Paediatric Dentistry

“In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.”

Dr Maria is the only practicing specialised Paediatric dentist in the Western Cape. In 1996 she was offered a lecturing post at the University of Stellenbosch while specialising in Paediatrics, a 4 year degree, completed in 3 years. She has a Masters in Anaesthetics and Sedation in Children. She joined Camps Bay Dental Studio, where she has been exclusively since 2001.

In 2011 she became a certified Heal Your Life Practitioner (Hays Institute, USA). She is also a certified Touch for Health Practitioner and incorporates Kinesiology in her practice for behavior management and for children with sensory issues or inhibiting allergies. This was followed by training in First Line Therapy; and Functional Medicine – which she runs as a separate practice but also integrates this approach into her interactions with her patients for a holistic methodology to healing and health. Having studied both within the dental and medical fields she recognized a big chasm between not only these two disciplines but also within the specialties of western medicine. Her dream has been to move away from the fragmented approach of modern western medicine and to return to a holistic approach.

Paediatric Dentistry is an extremely rewarding and enjoyable specialty, which allows you to experience and undertake all aspects of dental care in children. Guiding a child’s dental development so that they reach adulthood with a functional, aesthetic and pain free dentition is only a small aspect of Paediatrics. Building a positive and long-term relationship with beautiful little souls, who learn to have an anxiety-free perception of dentistry and a motivated approach to caring for their mouths is uniquely satisfying.

Dr Maria’s speciality covers various segments of child psychology, cognitive, physiological and physical development. Understanding the basis of fear and anxiety helps create an environment that nourishes each individual and their parents, creating a more relaxed atmosphere which dissipates parent and child concerns.

Paediatric dentists are dedicated to the oral health of children from infancy through the early adulthood. They have the experience and qualifications to care for a child’s teeth, gums, and mouth throughout the various stages of childhood.

Paediatric dentists provide comprehensive oral health care that includes the following:

Infant oral health exams, which include risk assessment for caries in mother and child
Preventive dental care including cleaning, as well as nutrition and diet recommendations, amplified by my Functional Medicine training.
Habit counselling (for example, pacifier use and thumb sucking), taking the emotional (of the child and mother), and sensory issues into account.
Early assessment and orthodontic treatment for straightening teeth and correcting an improper bite
Repair of tooth cavities or defects
Diagnosis of oral conditions associated with diseases such as diabetes, congenital heart defect, asthma, hay fever, and attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder
Management of gum diseases and conditions including ulcers, short frenulae, mucoceles, and paediatric periodontal disease
Care for dental injuries (for example, fractured, displaced, or knocked-out teeth)
Children with special needs from autism through to physical or emotional impairements.

Her belief is that if she undertakes everything in her life with the same attitude whether it be volunteer work, dentistry, functional medicine, kinesiology or her relationships, with an attitude of enthusiasm, an attitude of excellence, she would not only enrich her own life but would touch the lives of others too. She did not need to perform some heroic act or do something out of the ordinary to make a difference; she just had to be who she was meant to be and do what she was trained to do with a deep seated caring for her fellow human being and in particular all the beautiful children entrusted in her care.