When Dr. Laura Coyle Bridges opened the doors of her dental office on Lithia Pinecrest Rd. in September, she was achieving a life-long dream.
“I have lived in the Brandon area since 1987,” said Coyle Bridges, who graduated from Bloomingdale High School. “I have worked very hard to be able to purchase and run my own practice here.”
When Coyle Bridges heard that Dr. Rahal, who had owned and operated his dental office in the same location for 27 years, was retiring, she jumped at the chance to open her own practice in the area where she and her husband Brad raise their five children.
“We are so excited to offer dental care to the community we love,” said Coyle Bridges. “We have only been open a few weeks, but are already doing what we can to be a great part of the community by sponsoring local events like the Buckhorn Color Run and fundraisers at Bell Shoals Baptist where our children go to school.”
Coyle Bridges received an undergraduate degree from Florida State University, a degree in Biomedical Science from the University of South Florida and graduated from The University of Florida College of Dentistry. She served as class president for three years and was awarded the Delta Dental Senior Leadership Award. In the years since receiving her degree, she has worked in both corporate dentistry and private practice environments and she recently worked in a practice with four dentist and almost 30 employees.
One of the ways Coyle Bridges believes her new office is different from other dentists in the area is the way it uses technology to ease patient discomfort and reduce anxiety.
“One aspect of our practice that is relevant to almost everyone is our use of The Wand,” said Coyle Bridges, referring to a product from Milestone Scientific that uses a needle the size of a hair to provide local anesthesia for patients. “With The Wand we can numb only one tooth at a time which allows the patient to suffer much less discomfort and even allows us to work on both sides of the mouth in succession meaning fewer visits. It also lets the patient leave without a numb face.” Bridges Dental is located at 3646 Lithia Pinecrest Rd. and can be reached at 654-3399. For more information, visit www.bridgesdental.com.
