Ive always felt extraordinarily lucky to be a pediatric dentist. Its more of a passion with me than a profession. Perhaps where others find their work as a means to earn an income to enable them to lead the kind of life they would like to enjoy, pediatric dentistry is an integral part of what I enjoy most out of life. Ernest Gallo of Ernest and Julio Gallo Wines once said that he felt no need to retire from his job, just so he could do the things he always wanted to do. Why? Because he was already doing them! In large part, I feel the same way.
My vision has been to use my education and experience to develop a private practice that cares for all types of children, chief among them the treatment of the medically complex child and children with special needs such as those with cerebral palsy, autism, developmental disabilities, and ADHD to name a few, as well as being dedicated to the care of healthy children. I am very proud of the fact that this vision has become a reality and that taking care of so many types of children is not only highly rewarding but a never-ending journey.
Everyone on my team believes that all children are special. We are focused on making personal decisions about each special childs needs and recommend treatment in the proper setting that will not create a negative psychological impact.
I believe one of the outstanding advantages our practice has is the fact that we are located on the Stanford University campus directly across the street from Lucile Salter Packard Childrens Hospital. Being on staff at the hospital and in close proximity has enabled us to consult with the pediatrics department, as well as treat a wide variety of children with medical conditions whose problems may be exacerbated by preexisting dental conditions (i.e. children on chemotherapy for cancer or a child whose immune system has been suppressed in preparation for a heart or liver transplant).
Personally, I was born in Camp Campbell, Kentucky when my father was in the service. Following that, our family moved to Europe when I was six months old where my father worked as an engineer, living in France and Germany until I was 14. We then moved back to the United States, settling in Monterey, California. After going to college up here, I went back to Harvard for my dental degrees and then to UCLA for my pediatrics residencies. Being a part of a close-knit family, I returned to Monterey and practiced as a pediatric dentist for nine years before returning to Palo Alto to start our present practice, emphasizing the treatment of the medically complex child both in our office and at Lucile Salter Packard Childrens Hospital.
I currently reside in Los Altos and in my spare time I am a semi-prolific reader, enjoy swimming, cycling, and am an avid Formula 1 racing fan. I enjoy traveling to various countries during the Formula 1 season whenever possible to catch a race and am currently writing a book having to do with Formula 1 racing.
Dr. Jonathan Hurng is a pediatric dentist deeply rooted in the Bay Area community. Dr. Jon grew up in Cupertino, California and graduated with a B.S. in Bioengineering from University of California, San Diego (UCSD). He received his dental training from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
At UCSF, Dr. Jon utilized his bioengineering background to initiate novel studies on dental orthopedics and dental biomaterials. Dr. Jon has received multiple awards for his academic achievements and is published in several national journals for his work with research teams at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories.
After completing his dental degree, Dr. Jon received additional training through a hospital-based general practice residency at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine with a focus on treating medically complex patients. He also served as a pre-doctoral instructor during his tenure at Harvard. Dr. Jon went on to complete his pediatric training at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) David Geffen School of Medicine and Ronald Reagan Hospital. He was one of the few students in the program selected to obtain an additional Masters degree in Public Health, which fostered his passion in serving as a healthcare leader in his community. His project focused on calibrating and improving community health literacy, oral health education, and nutrition counselling.
Dr. Jons care philosophy is to provide positive team-based care for his patients, implement goal-oriented approaches towards prevention and management of oral health disease, and empower patients and their parents through oral health education. Dr. Jon believes that quality pediatric dental care should be accessible, consistent, and most importantly enjoyable!
Outside of pediatric care, Dr. Jon is a movie aficionado, Muay Thai enthusiast, and enjoys playing tennis and the violin. He and his wife often spend their spare time hiking and exploring national parks and trying local restaurants.
We recognize that all of our young patients are unique and deserve to receive dental care that reflects their individual needs. Our experienced and talented dental team is committed to working with you and your child to create a comfortable, stress-free, and rewarding dental experience every time you visit our practice.
The single most important feature of our office is the compassion, personality, and expertise of Dr. Vernon Adams, Dr. Jon Hurng, and our team. We focus on the experience of the individual visit, scheduling plenty of time for kids to get comfortable, parents to ask questions, and for all of us to connect.
We know that a childs perception of reality is much more intense than that of an adult. Children are a dry sponge, soaking up new information and experiences. And time seems longer and more vivid as a child when compared to an adult. Think of how long summer lasted when you were six years old. Now, think of how long summer lasts as the parent of a six-year-old.
Dr. Adams and Dr. Jon have deep compassion for children with complex medical orders. As such, Pediatric Dentistry of Palo Alto welcomes children whose medical condition needs to be managed in order provide needed dental care. Typically, these children need to be hospitalized and treated under general anesthesia.
As a function of that, we also focus on the care of the special needs child those with cerebral palsy, autism, ADHD, developmentally delayed, or disabled. As part of the spectrum of dental treatment, we are able to provide care for these children with in-office general anesthesia, conscious sedation, nitrous oxide, and hospitalization as needed.
We have designed our practice to appeal to children, offering a space where kids can be kids. With inviting dcor, eclectic and interesting background music, Playstation 5 and video games, plus ceiling mounted TVs and a large library of movies, this is a fun space!
Our goal is for each child to feel safe, secure and relaxed at the thought of coming to our office. We want them to enjoy visiting with us, as that makes them receptive to the oral health education we offer. Our patients grow up with optimal dental health and graduate to general dental practices with the knowledge confidence needed to maintain a great smile, for life!