Pediatric Dentistry at Westfall: Meet Dr. Sari Manap

15 minutes ago
3 min read

Why a pediatric specialist matters

Children are not small adults, at least not dentally. Their teeth are still arriving, their jaws are still growing, and their tolerance for sitting still in a strange chair is measured in minutes. Pediatric dentistry is a recognized specialty for that reason: it is two to three additional years of residency training after dental school, focused on child development, behavior guidance, and the treatment of growing mouths.

At Westfall Dental Studio, that specialist is Dr. Sari Manap. Her training is worth walking through, because it explains a lot about how the pediatric side of the practice runs.

Dr. Manap's background

Dr. Manap was born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she was a Presidential Scholar and honors graduate of the University of Indonesia, earning her dental degree in 2006. She continued in the United States with post-doctoral orthodontic training at New York University and the University of Michigan.

In Rochester she completed her Advanced Education in General Dentistry at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, followed by a fellowship in complex care and her specialist certification in Pediatric Dentistry at the Eastman Institute for Oral Health. She also completed Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities training at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

The short version: she has formal training in orthodontics, general dentistry, pediatric dentistry, and the care of children with complex medical and developmental needs. It is an unusual combination, and it means fewer children get sent somewhere else.

Starting at age one

The recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, which Westfall follows, is a first dental visit by age one or within six months of the first tooth coming in. Parents are often surprised by that. There are barely any teeth to look at.

The point of that first visit is not really the exam. It is establishing a dental home before anything hurts, catching developmental issues early, and giving parents practical answers about brushing, bottles, thumb sucking, and diet while habits are still easy to change. It also means the office becomes a familiar place instead of somewhere a child only goes when something is wrong.

First visits here are kept short and friendly on purpose: a gentle look at teeth, gums, and development, age-appropriate preventive care like cleanings, fluoride, and sealants, and then a real conversation with the parent about what happens next.

Growing up in the same office

Care changes as a child does. The Healthy Start approach addresses habits like thumb sucking, mouth breathing, and disrupted sleep early, when intervention is simplest and jaw development can still be guided. Preventive visits carry through the school years. When orthodontic questions come up in the teens, orthodontics is already offered in house.

Then, when a patient outgrows pediatric care, they do not have to find a new office. They shift to the general dentists down the hall. That continuity is the practical benefit of a practice that treats every age.

Children with additional needs are welcome here

Dr. Manap's LEND training and her fellowship in complex care mean children with developmental, medical, or sensory needs are treated here rather than referred out. Visits are paced and adapted to the individual patient, which sometimes means a first appointment where nothing clinical happens at all beyond getting comfortable in the room.

Families who have been turned away elsewhere, or who have spent a visit apologizing for their child, tend to notice the difference immediately.

The room itself does some of the work

The pediatric treatment rooms are painted as underwater scenes, which gives a nervous kid something to look at besides the light and the instruments. Milo, Dr. Manap's therapy dog, is often part of the visit, particularly for a child's first appointment.

None of that is decoration for its own sake. A child who has a good first experience at the dentist becomes an adult who keeps going. A child who has a bad one becomes an adult who avoids it for fifteen years and arrives with problems that were preventable.

Scheduling a first visit

Westfall Dental Studio is at 1901 Lac De Ville Blvd in Rochester, open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM. To book your child's first appointment, call (585) 461-1200 or schedule online.

If your child has had a hard time at a dental office before, or has needs you want to talk through first, mention it when you call. It changes how the visit gets planned.