Colorful beanbags, the songs of Disney's Frozen and laughter fill the waiting room. As soon as the door to Light Pediatric Dentistry opens, it’s nothing but smiles.
This Children’s Health Month, all parents should take time to learn about the lasting impact dental health could have on their children. To the surprise of many parents, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry guidelines recommend that children start seeing a dentist by their first birthday. For children in the Brazos Valley, Dr. Candace Light can help to create a dental experience for children at a young age making the dentist a positive experience from the start.
“It sounds early,” Dr. Light says. “But the goal of pediatric dentistry is to catch things before they become an issue and really to have established that conversation to equip the parents with prevention tips for their child."
As a mom of three herself, Dr. Light says she thinks being a parent has helped her with handling nervous kids and parents alike. For parents with children who may be nervous or scared of the dentist, Dr. Light says her one piece of advice is not to overprepare them.
“Try not to put the words in their head to make them feel like this is going to be a negative thing,” Dr. Light says. “Make it fun — they’re going to look at your teeth and make them shiny, you’re gonna get prizes and just leave it at that. It needs to becoming from a positive place.”
Dr. Light says that sometimes parents wonder why it’s so important to take care of teeth that will fallout anyways, but in actuality poor dental hygiene can eventually cause a domino effect of issues.
“If we don’t start taking care of the teeth when they are young, problems can arise where they get cavities and that can over time cause pain and infection in the mouth,” Dr. Light says. “That can lead to missed school days and a decrease in self confidence, because they don’t feel like they can smile. Their mouth can become swollen and they can't eat as well, so then they can get behind on nutrition and developmental milestones."
After completing her undergraduate at Texas A&M, Dr. Light continued on to the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio Dental School. She says she has always felt led to having her own practice and has been surrounded by amazing familiar since taking over the office of a retiring dentist just as she finished her residency.
“It was just this God-given opportunity,” Dr. Light says. “We loved College Station, and the timing happened to be right, so I took over the office right when I graduated residency, six months pregnant with my first child. I look back and I think, ‘Oh, my goodness, how in the world did I do that?’ I can see God working in it all.” Dr. Light says she always knew she wanted to work with kids and just kept coming back to pediatric dentistry. She also enjoys getting to work with the entire family and fostering a positive environment where she and the parents are working together to help the child.
“Seeing a nervous kiddo come in, and then they come in after we’ve worked with them several visits and it’s now a piece of cake to them. To see them evolve to enjoy coming in— their fear’s taken away, and now I’m turning this anxious kiddo, eventually into a relaxed adult dental patient. It’s so rewarding.”
Balloon animals, prizes and positive reinforcement provide distraction for any anxiety a child may have. The dentist can sometimes seem daunting, but Dr. Light says she doesn’t think it should be and that a lot of times fear is just because the parent had a bad experience as a young child. “My goal here is to make it a fun, relaxing environment where they feel loved and that we are here to help them not to hurt them,” Dr. Light says. “The more that they come they realize that this is a fun place and I don’t think it has to be scary. I’m trying to change that.
After 11 years of practicing in College Station, Dr. Light, her team and her patients have outgrown the original location and have moved to a bigger space where the dentist is fun rather than frightening.
“I’m just so thankful for my patients that families choose to come here and trust us to take care of their kiddos,” Dr. Light says. “It truly is an honor— and that I love teaming up with families so that we can provide the best care for their kids.”
Dr. Candace Culpepper Light
Meet Dr. Candace Culpepper Light
Dr. Candace Culpepper Light completed her undergraduate degree at Texas A&M and went on to dental school at University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio Dental School. Right as she graduated residency, a dentist in College Station was set to retire, so Dr. Light took over the office and has since had to move to a larger office. With several awards for leadership and excellence, Dr. Light serves the Brazos Valley with pediatric care while trying to shift attitudes about the dentist toward positivity.
