Board-certified pediatric dentist · co-owner
Dr. Fahra Dawood, DDS
Board-certified pediatric dentist
Dr. Dawood has spent her career with the kids other offices find hardest to treat: the anxious ones, the wiggly ones, and children with autism, Down syndrome and other special needs. That's who she trained for.
Her story
“Born and raised on the island of Mombasa, Kenya, I pursued my dental education and completed dental school and one year of clinical rotation in India, where I met the love of my life. We got married and moved to the United States shortly after.
I joined the Eastman Institute for Oral Health in 2016 as a preceptor in General Dentistry and have gone on to complete a one-year Fellowship in Community Dentistry, followed by Advanced Education in General Dentistry, a Pediatric Dentistry Fellowship, and the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) fellowship. I joined Special Olympics, NY as a team trainer and had the opportunity to be a resident chair of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry.
These opportunities brought me close to working with children, and I was fortunate to continue my passion for becoming a pediatric dentist at Nova Southeastern University.”
- Certification
- Board-certified pediatric dentist
- Dental degree
- Bachelor’s degree in Dentistry, Manipal College of Dental Sciences
- Preceptorship
- Preceptorship in AEGD, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, University of Rochester (joined 2016)
- AEGD
- Advanced Education in General Dentistry, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, University of Rochester
- Pediatric residency
- Nova Southeastern University
- Fellowships
- Pediatric Dentistry · Community Dentistry · LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities), Eastman Institute for Oral Health, University of Rochester
- Special Olympics
- Dental volunteer, then team trainer (New York)
- Award
- 2022 Dr. Robert E. Primosch Academic Excellence Award, FAPD
- In dentistry since
- 2008
- Our practice
- Family-owned, in business for 40+ years — personal attention, never a high-volume practice
- Memberships
- American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry · Florida Academy of Pediatric Dentistry · American Dental Association · American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry
Her favorite part of the job
“My calling to work with children happened when I was providing dental services during the Special Olympics in New York, and since then, working with children of all ages and needs has been my favorite part of my career as a dentist.”
Being able to help our children overcome their fear of the dentist, treat and cure dental pain or discomfort a child may face, and help our children start a lifetime of healthy smiles — that smile at the end of treatment, when a child confesses it wasn’t so scary, is my favorite part.
How she works
The same patience she brought to the Special Olympics, at every visit.
Your child sets the pace
No forcing, no rushing. If today is just a ride in the chair, that's progress.
Tell, show, then do
Every tool gets introduced before it's used, in words your child understands.
Parents are partners
You know your child best. You stay in the room and we plan together.
Prevention over treatment
The goal is a child who never needs a filling, and a teen who still likes the dentist.