All caregivers want the best for their children. They want them to be healthy and happy and well-adjusted within their surroundings. Communication and feeding are two of the most important behaviors for thriving medically and socially. It is impossible for a caregiver to be totally objective with regard to their child’s strengths and weaknesses. Most families are appreciative when medical and educational specialists advocate for their child’s optimal well-being by referring them to allied professionals. This creates thriving professional relationships and thriving practices. As pediatric dentists, you are the frontline of a child's "team" of professionals and can superbly serve your patients by this enhanced awareness of all pathologies related to speech, language, and swallowing.

By enhancing your knowledge of the field of speech-language pathology, you can now:

• Know when to refer to speech-language pathology
• Know how to refer to speech-language pathology
• Better understand general speech, language, and swallowing development
• Improve patient outcome by working interdisciplinary with speech-language pathology

Mary Beth Giacona, DDS

Dr. Mary Beth Giacona is certified by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. She graduated from Columbia University's College of Dental Medicine and completed her specialty training in Pediatric Dentistry at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. She is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at Columbia University and a member of the Craniofacial Team at both New York Presbyterian Hospital and Morristown Medical Center. Dr. Giacona has private pediatric dental practices in Glen Rock and Randolph, NJ.

Watch the following video as Dr. Giacona discusses her experiences collaborating with Arinne Tress, a speech-language pathologists.