The dreaded message: “You are due for your annual teeth cleaning.”

But Dr. Tiana Hakimi is working to eliminate that dread by establishing positive memories at her Roslyn Heights dentist’s office for children to take into their adulthood.

North Shore Smiles Pediatric Dentistry is located on the second floor at 25 Red Ground Road in Roslyn Heights. It is owned by board-certified pediatric dentist Hakimi who, after 15 years working in the field, opened her own practice in March.

Hakimi is a graduate of the New York University College of Dentistry who began her career practicing general dentistry.

But in 2013, Hakimi shifted her career aspirations slightly when she discovered a calling for pediatric dentistry.

Hakimi said the goal of her dentistry practice is to be patient-centric and provide a pleasant dental experience for children to prevent fears and misconceptions of the dentist’s office later in adulthood.

Hakimi said that many of the fears of the dentist in adulthood are formed during an individual’s childhood, and she said this is avoidable by treating a child with compassion.

“A lot of those phobias and fears start in childhood,” Hakimi said. “So in order to prevent those fears, or the misconception that the dentist is scary or painful if you shape these experiences in a positive light for someone who is young and a child, those fears do not come to reality and get extinguished.”

She said every child is different and therefore requires different approaches to their dental care.

At Hakimi’s office, this starts with speaking with the parent for the dentist to understand any needs or concerns of the child before treating them. She said this is important as getting to know the patient as a child can be beneficial in making them more comfortable.

Taking this information, the dentist can then cater their care to the child to prevent any traumatic incidents.

She said children also have the ability to make decisions during their treatment, from choosing the flavor of their toothpaste and fluoride to the show they watch while they are being treated.

“The child does get a lot of say in the appointment so they don’t feel out of control and they feel like they are participating,” Hakimi said.

She said they also cater their verbiage to the child, using phrases like “putting their tooth to sleep” to make them feel more comfortable with the care they are receiving.

“There’s a way to say things to a child to make the child feel comfortable that is not a buzzword or trigger word to make them feel fearful,” Hakimi said.

And if there is something they don’t want to do, Hakimi said that’s okay in their office.

She said if a patient is fearful of a certain aspect of treatment, they do not have to participate. Instead, the dentist works to build a relationship with their patient so the child feels more comfortable and may engage in the treatment in the future.

“Every child is different,” Hakimi said. “Every child needs to be treated with compassion.”

She said that a lot of medical and dental practices have become very large and corporate, and in doing so lose touch with their community. Hakimi said opening her own practice is combatting this issue.

“I like to spend time with my patients,” Hakimi said. “It’s very individualized and it’s very personal and it’s like a family here.”

Hakimi grew up in Manhattan, but a 2015 move to Port Washington brought her to Long Island’s North Shore.

Both of Hakimi’s parents own their own healthcare practices, so she said she was called to pursue the same thing as it was a lifelong goal of hers.

She opened North Shore Smiles Pediatric Dentistry in Roslyn Heights in order to have a location close to her family and in the community she is raising her kids in.

She said that while opening her own practice has been stressful, it is also deeply rewarding.

In doing so, she is aiming to set an example to her children in pursuing their dreams and striving for their passions, as well as women alike to show that they can do anything.

“You sometimes just have to make believe,” Hakimi said. “It was a scary jump to make but I had a lot of support from my husband, from my parents, from my community and friends and family that all believed in me and said ‘You can do it.’ And I did and I’m very happy I did.”