I am excited to announce that Philadelphia is welcoming its newest pediatric dental practice, The Children’s Tooth Spa!
The opportunity to establish my own practice has inspired me to reflect on my life journey and all the blessings that have led me here. I was born in South Korea, where I was adopted as an infant by a Cuban immigrant family from Miami, FL. Being raised among my large extended family in Miami deepened my identification with Cuban-American culture. My journey from South Korea into a Cuban immigrant family in the US not only provided me with a formative cultural experience as a first-generation Cuban-American of Korean descent, but also with many opportunities as a first-generation US college student. From the youngest age I could remember, I had always wanted to be a doctor, and although I worked very hard, I never imagined I would ever actually be accepted into dental school. I applied to half the schools in the country in hopes that I would be accepted into just one. I landed an interview at the Temple School of Dentistry and was asked one question: What would you like to tell us about yourself? I recounted my story and remember being completely immersed in expressing my passion and purpose to serve people and make a difference in the world. When I was done with the interview, I thought my story had come across as uplifting and compelling, but I worried that my over-enthusiasm might have negatively affected my acceptance. I was therefore surprised and overjoyed a month later, when I received my acceptance letter. It was one of the happiest days of my life and I could not believe that my dream was actually coming true! This was just one of many sequential miracles, combined with dedication, perseverance, and hard work, that propelled me to this point in my career. Through it all, I believe that it is my passion to serve, inspire, and empower others that opened the doors to dental school and to all of the subsequent opportunities that have allowed my dreams to come to life. This enthusiasm and purpose has guided me through dental school, my residency program, and receiving Board Certification in my field. I have been humbled to have served for eight years in a successful pediatric dental practice, where I was appointed Clinical Director and part of the Quality Management Committee, made Partner, and was part of training more than twenty new pediatric dentists in the practice, service and work that earned me the honor of being selected as “Top Doctor” for two consecutive years in Mainline Today. Now, my cultural background, professional experiences, and passion have guided and qualified me to establish this unique start-up practice with a purpose to provide our diverse community with the highest quality pediatric dental service, all while empowering and inspiring our team and everyone we serve.
I am so excited about the limitless possibilities our team has to take care of each patient and their smiles in a family-centered practice with compassion and empathy. As a team, we also strive to comfort parents in a relaxing, peaceful environment while earning confidence that we are caring for your child in the best, safest way possible. As a mom myself, I know the comfort and joy that comes from seeing our children treated with thoughtfulness, kindness, and gentleness. It feels wonderful when a neighbor, a teacher, or a healthcare provider shares a little light and kindness to allow us to just take a moment and a breath while feeling secure that our child is in good hands. Our intention is to make every dental appointment a place of ease for the kids as well as the parents. If parents feel relaxed, secure, and cared for, we believe their kids will feel that too.
We are so thrilled to call the Northern Liberties neighborhood home, to be raising our own two-year-old here, and to be a part of such an incredible community that we can now serve. With so much gratitude and heart, we thank you, honor you, and look forward to welcoming you and your children to The Children’s Tooth Spa!
