Dr. Irina Morariu: "I believe that smiling and laughing is an important first contact with children"

I've wanted to work with children since college, I just didn't have a place where to do it. I just always felt like I would communicate better with them.

I've always been childlike, although I don't necessarily seem that way. I talk to the kids as equals, we have a lot of common interests... I'm a person who jokes and laughs a lot. I believe that smiling and laughing is the first important contact with children. And that's my nature, it suits me best.

Working both with adults and children, I realized that I get along better with children, that I manage to create a special bond with them.

One extremely important thing I've learned in all the years I've been working with children is that you have to learn to initiate the conversation with a child as a clinician, as an adult, to connect with them so that they slowly - slowly - begin to open up to you.

Children tell me a lot of things, things that are genuine, sincere and that they really believe.

SPECIALIZING

Endodontics and paediatric dentistry are very different. With children it's the interaction that matters a lot, maybe more than the actual handywork. I began the endodontic residency and working with little ones at the same time, and when I finished my residency I never gave up paediatric dentistry.

Pedodontics is almost entirely up to you, unlike other specialties. The responsibility lies with you as a doctor and the good thing about dentistry is that you can try different branches and stick to the one that suits you best.

ABOUT THE DENT ESTET TEAM

DENT ESTET was the first children's dental clinic in Romania, there weren’t any other options when I joined the team. It was a very good experience for me from the beginning, we grew together because a lot of what we learned as professionals, we learned from each other, we started participating to congresses in the country and abroad.

Basically, all the things that we learned, we gradually implemented here. For me, the process of integrating in DENT ESTET 4 KIDS and DENT ESTET 4 TEENS felt simple and natural. I feel like it has always been my place here. It feels like home!

We brought together all the novelties and all the treatment methods that we learned about, and discussed them together with the team.

THE SUCCESS BEHIND A CHILD'S SMILE

Patient feedback has helped me a lot. It is difficult for everyone when we begin working in a new specialty, and we might often be uncertain. But children give feedback on the spot, they're honest and make it much easier for you to manage.

I enjoy constantly learning new things, and attending specialized courses and conferences frequently has helped me gain more confidence.

Throughout my professional experience, it has helped me to see that very experienced doctors encounter, even after years of expertise, cases that challenge them professionally. This has made me realize that if you have a more difficult case or sometimes things don't go perfectly, it doesn't mean that you are not a good doctor; you learn to accept that you can improve and perfect your skill.

LEISURE TIME

I like going out with friends, I relax cooking, hanging out with my cats... I often go to the movies, theatre and music festivals. I'd love to travel to more remote areas to see new things.

SHORT PROFESSIONAL BIO

Dr. Irina Morariu is among the first doctors with whom we developed paediatric dentistry in Romania. She graduated from the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Iuliu Hațieganu" Cluj-Napoca.

In 2010-2013 she attended the residency program in Bucharest, at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Carol Davila", at the end of which she obtained the specialization in Endodontics. Dr. Morariu is a member of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry (EAPD), member of the National Association of Paediatric Dentistry in Romania (ANSPR) and the International Association of Paediatric Dentistry (IAPD), and holds a Competency in inhalation sedation and Pedodontics, at the UMF "Carol Davila", Bucharest.

Dr. Irina Morariu holds competence in inhalation sedation and pedodontics.