Up on the top floor of the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU’s Children’s Pavilion, the pediatric dental clinic buzzes with children’s voices and the whirring of machinery. It’s a safe space for clinical care and education.

For Benjamin Bloom, D.D.S., and Blake Carroll, D.D.S., it’s about to be their home base.

Bloom and Carroll graduated from VCU School of Dentistry with their Doctor of Dental Surgery degrees in May, but that doesn’t mean they are going to say goodbye to Richmond. Both are preparing to start their residencies in pediatric dentistry – a continuation of their clinical journeys at VCU.

“Pediatric dentistry is great because you’re helping children and making families happy,” Bloom said. “You’re playing a significant role in their childhood and their early education and health.”

It’s been a long time coming for Carroll, who has had aspirations to be a dentist ever since she was five years-old.

“I was at a career day in kindergarten and a dental hygienist came to talk about taking care of our teeth and dentistry,” Carroll recalled. “I came home and told my mom I had to get the sugarbugs off my teeth and since then, I said I wanted to be a dentist.”

Carroll grew up in Collinsville, Virginia, and later moved to Richmond for her undergraduate studies at VCU. Her stay in Richmond was extended when she was accepted into dental school.

“I love Richmond,” Carroll said. “It has really felt like home after all these years.”

On the other hand, the path to dentistry was a bit more complicated for Bloom.

“It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do,” Bloom said. “I started as a finance major then thought I wanted to be a veterinarian. When I graduated college, my neighbor who is also a pediatric dentist offered me a job while I was figuring it out and I worked as a dental assistant for a few years and absolutely loved it. I loved the hands-on aspect, the creativity and loved working with children.”

Originally from Gaithersburg, Maryland, Bloom attended Clemson University in South Carolina before making his way back north to start dental school at VCU. His time at VCU School of Dentistry was marked by the connections he made with his classmates and teachers.

“Coming into dental school, I wasn’t sure if I was going to meet people that I would be friends with after graduation. I was wrong,” Bloom said. “One of my classmates was even in my wedding. They’re friends that I’ll keep up with for the rest of my life.”

The camaraderie with her peers was also a highlight to Carroll.

“This is one of the only times in your life where you’re going through the exact same thing as someone else; taking the same classes, having the same schedule and learning together. It is so impactful and creates incredible bonds and memories that you will have for life,” said Carroll.

During their time in dental school, the two students discovered a passion for pediatric dentistry. 

“Teaching children about oral health and learning about early intervention with pediatrics resonated with me a lot,” said Carroll. “After working with adults and seeing how important it is to teach oral health care early, I decided that I wanted to be that person to step up and do that.”

Bloom also found his “why” in fostering and teaching oral health practices that will serve people for life.

“Working with children creates a really important opportunity to jump ahead and teach them the right way to take care of their oral health,” Bloom said. “Being able to help them can create long-term benefits that will protect their teeth for the rest of their lives.”

Elizabeth Bortell, D.D.S., associate professor in pediatric dentistry, took Bloom and Carroll under her wing during their second year to continue to foster their passion and talent for treating children in need.

“Dr. Bortell has always been there for me,” Bloom said. “She always answers all of my questions and goes above and beyond to review and explain my cases. Having someone that you trust and can count on in this way played a significant role in my dental school experience.”

As the faculty advisor for the VCU Chapter of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry, Bortell traveled with them to attend the AADMD One Voice Conference in Phoenix, AZ. She also worked directly with them as students in her Special Care Selective. 

“Their dedication to their development, education, and the patients that they serve is inspirational,” said Bortell. “It has been my pleasure to watch them grow from students with an interest in pediatric dentistry, to interviewing, applying, and ultimately matching at VCU Pediatric Dentistry. I am incredibly grateful that I get to spend the next two years with them as they transform from newly graduated dentists to pediatric dentists with a career taking care of the lucky patients who get to have them as their dentist.”

It was Bortell and other faculty mentors who gave Bloom and Carroll the pushes they needed to apply for residency programs. As pediatric dentistry residents, they will work closely with Bortell and faculty for the next two years.

“It feels a lot less daunting going in knowing that I already have people who are looking out for me and who know and care about me,” Carroll said.

In addition to the practical skills and clinical expertise, Bloom and Carroll finished their dental school careers with meaningful wisdom and belief in themselves that they will carry on to their residency programs.

“I’ve learned that I can do hard things,” Carroll said. “There were so many times that things were hard or I got in my head thinking I couldn’t do something, but each time I proved to myself that I could. If I can get through dental school, I can get through anything.”

For Bloom, the next two years at VCU are bright and a certain opportunity for continued growth as a clinician and a person.

“I’ve worked with the pediatric dentistry team at VCU for three years now,” Bloom said. “I’m excited to be able to continue to learn from them and grow alongside them. It’s nice that I’m able to keep it in the family.”