Pediatric dental service opens in downtown Goldsboro
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on January 25, 2017 10:13 AM
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News-Argus/ROCHELLE MOORE
Dr. Timothy Imafidon Jr., pediatric dentist, and Dr. Erin Smith, orthodontist, stand near a mural of downtown's streetscape inside their recently opened Goldsboro Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics practice on South Center Street.
Downtown Goldsboro now has a pediatric dentist serving the community from a new location on South Center Street.
Goldsboro Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, at 300 S. Center St., recently opened in the former Carolina Power and Light building, after completing a renovation of nearly half of the 11,000-square-foot building.
Owners Dr. Timothy Imafidon Jr., a pediatric dentist, and Dr. Erin Smith, orthodontist, decided on Goldsboro for their first joint practice after working in the Richmond, Va., area for several years.
"We researched and found that downtown was having a revitalization, and so we wanted to be a part of that," Smith said.
"A lot of the doctors are concentrated in one area, so we wanted to bring health care, specifically, to an area of town that has less."
About 5,500-square-feet of the building has been converted to include a treatment bay, which includes four chairs for routine cleanings, six private rooms, an X-ray area and consultation room. A game room, with tablets and gaming systems, is also available near the waiting room in the lobby.
As the practice increases its number of clients, plans include expanding into the rest of the building, with pediatric care on one side of the building and orthodontic care offered on the other side, Smith said.
Goldsboro Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics provides service to children and adults. Imafidon offers pediatric dental care primarily to children up to age 18 and older patients with special needs. Smith offers orthodontic care to adults and children.
The dental practice uses some of the latest technology, including digital records and X-rays, the use of a wand to scan teeth and teeth molds.
Having a pediatric dentist is important to parents interested in specialized care, including training in working with special-need patients, Smith said.
"Because they exclusively limit their patients to a certain age range, they are, kind of, the experts for dental health for those ages," Smith said. "The pediatric dentist has special training in sedation dentistry and behavior management that allows the likelihood of more work to be done than those that don't have that training."
The practice is open Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be reached at 947-0800.
Imafidon received a doctor of dental surgery degree from the Howard University College of Dentistry, in 2009, and completed a two-year residency at Jacobi Medical Center, in 2011. He is board certified with the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.
Smith received a doctor of dental surgery from the Howard University College of Dentistry, in 2009, and completed a two-year residency at the Jacksonville University School of Orthodontics, in 2011.
The two have had a goal for years to open their own practice. Part of the reason for relocating from Virginia to Goldsboro is an interest to return to North Carolina, their home state.
"We've lived in the big cities, but we're from the small towns," Imafidon said. "I've always liked the small town, so Goldsboro's a perfect fit, plus it's close to Raleigh where my parents currently reside."
Julie Metz, Goldsboro downtown development director, said the addition of the dental practice is a plus and an indicator of continued growth for the downtown area.
"Co-owners Dr. Erin Smith and Dr. Tim Imafidon selected downtown Goldsboro to open the only pediatric dentistry of its kind in our area -- that is extremely exciting," Metz said.
"Not to mention, they significantly reinvested in a building that has not been productive in over a decade and are providing above average Wayne County wages and creating roughly 20 new jobs."