Braces and beyond: How dental care gave one student the confidence to dream big

When Emma Pickup moved to Texas from a small village in the United Kingdom, she was a shy 12-year-old who struggled to make friends. The pronounced gap in her front teeth made her self-conscious and unwilling to talk in public. A visit to the dentist became a turning point in her life.

“My braces changed my world. I felt confident and happier. I smiled more often,” says Emma. “That experience made a huge impact on my life, and I knew I would love to be able to provide that same sense of confidence and joy to others that a dentist once gave me.”

After graduating summa cum laude from Texas A&M University, Emma chose to pursue her dream of becoming a dentist at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry and expects to complete her degree in May 2025. Her fascination with dentistry continues to deepen through the coursework.

“Dentistry is an art. It requires precision, creativity, and patience to recreate or restore,” says Emma. “I appreciate that dentistry is also a practice. As dentists, we never stop learning and perfecting our skills.”

One of her favorite aspects of dentistry is the opportunity to get to know her patients as a dentist once got to know her when she needed care.

“We form a bond with patients,” she says. “We’re not only finding a way to help them, but we get to know their life stories and where they came from. And they get to know me a little too, and those relationships help the treatment go more smoothly because a trusting relationship is the key to successful dentistry.”

After graduation, she plans to practice in a rural, underserved community in East Texas.

“I fell in love with dentistry after seeing how much the United States prioritized oral health compared to where I grew up. I want to go back and help rural areas that don’t have many dentists,” she says.

Growing up with a single parent, Emma says finances were a struggle, and she watched her mother—Emma’s biggest inspiration—work hard every day to provide her and her sister with important opportunities.

Her family always had to take out loans to pay for education, and Emma is now putting herself through dental school. The scholarship she received—the Iola B. and James R. Ballinger, DDS, Scholarship in General Dentistry—is having a profound impact on her life.

“When I found out I was getting the scholarship, I was over-the-moon excited,” she says. “This support reduces my burden by allowing me to take out fewer loans. I strive to excel as a dentist so that I can pay it forward when I am able.”