By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM— Residents traveling on U.S. 31 might have noticed a colorful new addition to Shelby Pediatric Dentistry after the office built a playground on its property on June 3.

The playground, which features the iconic colors of Shelby Pediatric Dentistry, was created to make coming to the dentist feel more fun for patients, according to Dr. Richard Baxter.

“As soon as we put it up, we had customers over there,” Baxter said in a June 9 interview. “We’ve had people go out there everyday. It works really well. We’re excited about it.”

When they first started construction on the site, located at 2490 Pelham Parkway, Baxter said there was a small playground. It was broken down and it bad shape, so they were forced to remove it.

He said he felt bad about taking it down and has always thought they should have a playground on the location. Once they decided to pursue building one, Baxter said it took a couple months to get everything right.

Now the area features a blue, green and orange structure designed for children ages 2 to 12. A fence around the playground will be built in the next few days, according to Baxter.

“We want to have kids excited to come to the dentist,” Baxter said. “(With the playground, they) see how much fun we could have at the dentist, because we have fun inside too.”

It’s normal for the staff at Shelby Pediatric Dentistry to make visits fun for patients. They already have a station of tablets for kids to play on while they wait for their appointment or their siblings.

Baxter said he also wanted to give kids the opportunity to get outside, rather than starring at a screen. All guests who utilize the playground will be given pagers so they can be notified when a patient or appointment is ready.

“We had a lot of positive responses on Facebook about it,” Baxter said. “Parents saying how much they love our office. We try to go as above and beyond as possible.”

Shelby Pediatric Dentistry specializes in the dental health needs of children from infants to teenagers.

For more information, call 419-7444 or visit ShelbyPediatric.com.