A Rewarding Career as a Pediatric Dentist
How a Touro Education Helped Daniel Peikes into His First-Choice Dental School and First-Choice Specialty
Dr. Dan is a pediatric dentist who, at age 40, effortlessly channels his inner kid, transforming the trauma of “open wide” into a truth-telling session that sometimes ends in a stand-up comedy routine.
From toddlers to teens, they all love Dr. Daniel Peikes. “That’s because I myself grew up in the dental chair,” says Peikes, whose private practice is in Montvale, New Jersey, near the Clifton home he shares with his wife and five personal dental clients (aka children). “I knew from my experiences that I wanted to help kids just like I was helped by my dentist, who became my mentor.”
His chief mentor, though, was his father, Meyer Peikes, currently business department chair at Touro and a professor at the university for 40 years, who recommended the school. Nothing readied the young Peikes for the rigors of dental school and additional years of pediatric specialty studies more than Touro in Flatbush, where he received an interdisciplinary sciences degree. “Its flexibility, its rigorous education, I was able to do well academically and religiously,” says Peikes, who attended yeshiva by day while pursuing college studies at night. “The Lander education got me into my first choice dental school and eventually my first choice of specialty.”
A Dean’s List regular, Peikes graduated from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). He completed his pediatric dentistry practice while serving as chief resident. “The ability to turn a frightened, anxious child into a trusting patient is my ultimate goal,” he explains. “My career is truly rewarding.”
