Leaders

Taking children to the dentist can often be a stressful experience for both parent and a child. In such a scenario, dental care clinics that focus on positive reinforcement, make children comfortable and have play areas etc can change the children's perception of visit to the dentist. Setting out to make dentist visits less of a pain and more of a memorable experience, Dr. Premila Naidu, an exceptional dental surgeon founded Small Bites, a child-friendly dental clinic. Dr. Premila, goes the extra mile to ensure that children feel comfortable visiting a dentist so that they can get the best dental care possible.

A highly skilled healthcare professional, Dr. Premila believes that dental health still needs awareness and focus on prevention. To this end she has conducted various awareness camps, focusing on dental disease prevention. She has also been speaking at different gatherings related to children with special health care needs, and their dental requirements.

In an interview with Women Entrepreneur Team Dr. Premila speaks to us about her work towards creating awareness and initiating prevention of dental diseases. She also discusses how Small Bites is moving towards making children dental care more fun. Here are excerpts from the interview.

Introduce Us To Small Bites And Its Foundation Journey. As The Leader Of The Organization What Has Been The Driving Objective?

Small Bites for me is a dream come true. An exclusive dental center for children started in the year 2007. It is one among the first to focus exclusively on children's dental health. We started at a time, when not many were aware of pediatric dentistry, worked on a lot of awareness camps and now slowly have become one of the favorites among children.

Small Bites which is located in Bangalore specializes in children's dental health. We focus on overall wellbeing of the child, from early diagnosis, treatment, diet counseling, habit management, teeth alignment and prevention of further decay. We are known for our ability to understand the child, take time and try our best to make every child's dental visit fun and memorable.

“Kid loving doctor Dr. Premila Naidu goes an extra mile to ensure that the children feel comfortable visiting a dentist so that they can get the best dental care.”

We at Small Bites believe in helping the child through various emotions, rather than sedation or general anesthesia. It is a slow process but at the end we have children who love their dental appointments and are motivated towards the good dental health.

Small Bites As An Organization Is Also Committed To Bringing Quality Dental Care To All. Throw Some Light On The Various Initiatives Conducted By Small Bites To This End.

We believe that quality dental care should be provided to all. We have conducted free consultation for over 500 children all over the country. We provided discounts for people who could not afford the treatment and have continuously worked for children with dental emergencies even during the second wave.

Another area of focus for us is children with special needs. We have constantly been workingwith them and have organized hygiene talks with them. We also started doing video consultations during the lockdowns for free. Even for children with downs syndrome, we had done free video consultation collaborating with DSFI (Down Syndrome Federation India).

Given The Dynamic Nature Of The Healthcare Industry, How Do You Keep Yourself Well Aligned With The Evolutions Within The Industry? How Does This Approach Help Small Bites Become A Better Healthcare Providing Organization?

In the medical field, it's prudent to be empathetic, kind, ethical and at the same time eager to learn more every day. There is so much of development happening globally, we at Small Bites always keep ourselves updated.

Attending regular conferences at national and international levels keeps me updated on newer materials and methods. I also spend an hour everyday reading books on child psychology as that helps me understand a child better. It also helps me understand that a child's mind is dynamic and how it perceives every verbal and non-verbal communication. A little understanding can help us build a positive relationship with every child we meet.

“This approach especially helped us during the pandemic. At the time when clinics were closing down, we realized that young children needed emergency care”

This approach especially helped us during the pandemic. At the time when clinics were closing down, we realized that young children needed emergency care. Unlike adults we cannot put them on too many medications for too long, hence we read up, revamped our appointment scheduling and updated our sterilization and disinfection protocols. Soon we were ready with safe dental practice for children. We literally rose like a phoenix from the trying times. Being honest, consistent and hardworking is what has helped us reach this far. It has all been possible because of the dedicated staff and trust our little ones and their families have on us.

Amidst A Hectic Work Schedule, How Do You Manage To Strike A Balance Between Your Professional And Personal Life? Are There Any Specific Activities That You Like To Indulge In For Your Holistic Growth?

I love riding bikes, the highways, the thrill of journey and the joy of new destinations is a pure bliss. It involves a lot of planning, preparing and co-ordination. But when finally everything comes together like pieces of a puzzle, we gear up and start the ride. That feeling is something that words cannot do justice to. It makes everything seem worth it.

I love working out as well. I prefer weight training as compared to cardio and flexibility.

I try to get my workout done at least four days a week. I also try to eat healthy, which may not always be possible. I have learned as far as fitness is concerned we don't have to work out for hours and starve ourselves. Small changes for a consistent amount of time can take us a long way. Especially for mothers like us, just 15 minutes of weight training, keeping our b12, vitamin D levels and hormones in normal range, and a healthy diet will slowly start showing changes.

What Advice would You Give To Young Women Who Aspire Pursue A Career In Medicine Or Dentistry?

Times are difficult at present, stay calm, stay focused and never fear to change and upgrade yourself according to the needs of the time. As women we are in this together, so help each other, reach out to everyone in need and do not settle.