Dr. Thomas Morse
Providing Beaufort’s Kids A Fun Dental Experience
story by JENNIFER BROWN-CARPENTER photos by JOHN WOLLWERTH
Dr. Thomas Morse of Kidz Planet Pediatric Dentistry will set you at ease within moments of speaking with him. He is one of those people that makes you feel like he wants to help you. He is great with kids, even those who cannot communicate with him. And that is something he learned from his dad.
Dr. Morse’s dad was a veterinarian. He worked with large animals: pigs, sheep, cows, etc. He was able to see his dad really give care to animals even though they could not communicate their pain or needs. He spent some time deciding whether he wanted to go into dentistry or become a veterinarian. He chose dentistry because he’s always enjoyed working with his hands and wasn’t ready to spend all his time out on a farm. “I like a nice, warm environment and air conditioning,” Dr. Morse said.
After starting dental school, Dr. Morse realized that he was pulled toward pediatric dentistry in particular. He worked as a research assistant his sophomore, junior, and senior year for a doctor in pediatric dentistry: Charles Poland, DDS. Dr. Poland was named the Outstanding Pediatric Dentist in the United States about ten years ago by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Working with Dr. Poland was a great opportunity and provided Dr. Morse with a great mentor. Dr. Morse cannot think of any other field in dentistry or specialty that he would rather work in. Pediatrics gives him the opportunity to problem solve and work with his hands, just like his dad.
Dr. Morse grew up in the Midwest. He attended Indiana University for his undergraduate degree. He was in the Army for several years after finishing college and before attending dental school. He completed his military career as a captain in the Transportation Corps. He enjoyed his time in the Army and stayed in the Army Reserve while in dental school. Some of the doctors in his reserve unit were pediatric dentistry residents at Riley Children’s Hospital. On the weekends, they would have to go to the hospital to do rounds on the patients on the schedule for the following week. Dr. Morse was lucky enough to go with them on their rounds and gain knowledge about what the field was like.
Dr. Morse met his wife while he was in dental school. Dinah was a dental assistant before Dr. Morse ever entered dental school. When he was in his residency program, he had already received his dental license to practice in Indiana, so he and Dinah had an evening practice. He would do his residency work during the day. Dinah was his assistant, chief bookkeeper, and receptionist, all in one.
Dr. Morse and Dinah have three children: a son, Chad, who lives in Memphis, TN, and is a cheer coach and high school teacher; a daughter, Jennifer, who lives in Virginia Beach and runs a cosmetology studio, and another daughter, Nicole, who lives in Charleston with her husband where they run a craft beer distillery. They have six grandchildren.
When Dr. Morse finished his residency in Indianapolis, he knew he wanted to relocate to South Carolina. The state had so much to offer, and at the time, there were only 13 pediatric dentists in the entire state. He joined a large practice in Charleston. He was traveling to four of the five offices every week. It was a very hectic schedule, and it was not very satisfying. Dr. Morse had a very diverse population of patients that he was seeing, and he was not able to see them very often because of the travel.
Dr. Morse started looking for other available opportunities. He found a pediatric dentist who was retiring and needed someone to take over his practice. In 1983, he bought the practice and expanded it to open four days a week. At the same time, Dr. Skeet Burris, a well-known orthodontist in Beaufort and Hilton Head, reached out to Dr. Morse to tell him that there were many patients needing care in Beaufort. He decided to split his time in half and saw patients, expanding his practice again to Beaufort.
For about 15 years, Dr. Morse was the only pediatric dentistry office between Charleston, SC, and Savannah, GA. There was a significant need and a big population of people that otherwise would not be served.
Dr. Morse says that you see the complete spectrum of children as a pediatric dentist. Some two- and three-year-old children come in as complete angels, and some become completely upset. Even some teenagers don’t like coming to the dentist. “You have to pick and choose how to best approach each child based on how they respond to you.”
The training that Kidz Planet uses is behavior modification. In many pediatric dentist offices, if a child is fearful or anxious, they will sedate the child to do the work. Dr. Morse believes you should try your very best to modify the behavior, and overcome the children’s fear and anxiety. Giving them pharmaceutical drugs doesn’t remove the anxiety; it only worsens the next time. Dr. Morse wants his patients to feel safe, so they can trust him and everyone else at his office. The parents sit right in the room and can help out with certain circumstances. Treating children with behavior modification techniques — instead of just sedating them — allows kids to now enjoy coming to the dentist after initially being fearful.
There are a lot of pediatric dentistry offices in the area now. Kidz Planet Pediatric Dentistry is a family-owned business. Dr. Denise Swasty and Mr. Matthew Swasty own Kidz Planet, and they work out of the West Charleston, Summerville, and Goose Creek offices. The goal of the practice is to have a family-owned feel. They aren’t interested in becoming a corporate-type business. They want their patients to know their dentist ahead of time and feel confident in the environment they are entering. “We see kids today at the store, and they recognize us. It’s not unusual for a kid to come and get a hug in the middle of Walmart. And now we’re seeing some children come in whose parents were some of our very first patients here at Kidz Planet,”says Dr. Morse.
Kidz Planet offers emergency services for children 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They give parents information about controlling any pain and discomfort, and what they can and cannot eat. They have assistants on call that will come in with Dr. Morse any time there is a child who needs to be seen right away.
“Kids are born with all accelerators and no brakes, so we see a lot of crashes.” Kidz Planet also takes care of routine dental cleanings, fillings, restorations, and crowns. They even have fillings in every color of the rainbow, so the kids can choose what color filling they would like to get. It makes the kids feel involved and happy about getting their fillings. Kidz Planet does everything they can to keep the kids happy, and make their visits memorable and a positive experience.
Today, over half of the doctors who graduate from dental school are women. That was not the case when Dr. Morse was in dental school. He is proud to have so many excellent female dental assistants that he can showcase to his young female patients, sharing what they are capable of when they grow up.
Suppose parents have anxiety about bringing their kids to the dentist, whether it’s due to a previous bad experience, or it’s their first time taking their child. Dr. Morse encourages the parents to reach out and talk to the doctor before coming in. His office will explain everything they do to make everyone comfortable. It is just as important for the parent to be comfortable as it is for the child. If the child sees that the parent is anxious, then the child’s anxiety will increase. Parents are welcome to tour the office before scheduling an appointment.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that a child’s initial dental visit should occur after the first teeth come in or by age one. This helps the child become used to the dentist from a very early age. It also allows the dentist to apply fluoride varnishes to the child’s teeth, preventing any decay from sugars the child might consume in the first few years. Take your children to see Dr. Morse and the staff at Kids Planet for an enjoyable dental experience!
