“When was the first time you went to the dentist?” I faltered; usually I’m the one asking questions during an interview. My thoughts drifted back to childhood, to hazy memories of my pediatric dentist. I remembered the aquarium in the waiting room, the wall of manila file folders behind the reception desk, the aroma of bubble gum fluoride thick in the stuffy office air.
But, as Kweku Smith, PhD , had surmised, I couldn’t pinpoint my first visit because I’ve been a dental patient for as long as I can remember. Coincidentally, I had an orthodontist appointment the day of my phone interview with Smith, a psychological services provider for the U.S.
Olympic and Paralympic Committee . Pediatric dentists strive to make visits fun and allay children’s fears, Smith says. More importantly, children learn healthy habits and develop a relationship with their dentist, keeping up with the routine every six months.
Absent this experience, going to the dentist as an adult would be terrifying, he says. We’re taught from a young age the importance of dental, medical, and eye care—why not mental health care ? “Most people look at it as an illness, as a diagnosis,” Smith tells Fortune . “But (what) if we did mental wellness treatment?” I spoke with Smith shortly before he traveled to Paris , where the former Milwaukee Bucks team psychologist is now experiencing his first Olympics and Paralympics as a Team USA mental health care provider .
While he and his colleagues are .