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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
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Pediatric Dentistry for Every Child
In 2016 , Dr . Brittany Kinol , owner of Miracle
Dental Associates , had a vision to bring dental care to children in underserved areas by utilizing a mobile van to travel to areas with limited access to pediatric dental care . Shortly after , she opened two brick-and-mortar practices with pediatric dentists , who have two extra years of education and training . Where most general dentists don ’ t begin seeing children until after age 3 and limit the insurance they participate in , Miracle Dental Associates sees children of all ages and accepts all state-funded insurances and most private insurances . This helps to bring access to dental care for all children .
When Miracle Dental Associates opened a third brick-and-mortar practice in Pleasant Hills in August , it combined the best of the Wexford and Greensburg locations . The new Pleasant Hills office accommodates children of all ages and mental and physical abilities with fun décor , a sensory room and an occupational therapist on staff .
“ We have an occupational therapist who specializes in working with children and getting them into new environments where they could have sensory issues ,” said Dr . Kinol . “ You may not realize that in a dentist ’ s office we are working with senses of touch , sound , taste and smell . All of those senses play a part in a good or bad experience . Our occupational therapist gets children as comfortable as possible and tells us how to approach the child in the best way . No other office offers that .”
The Pleasant Hills location not only features a sensory room with color-changing LED lights and a bubble wall , but also a separate waiting room so that children with social anxieties can be more comfortable . Miracle Dental ’ s decision to welcome all children , including those with special needs , stems from the fact that those children are often overlooked or underserved in the dental community .
“ There ’ s a huge need for quality pediatric dental care in the special needs demographic
because they may not have access to care or are limited by insurance in what dentist they can see ,” explained Dr . Kinol . “ Oftentimes parents will take them to a general family dentist who may not have all the knowledge and training that our pediatric dentists have .” The Miracle Dental team also strives to educate the parents and break down dental myths . According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists , a child should be seen for a dental exam within six months of their first tooth eruption . Some may think that baby teeth with cavities will just fall out eventually , but Dr . Kinol noted that those teeth “ can linger until a child is between 11 and 13 years old , risking possible infection and pain . The overall goal is to get kids into a pediatric dental practice by age 1 because we can identify and catch problems early . We can also catch speech
Dr . Madelyn Levine
issues and make orthodontic and ENT referrals because we look at more than just the teeth .”
Dr . Madelyn Levine is the full-time dentist in the Pleasant Hills office . Dr . Levine grew up in Murrysville , where she attended Franklin Regional High School . She completed her undergraduate education at Penn State and graduated with a BS in Biobehavioral Health . In 2018 , Dr . Levine was awarded her DMD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine . She then went on to complete a two-year hospital-based pediatric dental residency at the Children ’ s Hospital of Michigan .
For more information on Miracle Dental Associates , including all of the services available and to schedule an appointment , go to miracledentalcare . org or call 412.538.0010 . The new Pleasant Hills office is located at 810 Clairton Blvd . ( 15236 ).
WEST JEFFERSON HILLS ❘ WINTER 2020 23