Dr. Divya Mudumba
Practice Owner, Smileworks Family Dentistry and Palmer Smiles: Age 37
Dr. Divya Mudumba
Dr. Divya Mudumba’s life is a story of turning a negative into a positive.
“I’m from an Army background. My dad was always posted in places where there was not much access to dental care, so I grew up with bad dental experiences,” she explained of her early life in India. “After a few years, I met a female dentist who was serving in the Army, and she made me feel so comfortable in the chair that I decided to become like her.”
She wound up volunteering at that practice, which grew her interest to the point where she decided to pursue a dental career. Today, Mudumba owns two practices, in Pittsfield and Palmer, where she specializes in pediatric and family dentistry, with an emphasis on compassionate, comfort-centered care.
“Eventually, I became more inclined toward kids,” she said. “That’s where long-term anxiety comes from. If you have a bad experience growing up as a kid, it stays with you. It makes you more scared of going to the dentist. That’s why I decided to be a pediatric dentist.”
She also prioritizes patients from underserved populations, including the Medicaid population and veterans in Pittsfield.
“I’m blessed with the ability to change people’s lives, giving them a beautiful and healthy smile, and helping anxious patients get over their anxiety and learn to love — or at least have a level of comfort toward — seeing a dentist for their checkup.”
Mudumba, who was honored last year as a 40 Under 40 dentist by Incisal Edge magazine, is also community-minded, including a breast-cancer donation drive at Smileworks each October. “So many patients have gone through breast-cancer treatment or know someone who has,” she said.
She also frequently speaks on dental health at local schools and daycare centers, reinforcing oral-health awareness among young people, and is working on a collaboration between YWCA and Smiles for Success (a sister organization to the American Assoc. of Women Dentists) so women in YWCA programs can access dental care and rehabilitation.
“Women dentists volunteer their time and practice resources to help women whose background may be one of domestic violence or sexual abuse; they have suffered some dental neglect and trauma, and they’re trying to get back in the game, get ready for a job,” she explained. “We find these women and help them rehabilitate their oral health to a level that they feel confident.”
—Joseph Bednar
