Rowland Family Dentistry is celebrating the installation of its new sign, and you’re invited to the party!

“Our original sign came down in a storm about six months ago,” says Dr. Judy Rowland. “People wondered if we’d closed our practice! Once our new sign was installed, we wanted to do something to reassure people that we’re still here.”

The social and ribbon cutting are on Thursday, November 7, from 5 till 6 p.m. at the practice, 201 – 107^th Avenue, on Treasure Island. (You can RSVP to the Chamber here.)

The celebration is especially important because the practice is now in its 30^th year!

Drs. David and Judy Rowland moved to Pinellas County from Indiana in 1989. The couple had met, not at the Indiana University School of Dentistry where they were both earning their degrees, but at the part-time jobs that were helping pay for their schooling. “We were both waiting tables,” shares Dr. Judy, “and we decided to get married after we both graduated. We came to Florida in 1989 and opened our dental practice in the Tyrone area of St. Petersburg.”

The couple was taken with Treasure Island, though, so when the opportunity to take over an existing practice on 104^th Avenue presented itself in 1998, they took it. “David and I worked alternating days at the two offices,” says Dr. Judy. “We didn’t want to have ‘his and hers’ offices.”

As their practice flourished, Drs. David and Judy moved their Treasure Island office to the current location on 107^th Avenue in 2005, and in 2016 they made the decision to close their Tyrone practice and work exclusively on Treasure Island.

“We loved Treasure Island from the beginning,” says Dr. Judy. “The small, closely-knit community appealed to us.”

The practice has seen a number of exciting changes in the field of dentistry over the past 30 years. Digital X-rays are more comfortable for the patients, and expose patients and technicians to less radiation while delivering excellent images. Patients are provided with movie glasses to entertain and distract them from seeing equipment that may be a bit daunting. Laser technology provides precise control for treating cavities and gum tissue. And 3-D printing makes it possible to create lustrous crowns on site, without the delay and possible miscommunication of sending the work out to labs.

“Don’t forget the cookies,” urges Dr. Judy. “People are often nervous when visiting a dental office, so we bake cookies every day. There’s nothing like the aroma of freshly baked cookies to put patients at ease!”