Pediatric dentistry has been the perfect career for Dr. Michael Keller, a Winchester, Tennessee native who moved to Birming-ham in 1998 and joined the practice of Dr. Bob Roebuck, a friend and mentor. Unfortunately, Roebuck passed away unexpectedly shortly thereafter, but Keller and the staff decided to continue at the practice.
“I enjoy working with children,” says Keller, whose office is located on Brookwood Medical Center Drive. “I’m kind of goofy, and I get along with them and relate to them, so it works well.”
In addition to providing top-quality care, Keller and his staff enjoy making kids feel comfortable seeing the dentist and seek to make a child’s visit “as pleasurable an experience as it can be,” Keller says.
The dentist and his staff also work to educate children and parents about the tremendous importance of preventive care, including a good diet, brushing, flossing and regular check-ups.
“If you develop those good habits early, it helps you later in life,” Keller says.
Keller earned his Bachelor of Science in biology at the University of Tennessee. He earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery and completed his pediatric residency at the University of Tennessee at Memphis.
Since 1998, he’s also served as a clinical instructor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at UAB and Children’s of Alabama.
Keller and his staff try to make kids comfortable from the moment they arrive by making the facility very kid-friendly, including a game room.
“You’ll see kids hit the front door and race their siblings to the PacMan machine or iPads,” Keller says.
He enjoys kidding around with the children to distract them and get their minds off the work he’s doing on their teeth.
“The next thing you know, the filling is done and they’re out of there,” he says.
“Dr. Keller made it a fun experience for my timid 5-year-old,” says parent Ethan T.
Keller and staff “make dental visits a breeze,” says parent Jon C.
Keller urges parents to bring their children for check-ups beginning at age 1, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.
“A lot of times we catch problems early and do preventive stuff and tell parents, ‘They’ve got to brush their teeth,’” Keller says.
Parents should bring their kids for examinations every six months, he says. “Prevention is much better than the cures,” Keller says, citing fillings and other procedures.
The key to brushing and flossing is daily repetition, he says. “You get into the habit, and you don’t have to think about it.”
“That’s the stuff you have to train the parents on,” Keller says.
Prevention and education are particularly important given recent statistics showing an increase in cavities nationwide, he says.
One problem is that children have easy access to sodas and sports drinks, withacids that harm teeth, and high-carb snacks, which are loaded with sugar, Keller says.
“The kids just walk to the fridge and grab this stuff,” he says.
Keller has been a dentist for more than 25 years but has no plans to retire.
“The kids are great,” he says. “They’re fun. They keep you young.”
He and his staff see patients from infancy until college graduation.
