Meet A Mom: Dr. Amber Pedlar

Happy Meet A Mom, y’all! Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Amber Pedlar. She’s a Katy mama of three (two of them being twins!) and dentist/owner of Pedlar Family & Cosmetic Dentistry!
Dr. Pedlar, along with her partner Dr. Garcia, provide comprehensive family and cosmetic dentistry. That means whether you have a family member that’s six months old, or 98 years old, they’re experienced in providing and discussing the broad range of dental treatment options your family has. They pride themselves on making you feel at home at their office and have a personalized approach to how they take care of their patients. They want to be your one-stop dental home, which means from pediatrics, to cosmetic, to restorative care, they’re here for you.
We interviewed this brilliant mama dentist and chatted about mom life, her favorite things about being a mom and business owner in Katy, and how she balances a thriving career and her family!

Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in Katy?

I am originally from San Antonio. I moved to Houston for dental school where I met my husband, who is from Katy. When we found out we were pregnant with twins 5 years ago, we decided to move to Katy to raise them and be close to family.

You’ve got 3 kiddos, 2 of them twins! What are their names and how old are they?

We have Ethan and Elizabeth who are 5. Everett is 2. It’s a great age gap.

Greatest gift about having a big family and is 3 kids that much harder than 2?

I love that they all have each other. I’m one of 7 kids and I love that through the good times and the bad, I always have someone to share it with. I never walk through a challenge alone. So I love that my children have the opportunity to have best friends in each other and will always have one another to go through life with.

I think 3 was a lot harder for me than 2 because my first 2 were on the same page with everything. Same schedule, same milestones, all of that stuff. Throwing an infant in the mix with 2 toddlers was rough! Trying to figure out a schedule that worked for everyone was difficult. Now that Everett is 2 and getting more and more independent, life is so much easier!

One thing people would be surprised to know about you…

I didn’t graduate from college. I actually got accepted to dental school before finishing my requirements for graduation so I have my Doctorate but no Bachelor’s Degree. But I usually lie and say I graduated from UTSA because that’s an easier story to tell.

Favorite local things to do in Katy?

We love to go to Mary Jo Peckham park on the weekends early in the morning when the weather is nice. The kids love the playgrounds out there. Sometimes we’ll take some food for the ducks.

What’s your favorite thing about raising a family in Katy?

I love that the city is so clean! As much as Katy is growing, it still has a small-town feel. I like the fact that you run into people you know all the time.

Do you have a favorite family friendly restaurant in the area?

We like Lupe Tortilla and Jimmy Changas. They have food the kids will actually eat and they can play while we wait for our food! And mom and dad can enjoy a cocktail!

What is your go-to activity for yourself for pampering or for fun?

A good pedicure or a massage! I like the quietness of it!

Funniest shortcut/routine for helping you through parenthood?

I time the twins and make everything a race. Like “let’s see who can clean their room the fastest!” Or I pay them (in pennies) to do chores around the house. For whatever reason, they really like to get a wet cloth and wipe down the baseboards. That’s definitely worth 5 pennies to me!

Best mom hack that makes life easier?

I’ll spend a few hours on a Saturday shopping and prepping for meals for a few months. There are so many great slow-cooker meals that can be prepped and frozen. So I’ll get my recipes together, make a shopping list, and spend some time prepping and freezing meals. Then I just have to pull a meal out of the freezer the day before I want to cook it and throw it in the crockpot before I leave for work.

When did you first know you wanted to be a dentist and why this path in the healthcare industry?

I had a trampoline accident when I was a kid and knocked a tooth out. Over the years, I had to have several surgeries due to that tooth. Along the way, I met dentists who weren’t very nice and some that went above and beyond to ease my fears. I decided the world needed more dentists who cared about their patients and actually listened. So I try to be that. We have a lot of patients who came in fearful or untrusting. And we have been able to build a relationship and make seeing the dentist a positive experience.

Tell us about your practice at Pedlar Dental and what makes you unique in your space!

Between my husband and myself, we try to keep our patients in one place. There will always be a situation where patients will need to be referred to a specialist, but we’ve both taken hundreds of hours of continuing education courses to be able to provide as many services as we can in one building. We also have a surgeon in our office who places implants, removes wisdom teeth, and offers IV sedation. We designed our office to feel homey and make our patients comfortable. We understand that once you’re comfortable with a doctor, staff, and environment, it can be frustrating to be sent elsewhere. So we try to avoid that when we can!

How has the Katy community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now?

The Katy community has been great! My husband grew up here, so we’ve had the support of so many friends and family throughout the process of opening and running our office. I’ve leaned pretty hard on some of our Katy friends to help out with our kids when we were opening our office. It couldn’t have been done without a lot of help from the people in our community.

Best advice for working moms who experience the inevitable and dreaded MOM GUILT?

Your little people see everything! They see that you are working hard to give them a comfortable life. They see you doing the best that you can. They may not realize it now, but as they get older they will see what you did for them.

Who has most influenced you to be the mom you are today?

My grandmother. She raised six of her own kids and was a large part of raising most of her grandchildren. She always had the most amazing stories from her childhood. She was and is the glue that brings all of our family together.

When parenting gets hard, what’s something you tell yourself that gets you through?

It’s just a phase! Every hard stage is just a phase in life. The next phase will be harder in some ways and easier in other ways. And one day you’ll look back longingly on this phase and wonder why you thought it was so hard!

Name one thing you hope your kids look back and remember about their childhood and you as their mama?

I hope they remember how much we laugh together! And I hope they remember that I was always there. Every chance I get, I’m there. Always in their faces, but I’m there.

What would you tell the old “You” before you had kids?

Sleep as much as you can!!! You won’t get uninterrupted sleep again for a looooonnnnnggggg time!