The room does the mood
A sixteen-foot whale shark over the treatment bay, a blue whale over the lobby, the S.S. Flossy pirate nook. A delighted child is a far easier child to examine than a tense one.
North Naples · Dr. Tim Verwest, DMD & Associates
Gentle pediatric dentistry in Naples, under a whale shark.
Kid-first dental care for infants, toddlers, kids and teens. You can stay with your child for checkups. New patients welcome.
Call center: Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. A real human answers.
My kids actually enjoy going to the dentist.
Charles Esposito, Google review
- In Southwest Florida since 1992
- Infants through teens
- Se habla español
- Sedation and comfort options
Real kids. No stock photos.
Masks, sunglasses and a certain turtle puppet tend to show up.
Dr. Verwest at work, with a turtle puppet assisting. 
A photo with Shades, our mascot. 
Masks on, thumbs up. 
Photo props in hand.
Snapshots come from across our practice. The whale shark, the blue whale and the S.S. Flossy are in Naples.
What families say
Public reviews from Google and Healthgrades, word for word. We never write, edit or purchase reviews.
I continue to be impressed with this dentist! We have been coming here since 2022. This most recent visit Ana, our dental hygienist was so wonderful with my 2 year old and 8 year old. She explained everything she was doing step by step and was patient and caring... Great choice for pediatric dentistry!
Knowledgeable staff and very friendly atmosphere. My kids actually enjoy going to the dentist.
Melanie, Victoria, and Dr. Walia were AMAZING!!! Very attentive. Educated. Super sweet. Wonderful with my 4 children. 10/10 would recommend
Dr. Verwest was my dentist as a child and now my daughters dentist .. He is kind and handles children very well..
Friendly and very fun lobby where the kids could play while we waited. My kids enjoyed their visit.
Pediatric Dentistry of Florida is THE best! This was our third year at a pediatric dentist's office and we love it! The atmosphere and staff are wonderful, Lianny was wonderful with our three kids! Would definitely recommend!!
I had a great experience at this dental office. The entire staff is awesome, friendly, organized, and professional. Cristina, the doctor's assistant, truly stood out... It's clear they really care about their patients. I would definitely recommend this dentist to others!
Reviews come from families across our practice. Ellipses mark trims for length. Search for Pediatric Dentistry of Florida on Google or Healthgrades to read every public review, unfiltered.
See what the visit looks like for your child
A two-year-old and a twelve-year-old need different visits. Pick an age and what is on your mind.
How old is your child?
What is on your mind?
A first visit
There is no too young, and if your child is well past the first birthday and has never been seen, book anyway. There is no late penalty here and no lecture waiting. New patient forms reach you ahead of time.
Tell the front desk: First visit ever
A checkup and cleaning
A comprehensive exam, a professional cleaning and a growth check. Bringing more than one child? Ask about booking siblings back to back, so one trip covers everyone.
Tell the front desk: Siblings back to back
A nervous child
None of this asks your child to be brave on command. Come a few minutes early so the first thing that happens is exploring the pirate ship. If your child needs breaks, we take breaks. You can stay with your child for checkups.
Tell the front desk: My child is nervous
Sensory or special healthcare needs
Individualized care built around what you tell us: extra time, a calmer room, and the same patient team at every visit. For many children the winning strategy is a series of short, positive visits that each go one small step further.
Tell the front desk: Sensory sensitivities
A tooth that hurts or chipped
Call first. Describe what you can see and the front desk sorts out what to do next with you. Trouble breathing or swallowing, bleeding that will not stop, or a possible head injury go to 911 or the emergency room before any dentist.
Tell the front desk: A tooth is bothering my child
Comfort and sedation
Topical numbing cream, gentle local anesthetics, laughing gas, and IV sedation with a highly trained pediatric anesthesiologist. You will always discuss the options with your pediatric dentist first. Nothing happens without you.
Tell the front desk: Questions about comfort options
Pick what is on your mind and we add it to the plan.
Ages Under 1
The first tooth, the first visit
The visit
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends a first dental visit by the first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth arriving, whichever comes first. It is the easiest possible version of the appointment: a gentle lap exam with your baby sitting on you, facing you, the whole time.
What we watch
How the first teeth are coming in, gums and bite, and a real conversation with you about teething, bottles, pacifiers and how to clean a mouth that is mostly gums. Digital X-rays are taken only when genuinely needed.
Say this when you call
- First visit ever
- Parent stays in the room
- Prefiere español
Usually nothing to fix, nothing to dread, and a small person who learns early that the dentist is a place with a whale shark in it.
Ages 1 to 3
The lap-exam years
The visit
At a checkup under age three, nearly everything happens as a lap exam: your child on your lap, facing you, while your pediatric dentist counts teeth out loud. Nobody small gets handed to a stranger.
What we watch
Teeth coming in on schedule, early signs of decay, and habits: thumbs, pacifiers, bottles and snacks. From here the rhythm settles into a checkup every six months, the interval the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends for most children.
Say this when you call
- My child is nervous
- Parent stays in the room
- Sensory sensitivities
Come a few minutes early on purpose. Those minutes belong to your child and the whale shark, not to a clipboard.
Ages 4 to 6
The habit-building years
The visit
A gentle exam with teeth counted out loud, then a cleaning with a small spinning polisher that usually tickles. If your child needs breaks, we take breaks.
What we watch
Fluoride treatments while enamel is still forming, and BPA-free sealants for the deep grooves of the back teeth. The last few minutes go to a little coaching on brushing and snacks, aimed at your child as much as at you.
Say this when you call
- First visit ever
- My child is nervous
- Special healthcare needs
Keep the story the night before short and ordinary: the dentist counts teeth and cleans them, and there is a pirate ship waiting in the lobby.
Ages 7 to 12
The mixed years
The visit
Baby teeth start leaving and adult molars start arriving, sometimes in the same week. A routine visit is the exam, the cleaning, and someone qualified confirming which parts of all that wiggling are ordinary.
What we watch
Growth and alignment get checked at every routine visit. The American Association of Orthodontists suggests an orthodontic check-up no later than age 7, and most early evaluations end with watch and wait. Space maintainers hold the spot when a baby tooth leaves too soon.
Say this when you call
- Sensory sensitivities
- Special healthcare needs
- Parent stays in the room
If something is worth watching, you hear about it early, in plain words, at a regular checkup.
Ages 13 and up
The teenage stretch
The visit
Exams and cleanings every six months, with the same team your teenager already knows. Teenagers bring their own list: mouthguards for sport, grinding, and the sugary drinks enamel does not love.
What we watch
Growth and alignment the whole way through, checked at every routine visit.
Say this when you call
- Special healthcare needs
- Prefiere español
- My child is nervous
Same practice, same standards, so nothing about your teenager has to be explained twice.
Why Naples parents choose us
You can stay with your child
Yes, for checkups. Under 3, most visits are a gentle lap exam with you holding your child. For older children, just say you would like to stay when you call.
Comfort is a menu, not a default
From numbing cream to laughing gas to IV sedation with a highly trained pediatric anesthesiologist. You will always discuss the options with your pediatric dentist first. Nothing happens without you.
One call, and the paperwork comes to you
New patient forms reach you ahead of time, and siblings can be booked back to back, so one trip can cover the whole crew.
Inside the Naples office
Every photo below is our real Naples office at 1035 Piper Blvd. The tour video takes under two minutes.
Watch the Naples office tour1 min 37 sec
Care at the Naples office, from first tooth to teenager
Checkups and cleanings
A comprehensive exam, a professional cleaning and a growth check. Checkups every six months keep little problems little.
Infant and toddler care
Lap exams, teething guidance, and thumb and pacifier support, starting with the first tooth.
Sedation and comfort
Numbing cream, gentle local anesthetics, laughing gas, and IV sedation with a pediatric anesthesiologist. Always discussed with you first.
Special needs dentistry
Individualized care: extra time, a calmer room, and the same patient team at every visit.
See all the care we offer
Fluoride and sealants
Fluoride treatments while enamel is still forming, and BPA-free sealants for the deep grooves of the back teeth.
Digital X-rays, only as needed
Taken only when genuinely needed. Many checkups for young children need none.
Fillings and crowns
Tooth-colored composite fillings. Durable stainless steel crowns on back molars, natural-looking resin up front.
Nerve treatments and extractions
A pulpotomy saves a hurting tooth, usually finished with a crown. Gentle extractions, and space maintainers when a baby tooth leaves too soon.
Dental emergencies: call first
Tooth pain, a chipped tooth, a knocked-out tooth: call, describe what you can see, and the front desk sorts out what to do next with you. Trouble breathing or swallowing, bleeding that will not stop, or a possible head injury go to 911 or the emergency room before any dentist.
What to expect at the visit
Drop anchor and explore
Come a few minutes early on purpose. Those minutes belong to your child and the whale shark, not to a clipboard, because new patient forms reach you ahead of time.
The gentle exam
Teeth counted out loud as they go. Under 3, it is a lap exam with you holding your child.
The cleaning
Underwater video on the screen above the treatment window, and a small spinning polisher that usually tickles. If your child needs breaks, we take breaks.
The coaching
The last few minutes go to a little coaching on brushing and snacks, aimed at your child as much as at you.
You can stay with your child for checkups. For a sedation visit, the front desk will explain how that day works.
No being brave on command. If your child needs breaks, we take breaks.
Sedation is always discussed with you first. Nothing happens without you.
Our doctors
Pediatric dentist and founder
Dr. Tim Verwest, DMD
In practice since 1992. University of Florida trained, and former Chief Resident in Pediatric Dentistry at UF Gainesville. Some of the parents in our chairs today were his patients in the 1990s.
Dr. Riya Walia
Pediatric dentist
DMD and pediatric dentistry residency from Nova Southeastern University, dual trained in the United States and Canada.
Dr. Yusleimys Torres
General dentist · fluent in English and Spanish
Trained at the Institute of Medical Sciences of Havana, with an AEGD residency at NYU Langone Hospital.
Questions Naples parents ask
Where exactly is the Naples office, and is there parking?
1035 Piper Blvd, Suite 103, Naples, FL 34110, in North Naples just off Immokalee Road between US 41 and Airport-Pulling Road. On US 41, turn east onto Immokalee Road. On I-75, take the Immokalee Road exit and head west. The office sits in a quiet plaza with parking outside the door, and the front desk can give directions from your side of town.
When is the Naples office open?
The Naples office is open Monday to Thursday, 8 am to 5 pm, and closed Friday through Sunday. The call center answers Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, Fridays included, and a real human answers.
Can I stay with my child?
Yes, for checkups. Under 3, most visits are a gentle lap exam with you holding your child, and for older children, just say you would like to stay when you call. For a sedation visit, the front desk will explain how that day works.
How young is too young for a first appointment?
There is no too young. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry puts the marker at the first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth, whichever comes sooner. Under age three, most visits are a gentle lap exam with you holding your child the whole time. If your child is well past that and has never been seen, book anyway. There is no late penalty here and no lecture waiting.
My child is already nervous about the whole idea. What actually helps?
Three things, and none of them requires your child to be brave on command. Arrive a few minutes early so the first thing that happens is exploring the S.S. Flossy rather than sitting still. Tell the front desk when you book: nervous kid, first visit ever, sensory sensitivities, parent staying in the room. And know that the whole comfort menu is discussed with you first if treatment is ever needed.
Do you see children with special healthcare needs?
Yes, with individualized plans: extra time, a calmer room, and the same patient team at every visit. For many children the winning strategy is a series of short, positive visits that each go one small step further. Tell us what works for your child when you call.
Do I have to fill out forms in the lobby?
No. New patient forms reach you ahead of time, so you can finish them at your own kitchen table. The only jobs left on arrival are checking in and looking up at the whale shark.
What about cost and insurance?
Those questions get real answers from the front desk on the phone, for your child's specific visit, rather than a guess from a website. Call and ask, and mention anything else that would help us prepare.
Do you do braces in Naples?
Growth and alignment are checked at every routine visit here, so you hear about it early. If braces turn out to be the next step, comprehensive orthodontic care is offered at our Fort Myers office, on the same phone number.
What happens after I ask for a call back?
The team reviews requests during call center hours, Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, and calls you to arrange the visit. An appointment is confirmed when you speak with the team. If it cannot wait, call us.
Find us in North Naples, just off Immokalee Road
The Naples office
1035 Piper Blvd, Suite 103Naples, FL 34110
North Naples, just off Immokalee Road between US 41 and Airport-Pulling Road
Office: Monday to Thursday, 8 am to 5 pm. Closed Friday through Sunday.
Call center: Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. A real human answers.
- On US 41, the Tamiami Trail, turn east onto Immokalee Road.
- On I-75, from either direction, take the Immokalee Road exit and head west.
- Quiet plaza, parking outside the door. The front desk can give directions from your side of town.
How far is it from you?
Tap a neighborhood to see it on the map.
Straight-line miles from each place's center to the office, as the pelican flies. Drive times depend on the road and the hour.
Prefer a call back?
Leave your number. We call you back.
A first name and a mobile number is all we need.
- A real human calls you, during call center hours.
- No health details on this form. Those stay for the call.
- An appointment is confirmed when you speak with the team.
Or skip the form and call.
The person who answers can actually answer things: which morning beats which afternoon, and which doctor fits your child.
(239) 893-6184Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. A real human answers.
¿Prefiere español? Díganos al llamar.