Through a series of interviews, get to know Dr. Saylor on a personal and professional level. Here’s what he had to say…
Dr. Larry Saylor, DMD, MAGD has been practicing dentistry in the Tampa Bay area for more than 25 years. During that time, he’s gotten to know his patients and their dental risks and needs has provided them with expert dentistry to meet them where they are. We sat down with Dr. Saylor recently to get to know him and his practice better. Here’s what he had to say.
Q. For starters, can you tell me a little bit about your practice and what you specialize in?
My practice is located in Brandon, Florida, just a short distance from Tampa. I started under Dr. Price, who is a sage person in my life, and took over the practice when he retired. I’ve been at this location going on 26 years and some of my staff has been there as long as me.
What I specialize in is adults who have serious dental issues that need to be treated now. That’s not to say that I don’t do general dentistry, but I thrive at comprehensive dentistry. If you’re having issues that you just can’t seem to get ahead of with your current dentist and you feel like things are going in the wrong direction, I can help.
I like to sit down with these patients and hear their story. Then we can create a plan, start a risk assessment and get them started in the right direction. After 10 years, their teeth are in better shape than when I met them.
Q. What makes your practice and approach unique?
The intention at our practice is to get patients to 100 with all of their teeth. This focus is important, because if you don’t start with that intention you won’t get there. I see patients in their 50s who wish they would have started caring for the teeth in their 20s and now they feel they have a dental handicap. At this point, their quality of life may suffer. But if you have a long-term plan and start early, it improves your outlook quite a bit.
Q. What can people expect when they visit your office for a consultation?
People enter our office in a number of ways, from emergency situations to basic cleanings and cosmetic consultations. Before setting an appointment for a new patient, our staff asks a number of screening questions to ensure the appointment they make is appropriate. Things like how long has it been since you’ve been to the dentist, and are you experiencing any pain, and what is your desired outcome. Once they are in the chair, we talk with them about their goals and see if what they have in mind is in the same zip code with what they actually need.
Q. How do you encourage your patients to value their smile?
There are typically three types of people – those who are too busy but wonder about their smile, those who hate their smile and don’t want to show it, and those who feel they have a dental handicap. For those people who don’t value their smile, we like to show them photos of what their smile could be. Some may not even realize how bad things have gotten and when they see photos of what could be they realize how important their smile is.
Q. What do you want people to know about you as a dentist?
Every time I’m working on a patient, I am very empathetic to who is in the chair and what their story is. I’m not just working on a set of teeth, I am taking in the whole person and want to sincerely do what is in their best interest. When you do that, you better connect with the patient and are able to give them something of value.
Want to know more about Dr. Saylor’s career, education and personal life? Check out part two in this blog series.
