Children’s Dental Center of NH

We had two visits here over a one year period. The office is fun for kids and the hygenists do a great job with making kids feel comfortable. Our experience here has made my daughter (5) comfortable with visiting the dentist so we are moving on to a less expensive office. Even after insurance, which covers cleaning and x-​rays in full, I was left with a $ 120 bill to cover the out of network difference.

We have been bringing our 4 children to this office for nearly 18 years now and LOVE the team! We appreciate how they make the experience for our kids relaxing, fun, and informative! Everyone from the administrative support, to the highly qualified hygienists, to the dedicated pediatric dentists are a pleasure in which to work! This team of dedicated pediatric oral health professionals go above and beyond and provide the most compassionate care! Life with a larger family can get kinda crazy at times and we are so appreciative of their understanding and flexibility. Our second born child experiences a profound developmental disability and everyone in the office especially the doctors have worked with us through her sensory/​developmental challenges to support her in the most positive way. Honestly they are the best and even came in on a weekend to assess/​treat our daughter when she had an emergency. We are so grateful for the folks at this office and while the kids are getting older and at some point they will transition if you choose this practice for your family you can be assured your children will receive the best care from a team of highly dedicated professionals. The Bertrand Family (Mont Vernon, NH)

The hygenists were fantastic during each visit. My initial encounter with Dr. Jim McAveeney was okay when he advised that two teeth needed to be extracted within three weeks.
The office staff must not have read the timeframe right since the first available slot open was nearly five weeks later.
I brought my daughter in for the extractions without much concern. As Dr. Jim entered the room, my daughter’s anxiety rose. He seemed emotionally removed from the situation as she began to squirm. After a brief wait, he left the room and told the hygenist to rebook the appointment with nitrous oxide.
My wife brought my daughter in for the second attempt at the extraction. Again as Dr. Jim entered the room, my daughter’s anxiety rose. As she began to squirm and cry loudly, Dr. Jim and the hygenist backed away offering no guidance to my wife, leaving her alone to calm my daughter down. When my wife asked for help, Dr. Jim’s comments to her were condescending and rude to put it mildly, implying in short that our child was an uncooperative child who was completely uncontrollable. Once the nitrous oxide was administered, the condescending comments from Dr. Jim continued, but this time towards my daughter noting, «see what happens when you cooperate?»
Our daughter has bravely faced numerous medical procedures that were much more invasive than a tooth extraction. In each case, the medical staff was equally supportive of the patient as they were the parent.
I frankly expected a much more from a ‘pediatric specialty’ provider. The way that Dr. Jim handled this anxiety ridden situation is unacceptable to me. His uninvolved physical presence and emotionally detached demeanor only compounded the issue.
I do not intend to return to Children’s Dental Center of New Hampshire and will be certain to tell my story to others.

I have taken my kids here for 8 years and have had nothing but wonderful experiences! This includes my 5 year old having a cavity filled. I assumed there was no way she was going to handle this without laughing gas or freaking out, but the way each step of the procedure was explained to her was amazing! I am not exaggerating when I say they made it almost a fun time for her. Hey guys… if it were more scary she would be more motivated to brush her teeth. LOL! Anyway, the giant salt water fish tank keeping with a «Finding Nemo» theme, iPads, and other kid friendly games, as well as an accommodating and friendly staff makes going to the dentist a comfortable experience for my kids. Highly recommend!!!

by far the worst experience I have had as a parent and the most uncomfortable I have been with another person touching my child.
I’m not sure if it was an off day for Dr Andrew or not, but we’ll never bring our kids back there again.
no introduction to the procedure, explanation of the tools and utensils. just put the 4 year old in the chair, shove the clamps in and get to work. she was so scared. i would have thought a child-​friendly introduction or something… if he hadn’t gotten to the point of no return, I would have grabbed my kid and ran. instead I had to hold her down as he yelled at her to stay still so he could finish.
it was like a clockwork orange.
I’ve never ever seen my kid so upset.
I am surprised the he, as a professional, didn’t just cancel the appointment.
No child should ever experience what we did there.
edit:
after speaking with co-​workers, I learned two other parents had similar experiences (no child –friendly manners, felt rushed and verbally insulted)
Not sure how this guy is so «renowned», but that says a lot about the pediatric dental community in New Hampshire.

We switched to Dr. Andrew after a bad experience with another dentist. It was like night and day. Dr. Andrew extracted my 6 year old daughter’s tooth without a wimper from her. He took the time to carefully explain everything he was about to do (using comforting words) and she was so comfortable, she didn’t even realize when it was over! Highly recommended.

My Daughter (3 years, 5 months old) has been going to this dentist for the past year. Initially the experience was good, until today. My wife who is an RN brought my daughter in for her 6 month checkup. Her appt was scheduled for 8am and was told by the receptionist when she arrived at 7:55 that Dr. Mcaveeney was not there yet. He finally arrived at 8:20am. When my wife and daughter were brought into the exam room, my daughter (again 3+years old!) was feeling a bit «scared» about the visit. Dr. Mcaveeney wanted my wife to hold her down while he checked her teeth since she was not cooperating. My wife refused and asked the Dr. what he normally does in this situation. He told her (with what my wife described as a very condescending attitude) «You’ll just have to reschedule» and acted very frustrated. It was clear that since he was late and had other patients waiting that he wanted them to just leave so he wouldn’t be behind for the rest of the day. Why he didn’t take the time to put my daughter at ease is beyond me. Their website
… states «Amherst Pediatric Dental Associates particularly excels at making children feel comfortable.» NOT! Their website also says their pediatric dentists complete an additional two years of training focused on education in child psychology, behavior management etc… I think Dr. Mcaveeney needs to do a little refresher training and also learn how to better manage his time. If you make appointments at 8am with patients, don’t arrive at the office at 8:20am and proceed to make a 3 year old cry and rush her out because she is scared.
Dr. Chiefetz should consider a new associate or practice.

Bad experiences at our previous pediatric dentist had left my son terrified of having dental work done. I was told that we would have to take him to a hospital in Boston, so he could be put under general anesthesia just to have some fillings. Instead, I took him to Amherst Pediatric Dental Associates. First of all, the office is roomy and calm, not overstimulating. They have a giant fish tank with all of the fish from Nemo — my kids love it. Dr. Andrew is great with little kids, he’s gentle and funny but firm when he needs to be. He explained everything he was going to do, and took it slow until my son was calm. He was happy to try nitrous oxide for him and it worked well. We have been there three times, and each time my son was able to lie quietly and let Dr. Andrew do his work. He is now cavity free! The assistants and front desk people are all really nice, too.