Pediatric Dentistry in Carnegie Hill, NYC & Edison, NJ
Compassionate pediatric dentistry in Carnegie Hill, NYC and Edison, NJ — with special expertise in special-needs care and children’s airway health.
At Park Smiles, pediatric dentistry is about more than clean teeth — it is about how your child breathes, grows, and feels in the dental chair. Across our two offices — in Carnegie Hill on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and on the Route 1 corridor in Edison, New Jersey — our pediatric dentists care for infants, children, teens, and young adults, with two areas of focus that set us apart: dentistry for children with special healthcare needs and early screening for airway and breathing concerns that can shape a child’s development. Whether you are booking a first visit for a toddler or searching for a practice that truly understands a child with sensory, developmental, or medical complexity, you will find a calm, unhurried, and genuinely child-centered experience here.
What Sets Our Pediatric Care Apart
Dentistry for Children With Special Needs
Many families travel a long way to find a dental team that can truly accommodate a child with autism, ADHD, sensory-processing differences, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, dental anxiety, or other developmental, physical, behavioral, or medical needs. Our pediatric dentists completed additional hospital-based and residency training that included caring for patients with special healthcare needs, and we build each visit around your child’s individual temperament and triggers. In practice, that can mean longer, unhurried appointments, desensitization visits that build familiarity before any treatment, clear step-by-step explanations, sensory accommodations, and — when it is the safest and kindest option — sedation or treatment in a controlled clinical setting. We also coordinate with your child’s physicians and other specialists so that every medical consideration is accounted for, and so that care feels seamless for your family.
Airway-Focused Pediatric Dentistry
A child’s mouth offers some of the earliest visible clues about how well they breathe and sleep. During routine exams, our dentists look beyond cavities to assess airway and breathing patterns — watching for signs such as chronic mouth breathing, snoring, restless sleep, crowded teeth, a narrow or high palate, or a tongue-tie. Left unaddressed, sleep-disordered breathing in children can affect focus, behavior, growth, and facial development. When we notice these signs, we explain what we are seeing, monitor changes over time, and coordinate early, growth-friendly intervention. That may include guiding jaw and palate development, working alongside our orthodontic team (with options such as palatal expansion), or referring to an ENT, sleep specialist, or myofunctional therapist when appropriate. Catching airway concerns early — while a child is still growing — gives families the widest range of gentle options.
Sedation-Friendly, Comfort-First Visits
Not every child walks into a dental office ready to sit back and open wide, and that is completely normal. Our practice is built around making dental care feel safe. For anxious children, children with special needs, or longer procedures, we offer a range of comfort and sedation options that we discuss thoroughly with parents in advance, so you understand exactly what to expect and why. Our goal is for every child to leave with a positive association — so they grow into adults who do not dread the dentist.
First Visits & Early Care
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends a child’s first dental visit by their first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth appearing. Early visits are short, gentle, and largely about helping your child feel comfortable while we check development, talk through at-home care, and answer your questions. Establishing a “dental home” early lays the foundation for a lifetime of healthy habits. From that first appointment through the teenage years and into young adulthood, your child sees a team that knows their history and grows with them.
Two Convenient Locations: Carnegie Hill, NYC & Edison, NJ
Park Smiles welcomes families at two pediatric dental offices — one in the heart of Manhattan’s Upper East Side and one in central New Jersey — so high-quality children’s dentistry is within easy reach whether you are in the city or the suburbs.
Carnegie Hill — Upper East Side, Manhattan
Our Carnegie Hill office sits on Park Avenue, just south of 96th Street and a short walk from Central Park’s 93rd Street entrance and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. Families reach us easily on the 6 train or the M1, M2, M3, and M4 bus lines along Madison and Fifth Avenue, and we are moments from Museum Mile institutions such as the Cooper Hewitt and the Jewish Museum. The office is designed to put young patients at ease in a warm, kid-friendly setting.
Address: 1175 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10128 (Carnegie Hill / Upper East Side)
Phone: +1-212-988-6724
Hours: Mon 9 AM–5 PM · Tue 9 AM–7 PM · Wed 8 AM–5 PM · Thu 9 AM–7 PM · Fri 9 AM–5 PM · Sat–Sun Closed
Edison, New Jersey
Our Edison office brings the same child-centered philosophy to families across Middlesex County and central New Jersey, conveniently located on the Route 1 corridor. Here we follow a “one-patient-at-a-time” approach, pairing a calm, spa-like setting with modern technology such as digital X-rays and 3D imaging — so children, and their parents, feel like the only family in the office. Ask about our current new-patient offer when you book your first visit.
Address: 485 US Highway 1, Edison, NJ 08817
Phone: +1-732-994-3684
Hours: Monday-Friday 9 AM-5 PM
Meet Our Pediatric Dentists
Dr. Dascher Branch-Elliman, DDS — Carnegie Hill
A Manhattan native, Dr. Dascher Branch-Elliman earned her bachelor’s degree cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, with honors in anthropology, before completing her Doctor of Dental Surgery at New York University College of Dentistry — graduating with honors in oral medicine and oral pathology and receiving the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Dental Student Award. She completed a general practice residency at NewYork-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell, then pursued additional specialized training as a pediatric dental resident at NYU, where she was selected chief resident and earned first place at NYU’s Annual Research Days for her research on teledentistry in pediatric patients. Dr. Branch-Elliman brings that depth of training to every young patient at our Carnegie Hill office, with particular attention to early developmental and airway-related concerns and to children who need extra patience and care.
Dr. Jessica Brezel Kaplan, DDS — Edison, NJ
Raised in New Jersey, Dr. Jessica Brezel Kaplan earned her Bachelor of Science in neuroscience and behavioral biology from Emory University before completing her Doctor of Dental Surgery at New York University College of Dentistry, with honors in pediatric dentistry. She went on to complete her pediatric dental residency, also at NYU, and was honored with the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Predoctoral Student Award — given to one graduating student who shows the most promise in the specialty. Board-certified by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and a member of the AAPD and the American Dental Association, Dr. Kaplan is also known for her volunteer work caring for underserved children in Nicaragua, Nepal, and Grenada. Her New Jersey roots help our Edison families feel right at home, and her gentle, behavior-focused approach puts even the most nervous children at ease.
Frequently Asked Questions
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends a first visit by age one, or within six months of the first tooth appearing. These early visits are gentle and short, and they help your child get comfortable while we monitor healthy development.
Pediatric dentists complete two to three additional years of training after dental school, focused specifically on infants, children, teens, and patients with special healthcare needs — including child behavior, growth and development, and specialized techniques for treating young patients.
Yes. Caring for children with autism, sensory differences, and developmental, physical, behavioral, or medical needs is a core focus of our practice. We tailor each visit to your child, offer desensitization appointments and sensory accommodations, and provide sedation options when appropriate.
It means looking beyond the teeth to how your child breathes and sleeps. We screen for signs — such as mouth breathing, snoring, crowded teeth, and a narrow palate — that can point to airway or sleep concerns, and we coordinate early, growth-friendly intervention when it is needed.
Common signs include chronic mouth breathing, snoring, restless or poor sleep, daytime tiredness or trouble focusing, crowded teeth, and a high or narrow palate. Mention any of these at your visit and we will take a closer look.
When it is indicated and properly monitored, sedation is a safe, well-established way to help anxious children — or children with special needs — receive care comfortably. We review every option with you in advance and choose the least invasive approach that is right for your child.
We work with most major dental insurance plans, and our team is happy to help verify your benefits and answer coverage questions before your visit. Just call the office nearest you — Carnegie Hill at (212) 988-6724 or Edison at (732) 994-3684.
We have two pediatric dental offices: one in Carnegie Hill on Manhattan’s Upper East Side (1175 Park Avenue) and one in Edison, New Jersey, on the Route 1 corridor (485 US Highway 1). Both are easy to reach and designed with young patients in mind.
We care for patients from a baby’s first tooth through the teenage years and into young adulthood, adjusting our approach at every stage of a child’s development.
Schedule Your Child’s Visit
Ready to give your child a dental home built around comfort, healthy development, and trust? Booking is simple. Call our Carnegie Hill office at +1-212-988-6724 or our Edison, NJ office at +1-732-994-3684, or request an appointment online. We would love to welcome your family to Park Smiles.
