The Right Stuff

North Dakota Welcomes Dr. Mikala

Balancing career, small business ownership, education, marriage, and motherhood is an act of creative compromise

When Dr. Mikala Hogue started her dentistry practice with her husband, she did not realize she would be breaking the glass dental ceiling in North Dakota by becoming the first female pediatric dentist in North Dakota. This achievement by this focused and hard-working woman took some juggling and compromise. She was married to another pediatric dentist, keen to start a family, co-owner of Dakota Pediatric and Family Dentistry in Osgood, and had been successfully practicing general dentistry for four years. But Dr. Mikala recognized that she was satisfied and happiest when working with children, so she packed up and moved to Omaha, Nebraska, for two years to further her education and do the residency requirements to specialize in pediatric dentistry.

Her husband, Dr. Chad, continued building their dentistry practice while she traveled up and down the I-29 corridor to work on the books and filing in the office over weekends. But then they had a baby, making this travel difficult and studying for the pediatric dentistry residency more challenging. Stress levels were raised, which created for Dr. Mikala an appreciation for what life might be like as a single mother, and she had to make accommodations on personal and career levels. But the goal remained clear – to become the first pediatric female dentist in North Dakota.

Dr. Mikala accomplished this goal in July and returned to Fargo to be an active partner in the expanding practice, and a dental partner to her patients and their parents. “Being a first time mother and the first private pediatric dentist in North Dakota makes for a great opportunity,” said Dr. Mikala of her unique achievement.

Dr. Mikala wants to build trusting and considerate relationships with moms and their children. “Children should be happy and feel welcomed, with no fear, when they go to the dentist,” she said.

Dr. Mikala feels she now has the tools for the frank mom-to-mom discussions about the challenges of tooth brushing. As a first time mom, she has empathy for those struggling with food transitions and an understanding of the desire to put a baby to bed with a bottle. She knows firsthand how a mother feels about those issues.

Dr. Mikala has the specialized training to support the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry program of promoting the important dental visit for babies when they are one year old. “Start early and go often,” she chuckles in her easy, relaxed manner. She knows what she needs to do for her own child’s dental health and would like others to do the same.

Dr. Mikala is ready for her life in Fargo to calm down, where she will be practicing pediatric dentistry full time. She is still juggling and balancing the work life challenges of work and motherhood. She hopes this makes her better able to listen, help, share, and understand her patients. “You get to know what is worth your time or not – you give and take – compromise is key,” said Dr. Mikala, the first female pediatric dentist in North Dakota. [AWM]