The Meaning Behind Our New Name - Park Smiles Dentistry

One day, I was walking down Park Avenue and looked over to see the park filled with fountains, benches and trees. As I looked around, I noticed it was alive with families playing with their kids, couples picnicking, and people just relaxing in the grass. I noticed that everyone seemed to be smiling, and I remember thinking to myself, “Why can’t a dental office feel like this?”

This is exactly what I want our office to feel like. Our new name “Park Smiles Dentistry” refers to the easy-going, relaxed smiles people have when they are in a park. As counterintuitive as it may sound, we want you to feel relaxed when you come to the dentist. We want you to enjoy it while you are here and when you leave, we want you to feel better about yourself. We want to make it as easy as a walk in the park.

My name is Dr. Drew Byrnes, and I am the current and proud owner of this office. What some may not know is I am not the first or even the second dentist to own this practice. Before me, it was owned by Dr. Alan Price for around 40 years, and before him Dr. Wilbur Jennings opened our practice in a small cottage on New England Avenue in 1939. I wanted a name that paid tribute to the history of our practice, the excellent dentists who paved the way before me, and the Winter Park community. In fact, the fountain in our logo is modeled after the one that sits in the middle of Central Park on Park Avenue.

Park Smiles Dentistry is more than simply a name for us. It is also a statement of how we are going to care for our patients. It is a promise to treat each person who walks through our doors with such love and respect that they will forget they are in a dental office. Our goal is for patients to feel relaxed and at ease, like they are enjoying an afternoon at the park.

I decided to become a dentist for many reasons, one of the strongest being to help people overcome their fear of the dentist. I knew many people who were afraid of the dentist (myself included at times).  I felt it was an area which I could bring some compassion, and encourage others to take all aspects of their health seriously.

My mission is simple: make more people smile, make dental visits enjoyable, and provide excellent dental care! I believe our new name embodies this mission.