Dr. Gichana has been named one of the top pediatric dentists in the D.C. metro area by both Washingtonian and Northern Virginia magazine. With a certificate in Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, she specializes in providing care to patients with special needs—and her state-of-the-art practice recently incorporated a Fotona laser.

“Growing up, I recall seeing kids with cleft lip who had speech and facial-appearance concerns, and other kids with special needs. My heart went out to them. That was the initial motivation for a career in dentistry.”

“The simple things: patients’ smiles, talking to parents and reassuring them that we will take the best care of their little ones, witnessing their appreciation at the end of it.”

Establishing a startup dental practice. “I had underestimated the amount of work and time that went into getting the practice up and running. Dental school did not prepare me for this, and there was no manual.”

Isolite. “Kids love it and call it the ‘whale tail.’ ”

“The use of lasers is quite exciting. Anesthesia-free fillings on little ones. No needles! Who wouldn’t want that?”

Dr. Gichana can speak six languages: English, Spanish, Italian, French, Swahili and Kisii (a local Kenyan dialect). She hopes to learn Russian next.