, especially when I know how much I help children. However, I like the seals on the 6-year-old molars the most. It is a seemingly simple but not simplistic prophylactic procedure that is done responsibly – relieves parents of many headaches, and relieves children of toothaches.

  1. What motivates you to continue?

The main source of motivation comes from professional satisfaction. Recognition from parents, verbal or visual gratitude – you feel that your work has value.  To see daily happy children, eager to return to dental treatments, balanced, parents proud of their children. This achievement makes me overcome obstacles and always move forward.

  1. Describe to us a positive experience in your career!

Among the many pleasant experiences over the years, I can mention a recent case, being a 9-year-old child left with traumas following an extraction of supernumerary teeth – incorrectly carried out regarding pain control. Only – there was one more tooth left to extract. After multiple unsuccessful attempts at other offices – they came to me. During the consultation it turned out to be with a fairly high degree of anxiety. Using psychological techniques and the Sleeper One electronic local anesthesia system I managed to extract the supernumerary tooth without him knowing about the injection, without seeing any pliers or feeling something… He only knew that his tooth slipped due to the “magic gel” applied before. The mum was also emotional and she started to cry with joy and wanted to hug me… the child was also extremely happy and rewarded for his courage.

  1. Describe an experience that made you unhappy during your career.

As in any field, besides gratitude, of course, there are also dissatisfactions. The most frustrating moments are when, despite my ambition, I fail to complete what I set out to do.

In order for the meeting with the dentist to run smoothly, parents should avoid the words “fear, pain, injection, etc.” when preparing their children for the dentist. The dentist should be introduced as a friend who helps solve dental problems.

  1. What material / device do you like the most? Why?

I like to apply pedodontic retaining rings on significantly damaged molars, children accept and adapt easily and the reliability of the workmanship is very long lasting. I also like to use Sleeper One – as an electronic local anesthesia system, it makes my work a lot easier.

  1. How do you see the future of Pediatric Dentistry? How do you see the ideal Pediatric Dentistry?

There is still a long way to go from pediatric dentistry to the ideal one. Since college, I remember the emphasis on conservative dentistry and prevention. It is a long process of educating parents and young patients, who will also be parents. However, we find that an increasing tendency to care for children’s teeth.

  1. How can you enjoy family life as a dentist?

I consider myself lucky to have a life partner who accepts that my job is not the one where the schedule ends at fixed hours, but the end of my program depends on the mood of the children that day and the number of emergencies. In my free time I try to pay the most attention to my family and not carry and office problems home.

  1. What is your opinion about the earnings of a pediatric dentist?

In Romania, a pediatric dentist earns very little compared to the complex effort they put in. You still can’t change the mentality of parents / patients or decision makers about the importance of baby teeth and young permanent teeth.