Welcome aboard. Here is your first voyage, charted.

Step one: one phone call

Booking is by phone on purpose. Your child's health details stay in a conversation with our front desk, never typed into a website, and the person who answers can actually answer things: which office fits your drive, which doctor fits your child, which morning beats which afternoon. One number reaches both offices, Monday to Friday, 8 to 5: (239) 482-2722.

When you call, tell us anything that helps us prep: first dentist visit ever, a nervous kid, sensory sensitivities, special healthcare needs, a parent who wants to stay in the room, or prefiere español. Dr. Torres is fluent in English and Spanish. Whatever you tell the front desk becomes the plan the team reads before you arrive.

Before the visit: two easy jobs

The forms come to you. New patient forms arrive ahead of time, so there is no clipboard scramble in the lobby. Finish them at your kitchen table and the check-in on visit day takes moments.

Set the story the night before. Keep it short and ordinary: the dentist is going to count teeth and clean them, and there is a shipwreck, or a whale shark, waiting in the lobby. Skip words like hurt and scared, even inside reassurances. If your child runs nervous, read The Bravest Little Diver together at bedtime. It is free, it is ours, and it was written for exactly this night.

Which office is yours?

Families in Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres, Estero and greater Lee County usually sail to the Fort Myers office at 8016 Summerlin Lakes Dr, the one with the shipwreck, the mermaid, the surfboard game consoles and Kids Korner. Families in Naples, Bonita Springs, Marco Island and Collier County usually land at the Naples office at 1035 Piper Blvd, Suite 103, under the sixteen-foot whale shark, beside the S.S. Flossy.

There is no wrong answer. Same practice, same standards, one phone number, and the front desk will book whichever office suits your family's routine.

What the first visit itself looks like

Arrive a few minutes early and let your child explore. The scary part is usually gone before we call their name. What happens in the chair depends on age: under three it is usually a gentle lap exam with your child on your lap the whole time, and for bigger kids it is a look, a count, a cleaning and a lot of narration in kid words. The full walkthrough, stop by stop, lives on our what to expect page.

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends a first dental visit by the first birthday or within six months of the first tooth, and if your child is well past that, come anyway: late starts carry no penalty here, only a warm welcome and a plan.

After the visit: joining the rhythm

Before you leave, the next checkup goes on the calendar, six months out for most kids. That single habit, more than any product or technique, is what keeps children out of the dramatic side of dentistry. In between visits, our services pages answer the questions that come up at 9pm, and the Storybook Reef keeps bedtime brushing interesting.

That is the whole voyage. Call when you are ready: (239) 482-2722.