Pediatric DentistryWhat your child will find
A giant shipwreck to explore. A mermaid keeping watch. Surfboard consoles with video games built right in. The friendly gator in sunglasses guarding Kids Korner, an octopus over the treatment bay, and Shades, our dog in sunglasses, posing for photos. The whole office runs on one design brief: make the waiting the good part.
None of it is set dressing. Curiosity crowds out fear, and a kid busy exploring a shipwreck simply has no attention left over for dread, which transforms what happens in the chair afterward. It is why early arrival is part of the plan here: those spare minutes belong entirely to exploring, and they are the cheapest comfort tool we own.
Bring a phone for the photo by the gator. Everyone does.
Where we are
8016 Summerlin Lakes Dr, Fort Myers, FL 33907, just off Summerlin Road. One phone number reaches this office and our Naples office alike: (239) 482-2722, Monday to Friday, 8 to 5. A real human answers, and the front desk will point your drive from anywhere in Lee County, from Cape Coral across the bridges to Lehigh Acres out east.
Booking is one quick call.
One number reaches both offices, Monday to Friday 8 to 5. Your child's health details stay in a conversation with our front desk, never typed into a website.
Everything happens under this roof
The Fort Myers office is our comprehensive location: the full range of pediatric dental care from first visits to fillings, plus comprehensive orthodontics with Dr. Whitesides, our orthodontist, down the hall. Growth checks happen at every routine visit, so braces conversations start years before braces do, with the same team your child already knows.
Dr. Verwest has been making SWFL kids smile here since 1992, and his father was the first pediatric dentist in Fort Myers. Second-generation patients, parents who sat in these chairs as kids, now bring their own children through the same doors.
Planning your visit
A few practical notes that make the day smoother. Morning appointments tend to suit younger children best, and the front desk will happily talk through what fits your family's rhythm when you call. If this is a first visit, complete the forms that arrive ahead of time and bring the short list of questions you want answered: brushing technique, habits, anything you have been wondering at bedtime.
Tell us who is coming, too. Siblings can often be scheduled back to back so one trip covers everyone, and if your child does better with a particular arrangement, a quieter time of day, a parent in the room, extra minutes to warm up, say so on the phone and it becomes part of the plan. Nothing about a visit here is improvised.
Come see it before you need it
The best first visit starts before the first appointment: show your child the photos above, read The Bravest Little Diver the night before, and arrive early enough to explore. The full visit, stop by stop, is on our what to expect page, and the new patients page covers everything else. When you are ready, it is one call: (239) 482-2722.
Parents ask us
Where do I park at the Fort Myers office?
The office at 8016 Summerlin Lakes Dr has parking right outside the door, and the front desk will give you simple directions from wherever you are coming when you book. If you get turned around on the day, call and we will talk you in.
Is orthodontics really in the same building?
Yes. Comprehensive orthodontic care with Dr. Whitesides is offered at the Fort Myers office, so the handoff from pediatric dentist to orthodontist is a walk down the hall, not a referral across town.
Can we visit before booking an appointment?
Call the front desk and ask: (239) 482-2722. They will find a time that works for a peek at the shipwreck, and for many nervous kids a no-pressure look around is the perfect first step.
Ready to set sail?
A real human answers, Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm. New patient forms arrive ahead of time, no clipboard scramble.
Call (239) 482-2722