"Treating children at SmileKrafters reminds me of my first experiences at the dentist’s office. Dental health was always a priority in my family. As a child, I always enjoyed going to see the “tooth” doctor. Growing up in Latvia, at that center, children from around the country would come to see the best pediatric dentists in the country. The dentist that treated me tried to make this experience fun for me. Sometimes she would involve me in the visit by helping her prepare the amalgam. Occasionally, I would also get a chance to observe her treating other children. It was the doctors at that dental center that introduced me to the idea that dentistry was a fascinating experience, rather than a painful event that most of my friends feared so much at the time.At the age of twenty, I decided to come to the United States to continue my education. At that time, I chose to explore the option of becoming a dentist by volunteering at a dentist’s office. Since I greatly enjoyed working with children during my undergraduate studies, observing a pediatric dentist was my first choice. That experience helped me to make a final decision to become a pediatric dentist.Growing up in Latvia, I witnessed the tragic conditions in which abandoned and orphaned children lived. During college it drove me to choose classes that focused on child psychology. I enjoyed using the knowledge from my studies to work for a government agency that delivered developmental services to children with disabilities and developmental delays. After graduating I proceeded to work for a local foster care and adoption agency. I knew that being able to render aid to children through healthcare would be my ideal career choice.I am very happy to have chosen dentistry as my profession. I chose to practice at SmileKrafters because they offer the newest technology in dental care and are dedicated to their community. Working at SmileKrafters has offered me the opportunity to see many children in need of a very caring pediatric dentist. I hope I am able to have the same impact on my patients that my dentist had on me as a child. I came to this community with the goal of inspiring children to follow in my foot steps to help others. One of my life long goals is to travel to ex-Soviet countries and treat children in need of dental care. I want to help these children to realize that taking care of their smiles should be pain free and fun. Working at SmileKrafters, I know my dreams will soon become a reality."