DR. HUMAIRAH SHAH
Author
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”~ Dr. Seuss
Viewing education as a means to acquire valuable knowledge is one of the cornerstones that could guide a person
toward success. Likewise, Dr. Shah demonstrates a strong passion in expanding educational equity and excellence, as
well as in improving educational outcomes. In addition, as a doctor with experience in pediatric dentistry and oral hygiene
education; she believes that the need to provide treatment to a disease is as important as preventing it from happening.
This spurred her to educate and reach out to people of all age groups. Dr. Shah is a published author of children books
which are aimed to raise awareness about the importance of good oral health and healthy diet.
Back then, Dr. Shah had set her sights on continuous learning along with the goal of helping the less fortunate
communities. In dental college for her Community Dentistry class, she had the opportunity to work in rural villages
wherein she remembered examining a four-year-old girl with a piece of dead bone in her mouth that had partially
separated from her jaw. Upon further examination, it turned out that this was a result of an untreated dental infection.
Although they were able to successfully treat the child, that particular experience made Dr. Shah realize the importance of
building a bridge to connect oral awareness to people throughout diversified areas. Afterwards, upon moving to the
United States to advance her knowledge and competency in dentistry; she encountered cases such as Nursing Bottle
Syndrome (NBS), despite the fact that the US was more advanced when it comes to dentistry. Consequently, she
immediately started an initiative to educate the parents about this disease.
For Dr. Shah, it is important to educate masses on oral health. Her years of practice have left a mark in her mind that oral
health education is severely lacking. Moreover, since teeth are directly connected to the body, a dental infection could
result into serious complications, making it is essential to maintain dental health. These further fueled her dedication to
work toward educating the world. She started by writing articles to magazines and newspapers as well as every local
paper and parents’ newsletter. Later on, Dr. Shah’s contributions were published on Huffington Post, Greater Kashmir,
Daily O, and the Mother and Child Magazine.
Dr. Shah’s literary works are geared, not only toward adults; she believes that children need to manage their own oral
care as well. Eventually, she wrote a series of children’s books. These included “Sam and the Sugar Bug,” which has
garnered more than 900 reviews on iBooks; “Leila and the Tooth Fairy,” which educates children about the importance of
healthy diet; and “Leila’s First Visit to the Dentist,” which eliminates the fear of children to visit their dentist. “Funny Teeth
and Bunny Ears,” narrates a non-aggressive method that helps kids quit thumb sucking. The aforementioned books are
available on Amazon, Android, iBooks, and Kindle. Additionally, all of her books have been added to the National
Resource list for kids with special needs; with “Sam and the Sugar Bug” continuing to be the only book that helps kids
with special needs.
On the other hand, for her online content contributions, Humairah wrote articles entitled “Nursing bottle syndrome,” “Are
wisdom teeth a nuisance?” “Say no to oral cancer,” “Dentist explains how to save your baby from excruciating pain,” and
“A doctor’s dilemma: It’s not just funny teeth and bunny ears.” She exhibited her skills, not only in dentistry and education,
but also in content writing. Hence, she was known for teaching children and parents through her writing which focuses on
oral care. Her initiatives have profoundly changed many lives.
Finally, over the course of her career, Dr. Shah has equipped herself with a unique ability to provide a dental guide to
practice oral hygiene at home toward healthy living. She started her career as office manager at Dr. Sejpal’s Dental Clinic
where she gained experience in Medical, Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), and preferred provider option (PPO)
insurance billing. Afterwards, she worked as a general practitioner at Parse Dental before she served as children’s dentist
at Gentle Dental and Children’s Dental Group. She worked at Magicland Dental for seven years as a diagnostic and
treatment planning dentist/oral health educator. Presently she is working as diagnostic and treatment planning dentist at
Gardena Dental Group and Western Dental for Kids.
Regarding her credentials, Humairah graduated from the University of Mysore for her bachelor’s degree in Dental
Surgery. Moreover, she acquired her license to be a dentist in the State of California from the Dental Board of California.
She currently resides in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.