My experience with dentistry started when I was a child, stemming from my sister’s experiences with lack of dental care. Being diagnosed with cerebral palsy, she needed extensive care, both medical and dental. Not receiving dental care customized for her special circumstance led to an oral collapse. Seeing how she suffered initially led me to pursue dentistry. With my training in dentistry, I'm able to treat patients with cerebral palsy and other challenging dental conditions.Propelled by my goal, I sought a Master’s degree in pediatric dentistry, at the prestigious M.G.R University (Chenai,India) known for its rich clinical exposure and research opportunities. Not only was it a completely different part of the county, but also came with the challenge of learning a completely new local language. Knowing that it would be imperative to my practice, I learned the language in just a few months. In addition to English, my fluency in three other languages (Telugu/Tamil/Hindi) and ASL (American Sign Language) certifications help me connect to and provide care to a wide range of Patients.In addition to teaching, I have a strong interest in research. Patient education being a primary factor in the success of any treatment encouraged me to research and write my thesis on the efficacy of a three-tone disclosing agent which provides plaque visualization. Whether it is seminar presentations at national level, journal discussions, or writing papers I have contributed to the advancement of dentistry. My learnings in interdisciplinary areas helped me with the construction of an obturation plate for a patient with cleft lip and palate and treatment of children with cerebral palsy under general anesthesia. During my DDS degree in UCSF I was very fortunate to be mentored by some of the greatest minds in Dentistry to further advance me in dentistry.In my free time I enjoy teaching traditional form of dance, playing board games and jewelry designing.

PUBLICATIONS:

• Contemporary Clinical Dentistry – Efficacy of three-tone disclosing agent as an adjunct in caries risk assessment. Efficacy of three-tone disclosing agent as an adjunct in caries risk assessment - PMC (nih.gov)
• Journal of the Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry – Effectiveness of new vibration delivery system on pain associated with injection of local anesthesia in children.Effectiveness of new vibration delivery system on pain associated with injection of local anesthesia in children - PubMed (nih.gov) o Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry – Evaluation of three different caries removal techniques in children, a comparative clinical study.Evaluation of three different caries removal techniques in children: a comparative clinical study - PubMed (nih.gov)

AWARDS:

• Third Best Paper Award – Efficacy of Dental Vibe on Pain Intensity during Local Anesthesia Injections, 10th National ISPPD PG Convention, Indian Society of Dentistry, New Delhi, India.
• Best Paper Award – Efficacy of Three Tone Plaque Disclosing Gel as an Adjunct in Caries Risk Assessment, 35th National ISPPD Conference, Indian Society of Dentistry, Jaipur, India.