Dr. Donna Quinby is a pediatric dentist who treats special-needs children at Children's Hospital. Her patients include children with autism, cerebral palsy, cancer and other diseases. Some cases require restraints and extreme effort just to get the patient into the chair.

She calmly works through it, soothing each child as she goes.

"The dental school I attended (in New Jersey), had a contract to provide dental care to children in a school that was in the community. It was a poor area. The school would bus children in to see us. Most of the kids were just great, and the procedures were easy, but there was one patient in particular I remember. An extraction had to be done, and her behavior was beyond what I could manage at that time of my career. Seeing a faculty member step in and get the job done was really a powerful message to me.

I get a huge sense of personal fulfillment from treating children. They are innocent and genuine, whether they have special needs or not. If I can help them get through something that could be construed as unpleasant and they say, 'I did it!' or give me a hug or high five . . . well, that's why I do it.

Knowing the patient and their needs and making the experience as easy and comfortable as possible is really important. For some, it is just making it as brief as possible. There have been children who — definitely not maliciously — have bit me. You just have to anticipate when the jaw is moving so you can get your fingers out of the way. One time, my fingertips stayed numb for three months. But that's part of the job.Anyone who wants to do this has to like children and understand they are unpredictable. You can go into a day with a certain schedule or set of goals, but children are not always going to comply. You just have to be adaptable.

When I was 3 years old, my mom brought me to a pediatric dentist for the first time. Back then, parents did not go back into the treatment room. I returned to the waiting area and told her I wanted to be a dentist when I grew up. That's what she tells me. I can't remember what happened to make me say that. My own earliest memory of wanting to be a dentist was in fourth grade. We had to write essays on what we wanted to do. My classmates were writing about being ballerinas and horseback riders. I wrote about being a dentist."