There are generally two ways to schedule a first appointment with our office – emergency/problem focused appointment or dental cleaning/x-rays/evaluation.

If you are having an emergency or problem, please call our office immediately. We will schedule you for a problem focused evaluation or possibly refer you to a specialist.

If you are not having an emergency/problem and just want to become established with our office, we will schedule you (adults) for a 2 hour appointment. This appointment can be broken up into 2 one hour appointments, but we find most patients prefer the one appointment.

During this appointment, you will receive a full initial evaluation and have a full x-rays series (FMX) and photos taken. If you have full series of x-rays (FMX) or pano from a prior dentist, we will gladly accept those x-rays instead of taking a new set at our office. The x-rays from your prior dentist must be current and readable. The second hour of your appointment will be with our hygienist where your teeth will be cleaned.

Please feel free to call the office, so that our front-desk receptionist can ask you a few simple questions.

These questions will help us diagnosis your tooth ache for the appropriate treatment. If your tooth ache occurs after hours and you a patient of record, please call the office for the on-call telephone number.

The office telephone number is 813-878-0300.

If your child is not having any problems, pediatricians generally recommend a child be first seen by a dentist at the age of three.

We suggest that your child at 2 1/2 years of age come with you to your dental cleaning. At the end of your appointment, we will ask the child to sit in the dental chair, do a visual evaluation, count their teeth, spray water in their mouth, blow air in their face,… This is intended to be a “fun/easy” appointment. Once the child is three years old, we will schedule them for their first dental cleaning and possibly x-rays. This will be a 1/2 hour appointment.

Naturally, if your child is having any problems, please call our office immediately for an evaluation.

Our office accepts most dental insurance programs, including non-managed care, indemnity (traditional) and PPO out-of-network. We are not part of any managed care networks though we are providers for United Concordia and Delta Dental Premier.

If you have any questions regarding your insurance policy, we would be glad to check your insurance policy for you.

If the whitening gel is working for you, as long as sensitivity and/or irritation are tolerable or negligible, you may whiten until you achieve the desired whiteness. Please note prolonged use of whiting/bleaching may have adverse effects on teeth.

It is always best to consult with your dentist.

Generally, you should not use your whitening trays for a day or two to give your teeth and gums a rest.

Feel free to call the office at 813-878-0300 to discuss your concern.

After you have completed your initial whitening treatment, you will probably want to “touch-up” periodically to maintain your pearly whites.

We suggest you time these “touch-ups” with your 6 month dental cleanings.