For Dr. Michelle Edwards, pediatric dentistry is about more than dental health; it’s about creating a pleasant visit to the dental office promoting an establishment of trust and confidence in children that will last a lifetime. “My position is to help build a dental home, valuing prevention, early detection and treatment of dental disease in children,” she says.

Dr. Edwards grew up in Munster, IN, around multiple family members who worked in medical and dental fields. She attended University of South Carolina to attain a BA in psychology, and completed a 2-year hospital residency and obtained her Master’s degree in Pediatric Dentistry from Indiana University at the Riley Hospital for Children in 2003, after which she served as an associate at a dental office on the south side of Indianapolis before deciding to start her own pediatric practice.

As a child, Dr. Edwards remembers trips to the dentist as unpleasant. “Our dentist was a big, unfriendly man with large hands,” she says. “I didn’t like going to the dentist at all. My goal with my own practice is to make it as place where children, even if they come in with fears or a nervous feeling, can leave with a smile on their face and anticipation of their next visit.” Her patients and their parents affectionately call her “Dr. Michelle.”

In professional circles, Dr. Edwards holds a Diplomate fromThe American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, is a Fellow Member of The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and a member of both the American Dental Association and the Indiana Society of Pediatric Dentistry.

When she isn’t making her dental office more fun than the local Chuckie Cheese (according to a pint sized patient), Dr. Edwards is spending time with her periodontist husband, Michael and their three children at their Indianapolis home. The family enjoys playing golf together, fishing, sitting on the beach, and movie nights.