New Practitioner Spotlight: Dr. Nima Moaven

Compiled by Dr. Austyn Grissom                                                    

Dr. Nima Moaven is a board-certified pediatric dentist and recently received his certificate in endodontics from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

The Paper Point: Thanks for taking time away from your busy schedule for this interview, Nima! Tell our readers a little bit about yourself.
Dr. Moaven: I was Born and raised in Iran. I immigrated to the US around 14 years ago. Over the ensuing years, I had the privilege of earning a Bachelor of Science in Physiology and Neurobiology (Maryland), a Master of Science in Biotechnology (Johns Hopkins), a Doctorate of Dental Surgery (Maryland), a certificate in Pediatric Dentistry (UCLA), and most recently a certificate in Endodontics (UT San Antonio). I recently moved to Phoenix and work in private practice.

The Paper Point: When you were in dental school, did you ever foresee yourself going down this path to become a dual specialist? Tell us a little more about what led you to endodontics.  

Dr. Moaven: Honestly no. I enjoyed my endo pre-clinic course in dental school, but I didn’t get the chance to complete many procedures. I did, however, have the opportunity to see many pediatric patients during third year of dental school and explore my interest further.

I decided to pursue endodontics during the first year of pediatric residency. During that year, I encountered many young patients requiring endodontic treatments. On such occasions, I realized the gap in my armamentarium to provide the best care.  Many endodontists do not feel comfortable treating kids. I thought that I can be the one who can bridge this gap and maybe in the future educate pediatric dentists to manage the endodontic treatment for young permanent teeth.

When I decided to apply for a second residency, I talked to my program director (Dr. Silva) and my mentor (Dr. Law) and both were very supportive of my decision.

The Paper Point: How was the adjustment period for you starting your residency in endodontics right as you completed the program in pediatric dentistry?

Dr. Moaven: That was not easy at all. Unlike most endo residents, I did not have private practice/AEGD/GPR experience. In dental school I only did three root canals and after that my focus was on pediatric dentistry.

Endodontic residency at UT San Antonio starts with an eight-week ‘root camp’ course. We practice endodontic treatments on extracted teeth mounted on typodont and present our cases to the other residents and Dr. Khan and Dr. Hargreaves. The feedback I got during that course helped me a lot. Additionally, this transition was made easier by the support I received from Dr. Ruparel and Dr. Diogenes.

Dr. Ruparel always kept track of my progress and provided me with non-judgmental, positive feedback on all my cases. I always felt welcome to talk about my mistakes with her and how I could avoid making those same errors in future. When hitting obstacles in residency, Dr. Diogenes was always there to support and motivate me by talking about his experiences as a resident. He frequently reminded us how humbling this profession (endodontics) is, and whether we are having a good or bad day how important it is to keep a positive attitude.

The Paper Point: Did you find a lot of similarities between the two residencies?

Dr. Moaven:  Not really. Dr. Trask who I learned a lot during my pediatric training was saying “there are two types of pediatric dentists: fast and unsuccessful.” My main goal as a pediatric dentist was to do the treatment clinically appropriate in the fastest time possible.  Technically speaking, pediatric dentistry is not all that challenging as it is mostly behavior management. However, during endodontic treatment, every millimeter matters to get a good final result.  Therefore, in terms of technical part, endodontics is much less forgiving for making errors than pediatric dentistry. I was fortunate and blessed that I had the best supporting faculties and mentors during my endodontic training at UT San Antonio.

The Paper Point: In terms of your career, where do you see yourself in ten years?

Dr. Moaven: My professional role models are Dr. Anibal Diogenes and Dr. Nikita Ruparel. Both are not only successful in research and teaching, but also have remarkable clinical skills in the surgical and nonsurgical aspects of endodontics. It is my hope that in 10 years I can be someone like them. Additionally, I think I have a duty to increase the knowledge of pediatric dentists about endodontic management of permanent teeth. Starting in 2023, I will teach one day a month at UCLA pediatric dentistry clinic where I did my training. Hopefully as time goes, I can dedicate more time to teaching.

The Paper Point: I know that you love to travel- have you taken any exciting trips recently?

Dr. Moaven: I’m a huge tennis fan, so in September I was able to visit London for the Laver Cup tournament. While there, I had the chance to connect with one of my former coresidents, Dr. Biraj Patel, who practices in London. Also, I was able to see my mentor, Dr. Ruparel, who was also there for the games.

The Paper Point: Before we wrap up, do you have any advice or tips you would like to share with our readers for managing pediatric patients?

Dr. Moaven: When treating a child, we should always assess at what stage of intellectual (or cognitive) development our patient is in and set our expectations accordingly. The practitioner should try to identify the reasons behind child’s misbehavior. For example: is the misbehavior because of the fear of dental appointment, or is the patient is trying to oppose authority?

Whenever I have a pediatric patient in my schedule, my assistants are not really involved.  I will be the one who bring the patient to the dental chair and to get the radiographs. This gives me the chance to assess the child’s behavior before starting clinical exam.

It is important to engage the kid in the treatment by giving them options on things that do not matter. For example: I will ask the patient do you want me to get the picture (radiograph) with the yellow tab (PA) first or the red tab (bitewing). Ask them about the flavor of the topical anesthesia and the color of rubber dam I use. I use tell-show-do in every step of treatment and make sure that the kid will never experience any surprises throughout the treatment.