A kids-only practice on the Boise Bench
Dr. Aiko Tanaka opened Little Molars because she wanted to build the practice she wished she had as a nervous kid: bright, unhurried and honest with parents.
Fourteen years of first visits
Little Molars opened in a small suite on Vista Avenue in 2011 with one dentist, two chairs and a borrowed prize wall. Dr. Tanaka had just finished her pediatric residency at Seattle Children's and wanted to build something different: a practice that treated only children, so nothing about the room, the tools or the language had to be adapted from adult dentistry.
Word travelled the way it does in Boise, through preschool parking lots and soccer sidelines. By 2016 we had added Dr. Whitfield and her early orthodontics program. In 2019 we opened the Meridian office next to Kleiner Park because so many families were driving in from Paramount and Bridgetower. Dr. Marquez joined in 2021 and brought bilingual care that Canyon County families had been asking for.
What has not changed is the pace. We still book longer appointments than the schedule technically allows, we still let a scared four year old sit on a parent's lap for as long as it takes, and we still answer the phone ourselves.
Meet the whole team
How we work
Nothing happens by surprise
Tell, show, then do. Every tool is named, demonstrated on a finger and only then used. Kids who know what is coming rarely panic.
Parents stay in the room
You know your child better than we do. You are welcome beside the chair for every visit, at every age.
We do not oversell
If a soft spot can be watched instead of filled, we watch it. You will hear the word no from us more than you expect.
Every kid fits here
Autistic, medically complex, terrified or just three years old. We adapt the visit instead of asking the child to adapt.
Plain words, no jargon
You get a written plan in normal English, with costs, before anything is scheduled.
We live here too
Our team coaches, teaches and shops on the Bench and in Meridian. These are our neighbors' kids.
Little Molars by the numbers
- 2,140+
Kids seen each year across both offices
- 14 yrs
Caring for Treasure Valley families since 2011
- 1,900+
Members of the No-Cavity Club
- 4.9
Average rating from 1,126 parent reviews
Three dentists, one plan per child
Our doctors see patients at both offices and meet every Tuesday morning to review complex cases together.
Fun factHas a pet tortoise named Flossy who is older than most of her patients.
Dr. Aiko Tanaka, DDS, MS
Founder, board-certified pediatric dentist
Fun factCan name every Pokemon from the first generation, which comes up more than you would think.
Dr. Renee Whitfield, DMD
Pediatric dentist, early orthodontics
Fun factMakes a different flavor of homemade salsa every week for the team lunch.
Dr. Sofia Marquez, DDS
Pediatric dentist, bilingual care
Credentials and licenses
Pediatric dentists complete two to three extra years of hospital-based residency after dental school, focused entirely on children.
Board certified
Diplomates of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry
Hospital privileges
Dental care under general anesthesia at a Boise children's hospital partner
Idaho licensed
Idaho State Board of Dentistry, license numbers on request
AAPD members
American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and Idaho State Dental Association
PALS certified
Pediatric Advanced Life Support current for every clinical team member
Idaho Smiles provider
In network with Idaho Medicaid and most PPO plans
Come see the place for yourself
Ask for a happy visit: a short, no-treatment tour so your child can meet the chair, the team and the prize wall before their first real appointment.
