Q: Tell us about your background… Education, Organizations, Community Involvement.
A: B.S. in Nutrition, B.S. in microbiology, D.M.D. from the University of Florida. I am a member of the Charlotte County Dental Society and served as the past President. I am also on the board for the Florida Dental Association’s New Dentist Committee. Also, I completed the Leadership Charlotte program (c/o 2013) with the Chamber of Commerce, and currently volunteer at the Charlotte County Homeless Coalition.
Q: Why did you become a dentist?
A: As I was growing up I always knew I wanted to do something working with people in health care. I wanted a profession where I could have an impact on someone’s life, know medicine, and be able to work with my hands. Dentistry fills all of those criteria and more!
Q: What is your specialty?
A: My favorite parts of dentistry are working with kids and teenagers. They are so much fun to have as patients. I love to work with children because I get to see them grow up and have a long lasting relationship with them. It is fun to teach them about taking care of their teeth and watching them get excited about it. I also love cosmetic dentistry and being able to change someone’s smile and give that person confidence.
Q: Tell us about your successes with patient care…
A: My biggest success with patient care is actually also one of my most difficult challenges. I see so many people who have had a traumatizing experience from a bad dental experience. My goal has been to try and reverse the negative thoughts people have towards dentists. I like to start by getting to know my patients, educating them (because once you know and understand what is wrong and how we can fix it people feel more at ease), and being as gentle and caring as possible! I have had so many patients that have now gotten over their fear of dentistry and actually have fun with us at their appointments!! I would say that is the most important and most rewarding thing we do.
Q: Can you provide a testimonial?
A: I have many instances of patients coming to me where I feel we have changed their outlook on dentistry, but there is one in particular that I remember. A middle aged woman came in for the first time to see me and was terrified of losing her teeth. She came in and told me how she had always put herself on the back burner since she put her family first for years. She sat and cried in the chair as she told me the story of how she ended up in her current physical condition. It was just heartbreaking. After her appointment she wrote a review about me that was so touching. It stated, “If I hadn’t gotten Dr. Reynolds I most likely would have let my teeth go until I needed Dentures. She made me feel good about getting my teeth back in order. Her nurses doing the x-ray’s and assisting her also made my office visit wonderful. Thanks Dr. Reynolds for restoring my faith in dentists again. I have had horror stories as to the reason why I was scared to go back to the dentist. Thank you again.” I think it is so important to get to know your patient, put yourself in their shoes, and listen to what their goal is in order to help, not only their oral health, but their overall health as well.
Q: What new innovations are you using for dental care?
There is so much new technology coming out for dentistry. We try to stay on the cutting edge of technology and use the highest standard equipment to conduct our exams on our patients. We have, for instance, digital x-rays with high speed films that expose patients to less radiation. I also like to use newer filling materials called composites that are tooth colored for esthetics, but also bond to the tooth so less tooth structure needs to be removed when removing a cavity.