Carlos A Bertot – Pediatric Dentistry of Central Florida

I have been at the Pediatric Dentistry of Central Florida office with my 7 year-​old son several times in the last few years. Despite of the fact my son has an excellent dental hygiene habit — reinforced by both my husband and I — Pediatric Dentristry of Central Florida always found multiple cavities in his teeth, exposing him at times to harmful and expensive anesthesia due to his «lack of cooperation». After feelings of confusion and frustration, my husband and I went for a second (and third) opinion, and for our «surprise», our son did not have any of the three cavities they mentioned on his last visit!!! Looking back, I analyse the dynamics of this office. You check your child in, your child gets a name tag, goes to the back… without you! And you would expect that the staff is experienced, knowleadgeable, and compassionate enough to deal with children (it is a pediatric dentistry), but there is absolutely no time to «deal» with the individual children and their individual needs. It is like a factory: go there, now here, now there… And mom… Is nowhere to be found because parents are not welcome into the «time is money dental factory». No wonder they need the name tags. Yes, the staff is friendly, but the question is: are they competent enough? I chose this group because of the wonderful reputation they had, but my experience there has been nothing close to wonderful, and what makes me even more frustrated and sad is that I have put my son through so much because I believed them… This is my way to apologize to my son, to make you aware of my experience and to motivate you to be more proactive when taking your child there — have them «show» you instead of just «tell» you, request to go to the back with your child, see how they are handling your child’s feelings, and go for a second opinion if you feel necessary.

We had a fantastic experience here. Our son had issues with cavities at an early age (due mainly to very eager grandparents who love to spoil their first grandkid), and after consulting with our dentist, they felt we should consider fixing the cavities. We were sent here, and they welcomed us immediately, helped to set up an appointment quickly, and worked out a helpful payment plan for us, as you know dentistry just isn’t cheap. The office was very clean, with a beautiful fish tank right in then center. They really do go out of their way for kids, to make them feel comfortable, and provide a fun area for them to not fear the dentist. They are also quite thorough, walking us back to a cubicle and having a nurse and the dentist consult us on the entire process before things begin.
Our appointment and our son’s dental work went quite smoothly, and they talked us through every step of the way. We will definitely be going back, and anticipate making them our primary dentist for our son.

When it comes to taking your kid to the dentist this place is the best. I wish I could go here! The day before our appointment the dentist himself called to welcome us to his practice. From the door way your kids are made to feel relaxed and comfortable. There is a neat cylindrical salt water aquarium in the lobby along with kid-​friendly toys and books. This was our first visit so we were taken back to a little cubicle where the tech went over what was going to happen and got to know my son. Then Dr. Bishop came in to welcome us. He has a great, relaxed way with kids and was very kind with me too. My husband had been a patient long ago and now his son is coming back– a common thing at this office. Then the tech came back and took my son back for his exam. Once they hit 3 years they go back without the parents. He went right off without a look back, obviously looking forward to picking out a prize and getting more stickers. He came out 20 minutes later with clean teeth, a big smile and a shirt full of stickers and hands full of goodies.
I have some family members who are terrified of the dentist and, hence, never went. This is the way a dentist’s office should be, building strong relationships while their patients are still young. I hope that this good foundation will lead to a lifetime of healthy teeth!