World of Smiles, Pediatric Dentistry

Our Mission:

To provide the highest level of dental treatment to children, while emphasizing preventative care through oral hygiene and diet counseling and also to entertain and inspire them through the practice's unique travel theme and change their perception of a dental visit.

Michelle D. Stafford, D.D.S. is an accredited pediatric dentist. This means that she completed an additional two years of training after dental school in an accredited pediatric residency program to become a pediatric dental specialist. She chose this specialty because she believes that every child deserves to have a positive experience going to the dentist.

Dr. Stafford attended University of the Pacific in Stockton, California for her undergraduate studies. In 2001, she graduated from the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry with her doctorate in dental surgery. After practicing in the San Francisco Bay Area for five years, she moved to Michigan to attend the Children's Hospital of Michigan Pediatric Dental Residency Program.

In July 2008, Dr. Stafford fulfilled her dream of opening her own pediatric dental practice in Portland, Oregon, where she can help children establish healthy habits that will last a lifetime.

Our highly trained team strives to make each child's dental experience a positive one. We aim to turn a routine visit to the dentist into a fun trip to a new place by making every child feel special and welcome.

Televisions built into the ceiling above every dental chair provide children with a positive distraction. By keeping the patient distracted with the television it allows the dentist and team to communicate with the parents while thoroughly examining and cleaning the child's teeth. During treatment procedures, the child has the television to listen to and focus on which makes the appointments seem shorter and much more enjoyable for the child.

From the moment you enter World of Smiles and complete all forms on a computer, you will recognize you are in a high-tech environment. Everything from digital radiographs to paperless charting is incorporated into this modern practice.

All x-rays are taken with state-of-the-art computer technology, which uses significantly less radiation than traditional x-rays. For many of our patients, an extra-oral panoramic radiograph captures everything we need to see and eliminates gagging or struggling to keep the film in place.

We run a highly sophisticated dental software program that allows us to create individualized treatment plans for our patients. We can easily display your child's radiographs, pictures and dental needs on the computer screen to better communicate with you and answer any questions you may have. Once we determine a plan for your child's oral health care, we will print you an easy-to-understand take-home statements.

* Pediatric Dentistry
* Family Dentistry