BLOOM Learning to Open Wide Lajuan has been prepared by education, training, and personal passion to serve the dental needs of east county’s smallest citizens. Through her volunteer activities she gives a lot to our community May 2007

Lajuan Hall, D.D.S.

I was born in Los Angles and became the first dentist in my family. My dad worked for 37 years as an engineer with McDonnell Douglas (now the Boeing Corporation). Mom was a schoolteacher. Both parents had high expectations concerning their daughter’s education.

Some young people go to college not knowing what they’re going to do with their lives, but I made the decision to be a dentist when I was only 12 years old as a result of a Career Day presentation.

Unlike many of my classmates, I didn’t want to be a princess, fireman, or pilot of a commercial airplane, but found the idea of being a dentist to be very appealing. I guess I took after my dad because I developed a love for science and math, which is a good thing for anyone going into medicine.

Unlike almost everyone else in the world, I always looked forward to going to a dentist when I was a child. And it seemed that I got to go on a somewhat regular basis since I loved eating sweets and this was before flossing.

Most remarkably, during my graduate studies I had to get an implant for a tooth that I broke off while conducting science research on the topic of “Physiology of Clenching. Measurable Amount Men vs. Women.” We were researching whether women or men clenched their teeth more. Somehow during the experiment I clenched my teeth too hard on the measuring device that I was holding in my mouth and fractured one of them.

I attended graduate school at UCSF. This great school lacks things like a football team and a cheerleading squad because it is the only UC campus that is fully dedicated to health care and ranks as one of the top schools for health care in the country.

I was interested in the study of the Physiology of Oral Pain but my life changed forever one day when one of my professors asked me, “Have you considered becoming a pediatric dentist?” I switched to that specialty and discovered during my training how fun working with kids could be.

The fillings were obviously smaller and, possibly because I had enjoyed going to dentists as a child myself, I found I had a gift for creating a light atmosphere about the whole dental experience for my young patients. After graduation I took advanced training at the Children’s Hospital in Oakland.

Drawn to a Life of Service

During the course of my education I became involved in extracurricular activities and was elected as a member of the student government. I especially began to discover the wonderful world of service to others that the dental profession provides in meeting the needs of underprivileged and marginalized people in our state.

Many of our residents have limited or no access to dental services. People in some parts of Northern California are forced to drive two hours to get relief for a toothache.

Others might have insurance but no transportation to get to a dentist. Some are unable to schedule an appointment within the dentist’s 9-to- 5 business hours. Underinsured or uninsured people are falling through a big hole in our support systems.

Many don’t earn enough to pay for proper health care but earn too much to qualify for public assistance. They slip though the enormous crack in our health care programs. Lack of dental attention is especially hard on children. One recently released report shows statistics indicating an increase in dental cavities due to the reality that kids aren’t getting started early enough on a program of dental health.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the first dental visit be made at age one. For high-risk children, the visit should be made at six months. Unfortunately, many children have never been near a dental office. Children who lack dental health coverage develop many cavities.

In response to the needs and challenges of unequal access to dental services the dental profession has created various strategies for providing communities with health services and with education in proper oral hygiene. The CCDS (Contra Costa Dental Society) is our local component of the CDA (California Dental Association).

The two organizations take up a huge part of my life. For example, I work with a volunteer service organization under the CCDS umbrella, called the LeBow Children’s Dental Health Foundation. I’ve been a member of the board of the LeBow Foundation for five years, serving at times both as Foundation President and Vice President.

We raise money to fund treatment for underserved children. We hosted the annual LeBow Golf Tournament last August 11 at Walnut Creek’s Boundary Oaks Golf Course. Nobody works at this for pay; all the money goes directly to the Foundation.

I was a board member of the CDA. The board provided $750,000 in seed money to assist in a statewide effort in raising $35 million to fund programs that provide increased access to care. The CDA is developing flexibility in the services that it offers by building relationships with local governmental organizations in order to avoid duplicating other programs and to tailor its programs to meet the actual needs of people living in a particular area.

I also work with DHF (Dental Health Foundation), which is another statewide organization seeking to promote California’s public health policy by providing dental care to disadvantaged state residents.

The DHF is based in Oakland and has been promoting early access to dental services as well as providing preventative measures during the first five years of a child’s life. The effort has been financed through tobacco funds that are distributed by the California First Five Commission.

In February 2006 the California State Assembly conducted its first oral health hearing. Ten members of the California State Assembly on Health attended the three-and-a-half-hour event. Our foundation presented a panel of leaders, dental health care professionals, and dental consumers. We presented our findings on the state of oral health in California.

I have been a volunteer with the Colgate-Palmolive’s “Bright Smiles; Bright Futures” program since its inception in 1991. We work from a mobile dental lab that is sent throughout the state to provide dental care and screenings.

In connection with the Head Start program, the lab brings dental services to communities with limited access to dental care. It is a fully operational dental office on wheels providing services including sealant and fluoride treatments. I am still working with them at least once a year.

Dentistry is a great career because of the opportunity it affords for giving back to others from the good things that have come to me.

A life given in service of other people becomes satisfying and fun. I’m taking the service to the next level by encouraging other doctors to join me in donating their time and talents in service of the less fortunate among us.

Taking Care of Myself and the Kids

I live in Apple Hill and am a recent transplant from Walnut Creek. I started my Antioch practice in 1999. After seven years I opened a second office on Balfour in Brentwood.

I’m a single person at this time because, between my practice and my community service activities, I just haven’t had time to get out there into the dating scene.

It’s difficult to meet people during the course of my activities. My patients are all young and their parents all married. I meet a lot of dentists, of course, but the single ones are too busy.

My two diversions at home are my pets and my Barbie collection. I’m the same age as that chick is and have about 35 of them. I’m still not a fanatic collector so most of them have come from friends.

I’m an easy person to buy a birthday or Christmas gift for. Just give me Rap Star Barbie, or whatever the current version is, and I’ll be tickled. (When are they going to come out with a Dental Caregiver Barbie?)

I have a little Bichon FrisÈ, named Biscuit. He is crossed with a Maltese and a Toy Poodle. He’s fluffy, white, and a lovable little animal. He’s a big hit at the Spring Celebration I hold in my office for my young clients. We have cotton candy, pizza jump houses, and face painting.

I reserve Fridays for volunteer services working with CDAF programs. I do things like go into classrooms and speak to children about “sugar bugs,” which is a cute name for the strep mutans chain of bacteria that look like little purple pearls and cause cavities.

I tailor my presentation to every grade level. In a kindergarten class, for example, I will show masks and gloves and talk about dental hygiene using a “Dora the Explorer” theme and my Barbie mirror.

Older classes are more difficult. I talk about things like the social advantages of maintaining a nice smile.

I’m a happy single living my dream. I have my own business, I’m helping people, and I’m having fun. My patients are having fun too. I create pleasant associations in children’s minds with dentistry.

At the end of the treatment each little patient is rewarded with a trip to the “treasure chest.” We have video games in every room. I don’t have a TV at home but have seven in my office playing such wonderful movies as The Land Before Time 2 and Spongebob Squarepants.

I make the treatments themselves as painless as possible. I use Sleepy Jelly to replace shots in numbing a tooth.

When injections become necessary I use a device called The Wand that gives little shots precisely between a tooth and the surrounding gum. This numbs the tooth without putting the child’s whole face to sleep.

The Wand takes a little longer than a regular injection, but the patient is much more comfortable.

I have a “Happy Air Elephant Nose,” a “Happy Nose,” or a “Piggy Nose” all of which are cheerful methods of administering nitrous oxide.

The patients can even choose flavors including cherry, bubblegum, chocolate, or watermelon. It’s non-alarming and makes the children feel very relaxed.

I tailor each dental experience based upon details such as the child’s age, coping skills, and the extent of the treatment.

A couple times a month I use the services of a general anesthesiologist for extensive cases so that he can monitor the patient while I perform an operation.

From the children’s point-of-view the treatment is over in the blink-of-an-eye without the discomfort keeping their mouths open, tasting Lidocaine, etcetera.

There are so many alternatives to discomfort! The best thing is to not get the cavity in the first place; the next best is pain free treatment. I’m committed to both alternatives.

My goal is to have children feel the same about their visits to my office that I used to feel about my own visits to the dentist when I was young.

I guess I’m reaching that goal. Some parents report to me that their children will ask, “Is it time to see the dentist yet? Can we see Dr. Hall?”

When I was a child I don’t think I ever liked dentist visits that much!