Dr. Michelle Stafford founded World of Smiles, Pediatric Dentistry in August 2008. After graduating University of the Pacific: Arthur Dugoni School of Dentistry, Dr. Stafford chose the pediatric dental specialty because she believes that every child deserves to have a positive experience going to the dentist.
She completed an additional two years of training after dental school in an accredited pediatric residency program to become a pediatric dental specialist. Throughout this two year program she cared for children of all ages and especially children with special needs such as: autism, cerebral palsy and cleft lip/palate. This hospital-based residency provided a safe environment to treat the dental needs of children under general anesthesia, conscious sedation and/or nitrous oxide.
Dr. Stafford enjoys hiking, crafty projects like sewing and scrap-booking and exploring the Portland area with her two boys. Some of her other hobbies include photography, traveling and learning about different cultures. She has incorporated her love of travel into World of Smiles. The kids' office interior serves as a gallery for artwork and photography from around the world.
Dr. Michelle Yang was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, but she thinks of Portland as her home. She has been here since she was fourteen. She received her Bachelor of Science from Oregon State University and received her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from Oregon Health Science University in 2012. She also successfully completed a year General Practice Residency at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York.
Dr. Yang fell in love seeing kids while practicing as a general practitioner in Denver, Colorado and was inspired to pursue an additional two years of training in an accredited pediatric residency program to become a pediatric dental specialist.
Spending her early childhood in France and later moving to Oregon at the age of 6, Dr. Henriot grew up in West Linn, Oregon and went on to Oregon State University. This is where she discovered her passion for science and medicine. Dr. H has gained experience in all aspects of dentistry since graduating from the OHSU School of Dentistry in 2015. She enjoys building relationships with her patients, including children and their parents, and aims to improve your overall health through education and prevention. Dr. Henriot will ensure that her patients receive optimal dental care in a friendly and comfortable environment.
Meeting her husband in dental school, Dr. H is looking forward to raising a family in the Portland metro area. They recently added a new family member, Millie, the cutest mini cockapoo puppy. Together they enjoy exploring all of what the Pacific Northwest has to offer as well as traveling to other parts of the world to experience new cultures.
Dr. Kristen was raised in Elmhurst, NY. She received her Bachelors Degree from Stony Brook University and pursued her dental education at Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine. It was during rotations working with children that inspired her to continue her post-graduate education in pediatric dentistry. Dr. Kristens Specialty Pediatric Dental hospital training was completed at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, where she gained a wide range of experiences providing care for all children including those with special needs. Dr. Kristen believes in evaluating the childrens dental needs from a preventative and comprehensive perspective, ensuring that they receive quality care while still maintaining positive dental experiences.
Dr. Kristen recently moved from NY and is excited to explore the city of Portland with her fianc, Ben. In her free time, she enjoys reading, catching up on new television shows, and trying to learn how to cook.
Dr. Kobernik is a board-certified dentist anesthesiologist; he completed his residency through NYU in Brooklyn. He received his doctorate in medical dentistry from OHSU. Upon graduation from dental school, he accepted a position as an associate dentist in Pendleton, OR. While there, Dr. Kobernik joined St. Anthonys Hospital, where he focused on pediatric dentistry. Focusing on treating patients with special needs and developmental delay through the use of general anesthesia.
Dr. Koberniks interest in anesthesia took him to New York City where he was given the opportunity to be trained as a dentist anesthesiologist. Based out of NYU Langone Hospitals, Dr. Kobernik excelled at the practice of anesthesia and was named Chief Resident at NYUs Dental Anesthesia residency.
Dr. Kobernik is an active member of the Oregon Dental Association, the Oregon Academy of General Dentistry, the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, and he is a member of both the American Dental Society of Anesthesia and the American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists.
Reviews
Rating 4.1 out of 5 based on 205 reviews
Sort by
newest oldest highest lowestCami
2 years ago
Fantastic group of people working here! Thank you so much for helping my kids The hygienist Tiffany I believe was her name, was very gentle and patient with my kids. The dentist Dr. Stanford was very knowledgeable.
Julianna Smith-Daly
2 years ago
If you want to wait months for an appointment only for the extremely rude front desk staff to refuse to see your child then this is definitely the right dentist for you. They will not bill, they do not accept all insurance (they also don't communicate about any insurance or costs before your appointment, so you will find out AT the time of your child's appointment), and the front desk staff is highly unprofessional and problematic. If I could rate a ZERO I would. Absolute waste of time!
William Pleau
2 years ago
Dr. Stafford and her team have been nothing short of awesome! They have taken such great care of our kids! Now that she has expanded her practice to except teens and adults, i get to see her for my own dental care as well! Thanks so much, World of Smiles!! I wrote this review 3 years ago and I just wanted to let you know, I still feel the same... even more! Our kids are bigger now, so new issues arise as they continue to shed those baby teeth and sprout new ones. Dr. Stafford, Dr Yang, and the whole team at World of Smiles have been great! I mean, who likes to go to the dentist? We do!!
Katy Garlington
2 years ago
I can not recommend this clinic.
Melissa Iserson
2 years ago
I'm pretty disappointed in my second experience here with my toddler. We scheduled the 8am appointment so he wouldn't have to sit in the office for long given my kid is under 2. We proceeded to wait 35 minutes (20 in a tiny room) for a 3 minute appointment with the dentist. They didn't even give us a warning that they were running late. Extremely poor customer service. Also, in the waiting room a cupboard (with a ton of toys in it) fell on another child and none of the people working there even went to help the poor mother and child. Very disappointing for a place that is for kids.
Marie "Marie Moore" Gwydir-Moore
2 years ago
The doctor is the worst doctor I have ever witnessed. It took years for my kids to get over the experience with her. Completely inappropriate for children or anyone for that matter.
Rafael Y. DeLima
2 years ago
I've been going to this dentistry for about 4 years now and I just got a letter saying that they discharged my family claiming that they are refusing us service due to "not complying with covid"? We totally didn't get this. We always went to the clinic with masks. You CAN'T get into the building without a mask. They are straight forward saying you can't be served without a mask. So, when I got this letter at my mailbox, that was super shocking! I actually felt racially discriminated and confused. The last visit went well, we had an appointment scheduled in 6 months and suddenly they sent us this weird letter. I'm wondering if they misunderstood my family with another family? But the letter has my wife's first name and our family's last name. Other thing also, is that when you go to the office, you feel something a bit off regarding the way they treat you. It's not the same vibe. I don't know how to explain, maybe someone reading this comment feels the same way. But it seems like it's no longer the same dentistry that we used to go, years ago. Other very bad thing also is that they wanted to separate my 6 year old and my 8 year old saying they couldn't be together in the same room during treatment. They wanted to leave our 6 year old alone in a lobby while my other child was getting treatment. This is a breaking point. Because going to the dentist itself for many kids is no pleasant experience. These rules make everything A LOT WORSE. They said they would make an exception only this time, but hey .. guess what? they just sent me a letter, few weeks later, saying that my family is DISCHARGED! I felt like i was getting fired from a job or something. THIS IS RIDICULOUS! They used covid as an excuse to do whatever they felt like. That's the vibe that my wife got. Oregon is becoming a weird place to live in.
Kaelin
2 years ago
Was hard to work with this staff with getting my six year olds cavities filled. They were very impatient and any time she winced they acted like they couldn't to the service. They tried to re schedule so many times that it was just wasting my time eventually. Just all around made me uncomfortable how they went around everything. Finally found a new dentist near my house that has already taken care of ALL her cavities in the time I waited for a refund from this place.
Jen and Keith Johnson
2 years ago
It's been a long two years in the health profession, and after our visit to WOS in Feb 2022 we just have to appreciate that they are still so positive and caring and gave all 4 of our kids yet another wonderful experience. I'm sure the staff has been through a lot but you would never know by how they welcome and care for the kiddos. Hannah and Dr. Yang were amazing today! Our kids have enjoyed World of Smiles since our first visit, we've been patients there for about 7 years. Each and every provider has been wonderful.
Anna Sananixay
2 years ago
We have been coming to world of smiles for a few years now and they're all great here. Kaylee, DA, has the best chair side manners and makes dental visits for the kids a pleasant experience each time.
Colby Reade
2 years ago
Short version: Traumatized my 5-year-old for work that did not need to be done. Background: We were patients at World of Smiles for about three years before leaving the practice last week. Overall, our experience with the staff was pleasant. The front desk and techs were always cheerful and worked to engage my daughter. They have all the bells and whistles that modern pediatric dentistry is known for - TVs on the ceiling, prizes, etc. I truly believe their goal is to make dental visits a fun experience. Like many other commenters on here, we routinely experienced delays for our appointments that then felt rushed. We tolerated this because we assumed this was just the nature of a dental practice. Unfortunately, our last experience with World of Smiles and Dr. Stafford was unacceptable. At her checkup, we were told our 5-year-old had a cavity that needed filling. Our kiddo was fine through the nitrous oxide, the topical and injected numbing agents and the prep (drilling) for her filling. But then she had issues with the "mermaid tail." This is a hard plastic suction device that filled her mouth and cut into her gums (her lip has been swollen for a week since as a result). I know that all parents think their kids are special, but for context, my daughter is a tough cookie. Last summer, she fell and broke her leg in two places. During her recovery, she developed ulcers in her cast which were excruciating. Despite this, she did EXACTLY what the doctors and techs asked of her at every step of the way no matter how painful (even when the break was fresh and we were getting her xrays). She never once protested or struggled. This is why her response to Dr. Stafford's approach had me so alarmed. Anyone who has kids knows they have different "gears" of upset. Initially, my daughter was in the low-grade crying and whining due to discomfort but doing as she was asked. Then, when they brought in the mermaid tail, my daughter shifted into the "hysterical" gear (every parent reading this knows exactly the shift I am talking about). Dr. Stafford's response was to try to hold my daughter down more firmly to finish the filling. Think about that for a second. You are 5-years-old. You have a weird hose blowing strange air into your nose (nitrous), you have glasses on, there's a bright light in your face, you feel like you cant breathe, there is a piece of plastic gouging into your gums, two strange grown ups are hovering over you with loud instruments ... and when you say you need them to stop THEY JUST PUSH HARDER. They finally gave her a brief break when I intervened but did not give her any real chance to calm down (they wouldn't give her water or let her sit up) and immediately tried to dive in again. Of course, she immediately became hysterical again and then they gave up. Dr. Stafford stormed out without any real conversation or explanation. Her assistant put a poorly fitted temporary on the tooth which has already fallen out after only a few days. We were then told to "try again in a few months when my daughter has grown up a little." My 5-year-old who walked into her appointment EXCITED to see the dentist, spent the entire weekend insisting she would never go back to the dentist again. Perhaps most maddening of all - we took my daughter to another dentist who confirmed THE FILLING NEVER NEEDED TO BE DONE IN THE FIRST PLACE. The cavity was small enough it could have bene left alone and treated in other ways. It is a shame because their office is very convenient and, again, I believe they want to make visits to the dentist a fun experience. And I am sure many parents there have great experiences. Ours was traumatic and I cannot in good conscience recommend this practice to anyone.
Emily Klepper
2 years ago
Way over priced. Fancy facility is what you pay for. Staff is meh. And they charge you a huge fee to reschedule yet they last minute rescheduled us 30 minutes before our appointment. High price office low quality service. Better off elsewhere that would rather spend their money on good service not just a fancy waiting area. Better places out there.
Jose Vasquez
2 years ago
Today on Thursday 1/21/21, I just got "Karened" by Kyla the so called Patient Advocate and person in charge for the day of this World of Smiles office, which we have been going to for 6 to 7 years. We had an appointment set for 11:10am. At 7:50am the morning of i get 2 text msgs saying they want to move my kids appt to 9:30am and the other saying my appt is at 9:20am. Then they wake me up saying they need to move my appt to 930am or 1pm. I let then know that do to my work and kids school i couldnt. I asked why they are cancelling me and they said it was due to an emergency for another kid. I then said well if its an emergency, shouldnt they be taking the 9:30am slot. That is when i was told that 11:10am was the soonest the other patient could be there. I then said how unfare and dissapointed I was. I also questioned if they asked the other scheduled patients or flexibility and Kyla said yes but because they said no, we got the short end of the stick. She then asked me " so you want me to tell these other parents who have a screaming behind them that after they drive from how far they are coming from that they have to wait another 30min to get help for there kid?" I said that is not what im saying. I just want to make sure that we are being treated fairly as there are other patients scheduled and more then one dental assistant working. I then asked for Dr. Stafford, the owner, and was told she only worked Wednesdays. I then asked if Kyla spoke to the 2nd in charge, which Kyla said was Chris, and Kyla said she had spoke to a hire up and that is why she is canceling our canceling our appt. Then I stated "what i think is fair is if you call the 10:40am or 11:40am appts and see if they have flexibility. Kyla then said she didnt have a 10:40am. I then said, "you dont or you dont want to call and ask to bump them to a different time?" That is when Kyla got silent. I then asked, "Hello? Are you there? Is that a yes or no? Oh, your not going to talk to me anymore?" Kyla then without a word hung up on me! I then immediately called back and asked for Dr. Stafford voicemail. That is when the front office clerk said "they are aware of the situation and that because Kyla said i swore profanity at her and was rude that my family would have to find another dental office!" For the record, my hand on a bible, I never swore once or even yelled. I just simply explained my disappointment and questioned Kyla's process of deciding to cancel our appt. YOU SEE IT ON THE NEWS, BUT NEVER DID I THINK WE THE WORLD OF SMILES HAS A KAREN WORKING FOR THEM!!
Sarah **
2 years ago
We loved World of Smiles on the east side and wanted to love it when we moved to the west side two years ago. Turns out it's different ownership and it shows. I brought my kids a total of 4-5 times, and all were disappointing but not horrifying for a place we only have to go twice a year for check ups, until this last time. Our hygienists were great but Dr. Stafford and some of the office staff were not. Our last visit a couple months ago was terrible enough to walk out and to leave my very first negative review here. As a healthcare clinician, I am disappointed in the way the patients were treated, and now I know many friends have encountered similar experiences. I recommend more training in trauma-informed care. What broke it for me was wanting to separate my 4 and 6 year olds bringing my 6 year old into the "teen room" and close the door. My 4 year old has anxiety in medical settings from a complicated medical history and it helps him to watch his sister go first, which had never been a problem previously. Further, my 6 year old also did not want to go off into a closed room by herself. I was told I could never book them back-to-back in the same chair, even though we had every time previously. Another day I called and was reiterated the same thing over the phone as a policy.
Julie Nicklas
2 years ago
We have had 2 poor experiences here and we've decided to transfer care. The office staff and clinic staff are very nice. But Dr. Stafford was incredibly rude, condescending, and judgmental in every interaction I had with her. Her tone of voice, the way she talked to me, and nonverbal communication was very unprofessional, not polite, and rude. If you do go here, I would recommend asking for a different doctor than her. *** I am editing this review to say that we have them another chance and it was awful. The staff is very rude and not caring towards me or my daughter. I will never be back.
Mariela Sosa
2 years ago
This team is no recommended the main doctors are ok but the rest of the team is horrible they think that they are that only one on earth they don't even use nice words bad service mean people
Liz Davidson
2 years ago
Excellent back office. Front office is evasive, vague and rude. Too many billing mix ups.
Miguel Espinoza
2 years ago
Today 7-19-21 was a really bad experience My daughter and I showed up for her check up With out a mask she rudely ask me for our mask I say I'm sorry can I have one please and she say we don't have alot and we try not just give it away can you go to your car and look for you guys mask I say ok but can my daugther used the restroom first and again she answer rudely and say sorry but I can't have you guys here so we went to the car to look for masks and my daugther pee on the parking lot cuz she can't hold it anymore I feel so descrimineret today I can't believe they can offer an extra mask I own a super small business and I have extra mask for any body who ask for one
Yesenia Segovia
2 years ago
This place was amazing, my child has been anxious about the dentists for a few years now after bad experiences from other places. I was completely taken aback at the inviting environment and welcoming people. My daughter had an amazing experience and was relaxed during this visit. Jill was especially spectacular! Very patient, nice, and welcoming. Words cannot express how genuinely happy I am after this visit. Thank you to all the staff, Jill, and Dr. Yang! We will see you soon!
Lisa von Wasmuth
2 years ago
We've been going to World of Smiles for 10 years. They are very helpful and accommodating for our autistic twin daughters. We have done both traditional and sedated dental procedures with great success. Highly recommend.
Load more