Q&A with North Hills Pediatric Dentistry
North Hills Pediatric Dentistry
11770 Bernardo Plaza Ct. Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92128
Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Traveling Stories recently caught up with Dr. Corbin Smith from North Hills Pediatric Dentistry to chat about reading and the role books play in his business! Thank you Dr. Smith for being one of the sponsors of our 2023 Walk for Literacy event and for supporting literacy in San Diego County!
TS: Is there anything you wish people knew about your business that may not be on your website?
CS: There are so many ways to address oral health and oral treatment needs. We are all about finding creative ways to take care of kids' oral health. We constantly look for new technology and techniques to make the process easier, more effective, and more approachable for the most number of families. Dentistry has changed so much since I was a kid and it is amazing what we can do now.
TS: You mentioned that you give books to your clients. Can you tell me more about that? Do children get a book every time they visit, or just their first visit? What types of books do you give?
CS: I was inspired to do this by a previous mentor. As a family we always found the little toys that are usually given only last a few minutes and just end up in the trash. We wanted to provide something with a bit more long-lasting value to the families we work with. Every time a child comes to the office for an appointment, they choose a book off of our shelf to take home and keep. We try to keep the options interesting so there is always something different for each visit. We have books for every age; from board books, picture books, early readers, middle grade, and even some young adult chapter books. The collection is always changing to keep it fresh.
3. Why do you feel like it's important to share books with your clients?
CS: Although my main focus is children's oral health, I want to be able to support children and families as much as possible in other ways as well. Providing books is just one small thing that I can do. My wife Aimee was trained in elementary education and has spent most of her adult life focusing on children's literacy (and collecting children's books). She has taught and shown me how important it is to read to our own children. Reading at home has amazing benefits for both the child and parent. Reading exposes children to new ideas, develops empathy, helps them understand challenging topics they don't have first hand experience with, helps develop language and listening skills, provides much-needed consistency and stability at home, promotes brain development among many other things. Studies have also shown that reading to your child leads to decreased levels of aggression, hyperactivity, and attention difficulties.
4. Do you enjoy reading? What is your favorite book or memory with a book?
CS: Reading has become a great way to help me deal with the stress of regular life. I have a distinct memory from kindergarten of being left alone in the classroom by accident because I had tucked myself away in a little cubby and was reading. I didn't even realize the entire class had left until someone came back looking for me. As a teen, I didn't have as much interest in reading, but had a couple of books really stick with me. One book in particular, My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok, really re-sparked my interest in reading as a teen. (My oldest son is named Asher because of this book).
5. If you could have any super power what power would you choose?
CS: There are so many fun options, how can I choose just one? I think I would pick either the ability to fly or telekinesis. How neat would it be to be able to travel wherever you wanted for free?
6. What drew you to Traveling Stories and made you want to partner?
CS: Literacy has the ability to open incredible doors. We owe it to every child to help them open as many doors and opportunities as possible. Reading proficiently helps us understand the world in more personal ways and allows us to have choices we wouldn't have otherwise. Traveling Stories helps unlock those resources to children who may not have many other options. I have dedicated my career to working with children and want to see them succeed in all areas of life. Traveling Stories helps families set up the most stable foundation for learning throughout life.
7. Is there anything else you want to say or you want people to know?
CS: Children's success is multi-factorial and truly requires a village to foster the environment for that success. While I obviously feel that oral health is incredibly important, being able to be a hub to help get resources is very important to me. Families and kids need support from a lot of directions.
Learn more about Dr. Smith and North Hills Pediatric Dentistry here!