Why She Was Nominated

Voted one of New Jersey Family magazine’s Favorite Kids’ Docs four years in a row, Dr. Planz runs a prevention-focused practice in which she entertains and educates patients in a children’s paradise.

Favorite Aspect of Dentistry

“As a mom of two young children, I can relate to how kids can feel and take that into account.”

Philosophy

Dr. Planz’s practice — a far cry from the strange-smelling dentists’ offices of her youth that had just one years-old copy of Highlights magazine lying around — has TVs above each operatory chair, plus prize drawers and video games in the waiting room. “The whole experience is about the child, and I can often mix in education as well to help prevent future dental problems.”

Something People Don’t Know

Before returning to school for pediatric dentistry, Planz treated elderly patients as a general dentist in a VA hospital. “I’ve seen patients who are days old right up to patients in their nineties,” she says.