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Touch a Truck 2022 Info + Ticket Sales

Pediatric Dentistry of Florida, Dr. Tim Verwest, DMD & Associates is hosting the sixth annual family-friendly ‘Touch-a-Truck’ Fort Myers on Saturday, April 16, 2022, from 10 am to 1 pm. This special Easter edition will have 10,000 Easter eggs to hunt along with pictures with the Easter Bunny.

Touch-a-Truck Fort Myers continues to be the annual hands-on experience where children will be able to learn about their favorite trucks and vehicles, plus interact with those who drive them.

Children will be able to be as if they were the true professional behind the wheel. Featured vehicles will include emergency service, law enforcement, military, public service, and local commercial businesses. There will be a meet and greet with the Easter Bunny following the conclusion of the egg hunt at 11 am.

Other activities include trackless train rides, balloon twisting, bounce houses, and face painting. There will also be a variety of food trucks available for purchase and lots of fun with other local kid-friendly offerings.

For more information on the event, and RSVP on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/events/1139486806807653/?ref=newsfeed

Tickets can be purchased in person the day of or pre-sale by visiting, – > Here Touch-a-Truck is located at Pediatric Dentistry of Florida, 8016 Summerlin Lakes Drive Fort Myers, FL 33907.

PLEASE NOTE: There is no physical ticket, we will have confirmation that you purchased tickets at a separate entrance for those who pre-purchased prior to the day of the event.

Different Phases of Orthodontics

Two-Phase Orthodontic Treatment

What is the Advantage of Two-Phase Orthodontic Treatment?

Two-phase orthodontic treatment is a specialized process that combines tooth straightening and physical, facial changes. The purpose of two-phase treatment is to maximize the opportunity to accomplish the ideal healthy, functional, and aesthetic result that will remain stable throughout your child’s life.

What if Treatment is Put Off?

Putting off treatment can result in a need for more invasive treatment later in life that may not completely fix your child’s smile. Early treatment is most effective for achieving lasting results.

-Phase One-


The goal of Phase One treatment is to help the jaw develop in a way that will accommodate all of the permanent teeth and improve the way the upper and lower jaws fit together. Children often exhibit early signs of jaw problems as they grow and develop. An upper jaw that is growing too much or is too narrow can be recognized at an early age. If children over the age of six are found to have this jaw discrepancy, they are candidates for early orthodontic treatment. Also, if children around the age of eight have crowded front teeth, early treatment can prevent the need to extract permanent teeth later.

Planning now can save your child’s smile later –

Children benefit tremendously from early-phase treatment. Receiving early treatment may prevent the removal of permanent teeth later in life, or the need for surgical procedures to realign the jaws.

Making records to determine your child’s unique treatment –

Orthodontic records will be necessary to determine the type of appliances to be used, the duration of treatment time, and the frequency of visits. Records consist of models of the teeth, X-rays, and photographs. During your child’s initial consultation, the doctor will take records to determine if early treatment is necessary.

Resting Period

In this phase, the remaining permanent teeth are left alone as they erupt. Retaining devices may not be recommended if they would interfere with eruption. It is best to allow the existing permanent teeth some freedom of movement. A successful first phase will have created room for permanent teeth to find an eruption path. Otherwise, they may become impacted or severely displaced.

Monitoring the teeth’s progress

At the end of the first phase of treatment, teeth are not in their final positions. This will be determined and accomplished in the second phase of treatment. Selective removal of certain primary (baby) teeth may be in the best interest of enhancing eruption during this resting phase. Therefore, periodic recall appointments for observation are necessary, usually on a six-month basis.

-Phase Two-

The goal of the second phase is to make sure each tooth has an exact location in the mouth where it is in harmony with the lips, cheeks, tongue, and other teeth. When this equilibrium is established, the teeth will function together properly. Phase Two usually involves full upper and lower braces.

At the beginning of the first phase, orthodontic records were made and a diagnosis and treatment plan was established. Certain types of appliances were used in the first phase to correct and realign the teeth and jaw. The second phase begins when all permanent teeth have erupted, and usually requires braces on all the teeth for an average of 24 months. Retainers are worn after this phase to ensure your child retains his or her beautiful smile.

Orthodontic Treatments

Crowding of The Teeth

The patient started treatment at age 11 and wore braces for 26 months. He loves his new smile.

Open Bite – Front Teeth Don’t Touch

The patient sucked her thumb as a young child. She started treatment at age 13. She had braces and a special appliance — called a crib — to retrain the tongue, for 28 months. Now she can bite the lettuce out of a sandwich

Deep Overbite – Lower Front Teeth Bite into Palate

This adult patient, age 25, required braces and jaw surgery to correct his severe overbite, with treatment taking two years. His problem could have been corrected without surgery if he had been treated before he was a teenager.

Underbite – Lower Front Teeth in Front of Upper Teeth

The patient’s underbite was causing her jaw joint discomfort and excessive wear patterns on her teeth. After about 30 months of treatment starting at age 32, she now finds smiling and chewing much easier.

Overjet – Protruding Front Teeth

At age ten, the patient had a big overjet with the top teeth protruding beyond the bottom. She had two phases of treatment. The first helped her jaws to grow more harmoniously and the second aligned her teeth and bite. At age 13, she was proudly displaying her new smile.

Posterior Crossbite

The patient top back teeth sit inside the bottom back teeth. Misalignment is due to the irregular narrowing of the palate and teeth in the upper jaw. This can develop on one side or both sides of the mouth and can be corrected with our treatment recommendations.

Dr. Emily Ross joins Pediatric Dentistry of Florida

Emily Ross, DDS

Fort Myers & Naples Pediatric Dentist

Pediatric Dentistry of Florida, Dr. Tim Verwest, DMD & Associates are proud to announce the addition of Dr. Emily Ross, D.D.S., as the newest board-eligible pediatric dentist for the multi-location Southwest Florida practice.

After earning her bachelor’s in biology from North Carolina State University, Dr. Ross, then received her doctorate of dental surgery from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She completed her residency at the NCEF Pediatric Dental Center in Naples as part of the University of Florida School of Dentistry.

Throughout dental school, she volunteered in numerous Give-Kids-a-Smile days which provides children with limited or no dental care access at no charge. Over her collegiate career, Dr. Ross held multiple prestigious committee appointments and elected positions during dental school. In addition, her professional affiliations include the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), and the American Dental Association (ADA).

Pediatric Dentistry of Florida was founded by Dr. Tim M. Verwest, DMD in 1992. The practice has two locations in Fort Myers and Naples and is currently accepting patients. For more information, visit DrVerwest.com, or (239) 482-2722.

Buy Your 2021 Touch-A-Truck Tickets Today!

Pediatric Dentistry of Florida, Dr. Tim Verwest, DMD & associates presents the fourth annual Touch-a-Truck Fort Myers on Saturday, May 1, 2021, from 9 am to 12 pm. Tickets are $5.00 for children and adults are free.

Touch-a-Truck is a hands-on experience where children will be able to learn about their favorite trucks and vehicles, plus interact with those who drive them. Children will be able to be as if they were the true professional behind the wheel. Featured vehicles will include emergency service, law enforcement, military, public service, and local commercial businesses.

Tickets can be purchased in person the day of or pre-sale by visiting, https://5thannualtouchatruck.rsvpify.com. Touch-a-Truck is located at Pediatric Dentistry of Florida, 8016 Summerlin Lakes Drive Fort Myers, FL 33907.

BUY TICKETS HERE

Named Best Pediatric Dentist Fort Myers 2020

Pediatric Dentistry of Florida, Dr. Tim M. Verwest, DMD & Associates has been voted the best pediatric dentist of Fort Myers by the 2020 News-Press Readers Poll. The News-Press 30th annual best-of awards recognize the top businesses in the community selected by their readers.

Dr. Verwest is a board-certified Diplomat of the National Board of Pediatric Dentistry with professional interests in the areas of pediatric pharmacology, biomaterials, and pediatric anesthesia.  He believes in lifelong learning and continues his education by taking courses in pediatric sedation, pediatric oncology, sealants, prosthetics, pediatric cosmetic dentistry, pediatric materials, childhood growth and development, and more.

Pediatric Dentistry of Florida New Procedures

3 Tips for Visting During COVID

What are you doing to ensure my children are safe at the office due to COVID-19?

Your safety remains our top priority. We have implemented additional safety and sanitization measures in accordance with O.S.H.A. and CDC guidelines to protect you and our team:

Preemptive screenings –

All patients and staff members will be screened and have temperatures taken upon arrival. Patients will be asked to complete additional health history information.

Curbside check-in

    • All patients will be asked to come to the office door upon arrival for an appointment and wait for a staff member before entering the practice. It is important that appropriate steps are taken to minimize the number of people in our office and complete specific screening steps prior to entering, in accordance with CDC, state, and O.S.H.A. regulations.

Continued social distancing practices

    • Once your checked-in for your appointment, please wait outside the office and we will text or call to let you know the team is ready to begin your appointment. Companions of patients will be asked to wait outside of the office during a patient’s appointment. One parent or guardian will be allowed to accompany a minor patient.

    Adherence to standard sterile healthcare environment protocols

    including hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment (e.g. gloves, masks, face shields, eyewear), respiratory hygiene, sharps safety, safe injection practices (when applicable), sterile instruments and devices, and clean and disinfected environmental surfaces and common areas. Patients will be asked to wear a mask to their appointment, with no exceptions unless under the age of 2.

    We want you to feel confident and comfortable visiting our office for your dental appointments. Maintaining your oral health is important to your overall health.

Practice to Open – May 6th 2020

Dear Parents,

We are pleased to let you know we’ll be reopening our office on May 6, 2020. With state restrictions lifted, we are able to responsibly re-open fully and resume seeing our patients for regularly scheduled dental appointments and treatment.

Your safety remains our top priority. We have implemented additional safety and sanitization measures in accordance with O.S.H.A. and CDC guidelines to protect you and our team:

  • Elevated infection control standards including the thorough sterilization and disinfection of treatment rooms and instruments between each patient.
  • Preemptive screenings – All patients and staff members will be screened and have temperatures taken upon arrival. Patients will be asked to complete additional health history information.
  • Curbside check-in – All patients will be asked to come to the office door upon arrival for an appointment and wait for a staff member before entering the practice. It is important that appropriate steps are taken to minimize the number of people in our office and complete specific screening steps prior to entering, in accordance with CDC, state, and O.S.H.A. regulations.
  • Continued social distancing practices – Once your checked-in for your appointment, please wait outside the office and we will text or call to let you know the team is ready to begin your appointment.  Companions of patients will be asked to wait outside of the office during a patient’s appointment. One parent or guardian will be allowed to accompany a minor patient.
  • Adherence to standard sterile healthcare environment protocols including hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment (e.g. gloves, masks, face shields, eyewear), respiratory hygiene, sharps safety, safe injection practices (when applicable), sterile instruments and devices, and clean and disinfected environmental surfaces and common areas.
  • Patients will be asked to wear a mask to their appointment, with no exceptions unless under the age of 2.

We want you to feel confident and comfortable visiting our office for your dental appointments. Maintaining your oral health is important to your overall health. Please call us at (239) 482-2722 to schedule an appointment or fill out the appointment request form, or ask us about any concerns you may have. You may also visit our website for additional information on our new procedures.

Pediatric Dentistry of Florida Statement on Coronavirus

At Pediatric Dentistry of Florida, the health and safety of our patients, dental team, and all of their families is our number one priority. The past few days have been challenging as we monitor and sort through all of the newly available information regarding the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. We know that any decision we make will affect our patients, dental team and our community.

In accordance with the recommendation from the American Dental Association (ADA) and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), we have made the decision to limit any treatment to true dental emergency cases. Pediatric Dentistry of Florida emergency phone number is (239) 482-2722.

In this time of uncertainty, as healthcare providers, we have to abide by the oat we took to, “first, do no harm”. Our hope is that we are doing our part to help decrease the spread of a virus that we are continuing to learn about. Thank you for understanding and doing your part as well.

  • We are rescheduling all patients from 03/20/2020 – 05/08/2020
  • We plan to resume normal patient care on 05/09/2020, but this is subject to change.
  • We will be available for dental emergencies through our emergency phone number. As the hospitals and emergency rooms are already strained, we encourage you to call us with true dental emergencies such as swelling of the face or trauma.

We understand this is an inconvenience for many families, and just like you, we are hoping for a return to normalcy sooner rather than later. Thank you for your understanding, please stay safe.

Sincerely,
Dr. Tim Verwest, DMD

Dr. Tim Verwest Re-Nominated for America’s Best Dentist 2020


The National Consumer Advisory Board re-nominated Dr. Tim M. Verwest, DMD as one of America’s best dentists for 2020. Dr. Verwest selection is based on a proprietary assessment of a dentist’s experience, training, continuing education, and commitment to excellence to ensure the most impartial unbiased review of all applicants.

He’s is a board-certified diplomat of the National Board of Pediatric Dentistry with professional interests in the areas of pediatric pharmacology, biomaterials, and pediatric anesthesia. He believes in lifelong learning and continues his education by taking courses in pediatric sedation, pediatric oncology, sealants, prosthetics, pediatric cosmetic dentistry, pediatric materials, childhood growth and development, and more.

Pediatric Dentistry of Florida, Dr. Tim Verwest, DMD & Associates continues to provide pediatric dental care to children for over 28 years. Areas of service include comprehensive dental exams, cleanings, composite fillings, dental hygiene education, extractions, fluoride treatments, sealants, sedation dentistry, space maintainers, x-rays and tooth nerve treatment. For more information, visit www.DrVerwest.com or (239) 482-2722.