pediatric dentistry

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.

Lexington Elves receive toothbrush donation

Pediatric Dentistry of Florida, Dr. Tim Verwest, DMD & Associates donated toothbrushes to the Lexington Elves, of Lexington County Club in Ft. Myers. The Elves will be given away 250 stocking for children in Immokalee for Christmas. Pediatric Dentistry of Florida has given away over 20,000 toothbrushes in 2017 to children throughout Southwest Florida.

Brianna Baker – Employee Spotlight

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Brianna Baker presses and answers a call for the busy pediatric dentist practice she calls home. “Thank you for calling Dr. Verwest’s office, how may I help you,” moments before she had just taken payment for a young ladies six-month checkup. This is the life of multi-tasking at its finest. Prior to becoming a valuable team member at Pediatric Dentistry of Ft. Myers, Brianna waited tables at the popular Two Meatballs in the Kitchen, a place she credits for developing her customer service and communication skills, saying, “{I} was able to meet and talk with people from all walks of life.”

Brianna begun her rise to the front office after working for almost a year as the lobby greeter of the practice. To be fair, she was a jack of all trades, having a few dental presentations to local schools under her belt, multiple event participation, and in office nuances of how a practice operates. “She really was one of our shining stars in the lobby, she deserved a chance to grow professionally with us,” said Jeffrey Shafer, director of marketing for the practice.  Brianna finds great rewards in working with children and hopes to continue to learn more about successfully being a business owner through Dr. Verwest’s leadership.

When Brianna is not sorting through charts, scheduling appointments, or doing the smaller things that matter, you can find her out on the water, probably fishing her heart out. One day, she hopes to be able to swim with sharks (hopefully in an aquarium), because swimming with an apex predator in the wild is just a little too dangerous for this writer. Next time you give us a ring and Brianna answers, ask her if she’s caught any snook, red fish, or trout lately. She may have even bagged her first tarpon.

Fun Dental Facts

At Pediatric Dentistry of Ft. Myers, Dr. Tim Verwest, DMD we try to have fun with our blog posts! Below are 10 interesting dental facts that many people may not know.

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  1. 60% of people don’t know that a sore jaw, when combined with chest pain, can signal a heart attack – especially in women.
  2. 32% of Americans cite bad breath as the least attractive trait of their co-workers.
  3. 38.5 = the total days an average American spends brushing their teeth over a lifetime.
  4. 73% of Americans would rather go grocery shopping than floss.
  5. Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.
  6. A toothpick is the object most often choked on by Americans.
  7. Every year, kids in North America spend close to half a billion dollars on chewing gum.
  8. The number of cavities in the average mouth is down and people are keeping their teeth longer.   People, on average, have healthier mouths than even 10 years ago.  Specifically —The decline in tooth decay was greatest among kids but holds across every age group.
    —Only 40% of  young people age 6 to 19 had ever had cavities.  That’s down from 50% a decade ago.
    —Over the last ten years the proportion of people age 60 who’d lost all their teeth had decreased from 33% to 25%.
    —Use of dental sealants, which block tooth decay on the chewing surfaces of kids’ vulnerable molars, was up 64%.  30% of kids had had at least one sealed tooth.
    —Adults with post high school degrees had an average of three more teeth than those without a high school diploma.
    —Smokers remain three times more likely than non-smokers to lose all their teeth.  This figure has not changed from a decade ago.
    —Socio-economic status plays a definite role in one’s general and dental health; 33% of low-income adults have untreated decay.  This is compared with 16% of middle- and higher-income adults.  19% of kids living in poverty have untreated decay compared with 8% of wealthier kids.
  9. More people use blue toothbrushes than red ones.
  10. Like fingerprints, everyone’s tongue print is different.