Pediatric Dentists in Bridgewater, Branchburg and Raritan, NJ
By Tiffany Slowinski
Kids are very good at remembering exactly one bad experience forever.
Especially if that experience involved a dentist.
Which is why choosing a pediatric dentist is not something I would base entirely on whoever has the next available appointment.
If you are searching for a pediatric dentist in Bridgewater, Martinsville, Branchburg, Raritan or Bound Brook, this guide is meant to help parents compare pediatric specialists before they call.
The practices included are not simply dental offices that see children.
Garden State Circle checked the named dentist against the New Jersey license register and the pediatric specialty permit required by the guide’s criteria.
Then the page compares other information the practices publish, including things like board certification, residency, sedation and new-patient access.
That gives you a much better starting point.
From there, the questions get personal.
How old is your child?
Have they been to the dentist before?
Do they get anxious?
Do they need extra time?
Do they have special needs?
Are you dealing with routine cleanings or a child who already needs treatment?
The right office for one family may not be the right office for another.
For a toddler’s first dental visit, I would ask how the office structures the appointment.
What happens if the child will not sit in the chair?
Is the dentist comfortable letting trust build over time?
What does the office want parents to do before the visit?
Those answers help you walk in with realistic expectations.
For an anxious child, I would call ahead and say exactly that.
Do not soften it to “she can be a little nervous” if what you mean is “she once hid under the examination table.”
That is useful context.
For special-needs children, tell the practice what works and what does not.
Ask about experience with children who have similar needs.
Ask about sensory accommodations, additional time or any other support that matters to your child.
No website can answer that specifically enough.
Sedation can also be part of pediatric dental care, and some practices publish information about it.
The guide records that information without making a judgment.
If sedation is discussed for your child, ask the pediatric dentist why, what type is being considered, what alternatives exist and what the risks and instructions are.
Then get practical.
Bridgewater is big.
A practice can technically be nearby and still be 25 minutes away at 4 p.m.
Think about school, work and traffic.
Can you get a new-patient appointment?
Are there appointment-request forms online?
Can siblings be scheduled together?
What happens if your child chips a tooth or has pain?
At what age does the office stop seeing pediatric patients?
These are all fair questions.
This guide can help if you are searching for pediatric dentists Bridgewater NJ, pediatric dentist Branchburg NJ, kids dentist Raritan, children’s dentist Martinsville, pediatric dentist Bound Brook, first dental visit, toddler dentist, dentist for anxious kids, special-needs pediatric dentistry, sedation dentistry for children or board-certified pediatric dentists near me.
Your child does not need to love dentistry.
They need to trust the people taking care of them.
That is a much better thing to search for.
We did the homework here.
For the places actually worth your time, money and babysitter, follow me: @tiffanyknowsnj.
The Guide: Pediatric Dentists in Bridgewater, Branchburg and Raritan, NJ
How We Selected These Pediatric Dentists
This guide covers Bridgewater (Martinsville), Branchburg, Raritan and Bound Brook.
A practice is on this page when it has a pediatric dentistry office in one of those towns and at least one named dentist whose New Jersey dental license the state register showed as Active on September 23, 2026, and who holds a pediatric specialty permit on that register at that office’s town, primary or branch, or a legacy specialty permit that the practice’s own words tie to pediatric dentistry. That is a test, not a judgment. Practices are listed alphabetically.
Where fewer than six practices in these towns met the criteria, the nearest practices that met the same criteria are listed in a second table, each with the town it is based in.
About This Guide
This guide is produced by Garden State Circle. Practices appear here because they meet the criteria described above — a pediatric dentistry office in the towns named above and at least one named dentist with an Active New Jersey dental license and a pediatric specialty permit. That is a test, not a judgment, and it is the only route onto this page. No practice can pay to be included in this guide, to be listed higher, or to change what the comparison table says about it. Practices are listed alphabetically, and every detail in the table was verified against each practice’s own website and the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs licensee register in September 2026.
Everything under the heading that begins this guide is governed by the rules above, on every guide we publish. Where a sponsor’s message appears above that heading, it is paid for and labelled, and it buys nothing in the guide. Garden State Circle is supported by the businesses that participate in it. Participation pays for our ongoing work: keeping a business’s entry accurate, re-checking its record, and publishing a page of its own details that the business maintains. There is no paid placement in this guide. Participation does not buy a place here, a position here, or anything the comparison table says. Where a row carries a verification date, that is when we last checked that business’s record ourselves. A row without one has not been checked recently — that is a fact about our work, not about the business. Nothing on this page is medical advice. Every treatment described here carries risks that depend on your own health and history, and the person to discuss them with is a licensed provider who has examined you.
Garden State Circle is published in New Jersey by Tiffany and Jake Slowinski and covers Bridgewater (Martinsville), Branchburg, Raritan and Bound Brook. Contact the publisher at jake@gardenstatecircle.com. How every guide is made, in one place: how every guide is made.
The Pediatric Dentists, Compared
| Practice and town | Specialist(s) named, and the permit as the register prints it, checked Sept 23, 2026 | Board certification (as published) | Residency (as published) | Sedation offered (as published) | Ages seen | New patients | Record checked (Sept 23, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Branchburg Pediatric Dentistry Branchburg | Dr. Devi — Dentist license Active · Specialty permit Active (legacy type, discipline as published by the practice) Dr. Lapena — Dentist license Active · specialty permit under their name at another New Jersey address | Not published | Not published | Nitrous oxide; general anesthesia (site) | Not published | Appointment request | Sept 23, 2026 |
Checked against the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs Dentistry licensee search.
Permit status is what the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs licensee register showed on September 23, 2026, looked up by name. Board certification, residency, ages seen, sedation and new-patient wording are printed as each practice states them on its own website. Record checked names the date we last checked that practice’s record ourselves.
Nearby options
| Practice and town | Specialist(s) named, and the permit as the register prints it, checked Sept 23, 2026 | Board certification (as published) | Residency (as published) | Sedation offered (as published) | Ages seen | New patients | Record checked (Sept 23, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basking Ridge Pediatric Dentistry Based in Basking Ridge | Dr. Tina Nguyen, DDS — Dentist license Active · Pediatric-Pedodontic Spec Prmt 07465 Active Dr. Alexandra Ziarko, DDS — Dentist license Active · Pediatric-Pedodontic Spec Br Prmt 07520-01 Active | Nguyen: “board-certified pediatric dentist” | Nguyen: Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center Ziarko: Montefiore Medical Center | Nitrous oxide; general anesthesia (site) | Children, adolescents, special needs patients | Not published | Sept 23, 2026 |
| Hillsborough Pediatric Dentistry Based in Hillsborough | Dr. Amie Shah — Dentist license Active · Pediatric-Pedodontic Spec Prmt 06634 Active Dr. Chirag Patel — Dentist license Active · Specialty permit Active (legacy type, discipline as published by the practice) Dr. Amy Planz — Dentist license Active · specialty permit under their name at another New Jersey address | Planz: “Diplomat of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry” Shah: “board certified” Patel: “board certified pediatric dentist” | Shah: Maimonides Medical Center Patel: St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, Paterson | Nitrous oxide (site) | Children, teens, and special needs patients | Online booking | Sept 23, 2026 |
| Smile Works Pediatric Dentistry Based in Basking Ridge | Dr. Andrea Mann, DMD — Dentist license Active · Specialty permit Active (legacy type, discipline as published by the practice) | “Board Certified Pediatric Dentist” | Not published | Nitrous oxide; IV sedation; general anesthesia (site) | Infants, children, adolescents, and those with special needs | Appointment request | Sept 23, 2026 |
| Somerset Smile Studio Based in Somerset | Dr. Christina Belgrave — Dentist license Active · Pediatric-Pedodontic Spec Prmt 07021 Active | “Board Certified Pediatric Dentist” | Belgrave: Rutgers University/University Hospital | Not published | Not published | Online booking | Sept 23, 2026 |
| The Children’s Dental Center Based in Somerville | Julianne Kane, D.M.D. — Dentist license Active · Specialty permit Active (legacy type, discipline as published by the practice) | Not published | Brooklyn’s Lutheran Medical Center | Not published | infants, children, adolescents and special needs patients | Appointment request | Sept 23, 2026 |
A Note on Reading the Table
Board certification and residency are printed as each practice states them on its own website. We have not checked them against a certifying board’s own list.
The Practices
Branchburg Pediatric Dentistry, Branchburg
3322 U.S. 22, Suite 201, Building #2, Branchburg, NJ 08876
Named on the practice’s own site, with the register record as of Sept 23, 2026: Dr. Devi — Dentist license Active · Specialty permit Active (legacy type, discipline as published by the practice); Dr. Lapena — Dentist license Active · specialty permit under their name at another New Jersey address.
Nearby options
Basking Ridge Pediatric Dentistry, Basking Ridge
25 Mountainview Blvd, Ste 201, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
Named on the practice’s own site, with the register record as of Sept 23, 2026: Dr. Tina Nguyen, DDS — Dentist license Active · Pediatric-Pedodontic Spec Prmt 07465 Active; Dr. Alexandra Ziarko, DDS — Dentist license Active · Pediatric-Pedodontic Spec Br Prmt 07520-01 Active.
Hillsborough Pediatric Dentistry, Hillsborough
390 Amwell Road Building #2 Suite 201, Hillsborough, NJ 08844
Named on the practice’s own site, with the register record as of Sept 23, 2026: Dr. Amie Shah — Dentist license Active · Pediatric-Pedodontic Spec Prmt 06634 Active; Dr. Chirag Patel — Dentist license Active · Specialty permit Active (legacy type, discipline as published by the practice); Dr. Amy Planz — Dentist license Active · specialty permit under their name at another New Jersey address.
The practice’s site also lists an orthodontist, Michael Goldkind, at the same address.
Smile Works Pediatric Dentistry, Basking Ridge
150 N. Finley Avenue Suite 101, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
Named on the practice’s own site, with the register record as of Sept 23, 2026: Dr. Andrea Mann, DMD — Dentist license Active · Specialty permit Active (legacy type, discipline as published by the practice).
Somerset Smile Studio, Somerset
812 Hamilton St Suite 1, Somerset, NJ 08873
Named on the practice’s own site, with the register record as of Sept 23, 2026: Dr. Christina Belgrave — Dentist license Active · Pediatric-Pedodontic Spec Prmt 07021 Active.
This is a general and pediatric office. Dr. Belgrave is the pediatric dentist at this office; the site also names a general and cosmetic dentist, Dr. Ekow Acquaah.
The Children’s Dental Center, Somerville
148 West End Avenue, Somerville, NJ 08876
Named on the practice’s own site, with the register record as of Sept 23, 2026: Julianne Kane, D.M.D. — Dentist license Active · Specialty permit Active (legacy type, discipline as published by the practice).
Common Questions
How do I check a license myself?
The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs publishes a licensee search under Dentistry. Search by the dentist’s last name. The record shows the license number, the status and the town on file.
Verified
Verified means we checked identity, licence and published details - not service quality or results.Every detail on this page was checked on September 23, 2026 against each practice’s own website and the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs licensee register.
Additional Resources
The same guide for other markets
- Pediatric Dentists in Basking Ridge and Bernardsville, NJ
- Pediatric Dentists near Belle Mead, Skillman and Montgomery Township, NJ
- Pediatric Dentists in Chatham and Madison, NJ
- Pediatric Dentists near Clinton, Flemington and Annandale, NJ
- Pediatric Dentists in Denville and Mountain Lakes, NJ
- Pediatric Dentists in Franklin Township, Manville and North Plainfield, NJ
- Pediatric Dentists in Long Branch and Red Bank, NJ
- Pediatric Dentists near Mendham and Chester, NJ
- Pediatric Dentists in Montville and Kinnelon, NJ
- Pediatric Dentists in Morristown, Morris Township and Morris Plains, NJ
- Pediatric Dentists near Parsippany, NJ
- Pediatric Dentists in Randolph, NJ
- Pediatric Dentists in Somerville and Hillsborough, NJ
- Pediatric Dentists near Warren, Watchung and Green Brook, NJ
NJ Division of Consumer Affairs license verification
Something out of date?
If anything here is wrong or has changed — a credential, who is at the practice, insurance participation, or whether they are taking new patients — tell us and we will check it. Corrections are free, for every practice on this page. A practice that is not listed here and meets the criteria described at the top of this guide can write to the same address.
admin@gardenstatecircle.com
This is not a ranking.
Part of Bridgewater Guides