Author: Celeste McLaughlin

Dr. Greg Stepanski’s Children’s Dentistry Has Kept Local Kids Smiling For 25 Years!

Dr. Greg and his friendly professional staff will make sure your children smile every time they visit the dentist.

With a visit to Children’s Dentistry in the Cory Lake Professional Center on Cross Creek Blvd., kids get to see Greg Stepanski, D.D.S. — a pediatric dentist with more than 25 years of experience in the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area — and a demeanor and office that kids and parents alike seem to recommend without reservation.

“I recommend Children’s Dentistry to all my friends,” says Carla Schoolfield. “They’re great. From the minute you walk in, everyone is so nice and greets you by your name. “They are definitely an A-plus in customer service.”

Carla’s not the only one who thinks so. With 142 Google reviews, Children’s Dentistry’s overall rating is 4.9 out of 5 stars.

“I have other friends who went there when they were kids,” she adds. “Now, they’re taking their kids there. I think that’s a testament to Dr. Greg and his staff.”

Carla’s son is five and has been seeing Dr. Greg — as his patients and their parents call him — since he was just one. Her daughter is only nine months old and will be ready for her first visit soon.

Carla is glad she took her son to Dr. Greg early in his childhood.

“I think it’s great because it gets your child used to going,” she says. “It’s not anything invasive. Dr. Greg is so gentle and such a good doctor, and now my son loves going to the dentist.”

Dr. Greg, who earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree from the Ohio State University College of Dentistry in Columbus, says, “We are encouraging children to have a dental home by the age of one.” He also earned a B.S. degree in Biology from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN.

Dr. Greg explains that age one is now recommended by both the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Academy of Pediatrics for a child’s first dental appointment.

“It’s preventive,” he says. “Now we’re seeing more and more patients at age one and seeing less problems. We’re also seeing a little bit less tooth decay.”

Dr. Greg says he has a good relationship with many of his peers in the area, and even runs a study club where quite a few pediatric dentists get together for discussion, speakers and continuing education.

“The club has been going on forever,” he says. “I inherited it in 1991.”

That’s when he purchased an existing pediatric dentist office on E. Fowler Ave. in Temple Terrace. He moved that practice to its current Cross Creek Blvd. location 14 years ago.

His many years in practice don’t mean any outdated equipment or procedures, though. Dr. Greg says this year, he added a new, digital panoramic X-ray machine.

“We’ve been using digital X-rays for many years because there’s lower radiation and better clarity,” Dr. Greg says. “The new panoramic machine takes amazing pictures and has the added benefit of allowing us to do bitewing X-rays externally for those kids who may have a gagging response to having the bitewings in their mouth.”

Dr. Greg says the new equipment is so good, some orthodontists send their patients to him to get X-rays taken.

Community Outreach

Dr. Greg’s office is more than just a place to get your children’s teeth checked. He and his staff say it’s like a family, and they host events to build that community feeling, as well.

“They do a lot of things outside of being a dentist,” says Carla. “They do holiday parties and events every year. I think that says a lot. It’s not just them taking my money, but they say, ‘I want to appreciate you for giving me your business.’”

Every year, Carla’s kids and Dr. Greg’s other existing patients are invited to visit Santa at the practice’s annual Christmas party.

“Our families bring their kids all dressed up and take their family Santa photos with our professional photographer,” says Dr. Greg, who adds that there also are fun activities for the kids, such as face painting, a balloon artist and crafts. “It’s become quite an event.”

This year, Dr. Greg says, “We have to expand the venue because so many of our patients have said they’re coming.” He says there will be tents in the parking lot, but it’s important that he holds the party inside the office, too.

“We have it here so the kids can see that it’s a fun destination,” he says. “They can interact with me and the staff while we’re having fun, not trying to do a filling or fix a tooth that was knocked out.”

In addition to the Christmas patient appreciation party, Dr. Greg and his staff typically also host a spring bowling party, which is open to the community, too.

“It’s an opportunity for our patients to bring their friends and introduce us,” he explains. “They get to see me not with a mask and a mirror in my hand, but like a normal person.”

Besides his office’s events, Dr. Greg reaches out to the community in many other ways. He brings “Tommy the Toothbrush” — a character who stresses good dental hygiene — to visit local schools during February, which is Dental Health Month.

“We give toothbrushes to all the kids,” he explains, “Some of them might not have one.”

He also has provided dental care for migrant children and does a program each fall where he donates a Thanksgiving turkey to Metropolitan Ministries in the name of any pediatrician or dentist who refers a new patient to him.

“We like to give to Metropolitan Ministries,” he says.

Dr. Greg also is a charter member and past president of the New Tampa Noon Rotary Club, an active church member at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church and a fundraiser for Corpus Christi Catholic School in Temple Terrace, where his wife Sue has taught kindergarten for 15 years.

For appointments and more information about Children’s Dentistry (10317-B Cross Creek Blvd.), call 973-3100, visit DrGreg-ChildrensDentistry.com, or see the ad on page 28. Most major dental insurance plans are accepted.

Children's Dentistry Dr. Greg Stepanski

For Eyebrows That Don’t Sweat Off, Consider Creative Permanent Makeup By Pam

Creative Permanent Makeup by Pam owner Pam Edmonson says that eyebrows are her favorite.

If you’re tired of drawing on your eyebrows, just to worry you might sweat them off later in our Florida heat, Pam Edmonson says she has a solution for you.

It’s called microblading, and Pam has been providing this popular eyebrow service since she was first trained in the technique in 2014. She uses a small blade and ink to create each individual hair. Her steady hands help draw on an eyebrow which she then microblades, with each stroke adding a more natural look to the eyebrow.

As a State of Florida-licensed permanent makeup artist, Pam has owned and operated Creative Permanent Makeup By Pam since 2011. Last year, she and a business partner opened Serenity Salon & Spa Suites, located off S.R. 54 in the Brookfield Professional Park, about a half-mile west of Morris Bridge Rd. The suites are available to be rented by other small businesses, such as hair stylists, massage therapists, and licensed aestheticians.

“As one of the owners of Serenity Salon & Spa Suites, I love the way that we enable other women to be able to do their own job and be successful at it,” Pam says. “We have an amazing group of women working here!”

After many years of running a business in the manufactured housing industry, in 2009, Pam says she wanted to do something different, so — at age 46 — she became the “oldest student in hair school,” she says.

While she enjoyed hair, Pam says she soon discovered something that interested her even more. “I love detail,” Pam says. “As a detail person, eyebrows are what first drew me into the permanent makeup field.”

In 2010, she studied permanent makeup at the Boca Ta-2 School for Permanent Makeup in Williston, FL, then began providing permanent makeup services in Zephyrhills in 2011. Pam is Florida-licensed as both a cosmetologist and as a tattoo artist.

“Any time that ink is implanted into the skin, it is a tattoo,” Pam explains, “and you must be licensed through the Florida Department of Health.”

The cost of Pam’s permanent makeup services starts at $400. She also offers permanent eyeliner, and is now offering permanent lip color, too. “I used to not like to do lips, but I learned a new technique,” she says. “It’s not as painful and the color stays beautifully. I had mine done, and it looks so natural and full.”

Pam also offers a scalp therapy treatment for women who have thinning hair. She says that the scalp therapy doesn’t seem to work well on male pattern baldness — it’s more effective on thinning hair — but women tend to respond well to it.

She also offers microneedling, which improves the skin by producing a slight injury to the face with a tiny needle. The body naturally grows new collagen at the “injury” site, which plumps the skin in the treated area and produces cell turnover, reducing scarring, fine lines and wrinkles on the face.

Of all of her services, however, Pam says she still gets the most satisfaction out of doing a client’s eyebrows.

“Brows are always my favorite because of the drastic way they change how someone looks,” Pam says. “Our eyes are meant to be framed, and brows definitely complete the face. Some women look so much younger when they have them done.”

Pam says she is committed to continuing education and frequently attends training to learn the latest, most advanced techniques. That’s how she came across a class called “Browmasters” in 2014, when microblading was a newer process and just beginning to take off. Now, as the process continues to grow in popularity, she already has lots of experience in doing it – several hundred sets of eyebrows, she says.

Pam encourages anyone who wants permanent makeup to schedule a free consultation with her. “Do your homework,” she says. “Make sure the person who does your eyebrows does a consultation. They should sit down with you and show you their work before and after.”

Having a set of eyebrows done by Pam takes about an hour. The price includes a free touch-up after the first four weeks, to help deepen the color and make them more permanent. Once completed, clients sometimes don’t need to come back for a year or two, although everyone’s skin is different. Those “touch-up” visits start at just $100.

And don’t worry, she says, she’ll be straight with you. Pam says she isn’t going to take on a client who wants her to do something she can’t, or something Pam doesn’t think should be done.

“Although microblading is my favorite,” Pam says, “it may not be the right answer for a client. There can be a better alternative, depending on the canvas that I am working on.”

Pam treats clients of all ages, and eyebrows of all sorts, from those that need to be reconstructed to some — on blonde- and red-haired people in particular — that tend to fade from view. Young clients come in for the convenience of not having to draw in their own eyebrows, while older ones come in to fill in plucked-over patches or to highlight brows that have faded with age and exposure to the sun.

She sys she also helps a lot of women who come to her after a mediocre or poor experience with someone else. One such client is Janice, who lives in Wesley Chapel and asked us to only use her first name.

“I had permanent makeup done by another provider about a year ago and was only marginally happy with the results,” Janice says. “It faded, and I had a terrible reaction to the tool that was used on my lips. It took weeks and weeks to heal.”

Janice says she thought long and hard about doing it again, “but the ease of permanent make-up is so great that it superseded my fear. Once you have it, you just think, ‘Man, this is so great for every day.’ After doing my research, I felt that Pam’s method was going to give me better recovery and a better long-term result.”

As it turns out, she was right. Not only did Janice love the spa-like ambiance, cleanliness, and relaxing feeling of Serenity Salon & Spa Suites; she says Pam’s work is “perfect. I couldn’t be happier.”

She adds, “Before, it was just a tattoo. It faded quickly and didn’t look as natural as I wanted it to. With Pam, and microblading, the process was different, and the outcome is superb compared to what I had previously.”

Pam wants to see all of her clients as happy as Janice. “I’m extremely passionate about my work,” she says. “When people tell me what a difference I made in their life and how they feel about themselves, that’s the reason that I love what I do!”

Creative Permanent Makeup by Pam is located at Serenity Salon & Spa Suites, at 33913 S.R. 54, Suite 101. For a free consultation and more info, see the ad on page 39, visit CreativePermanentMakeupbyPam.com, or call (813) 997-6302.

Creative Permanent Makeup

Most New Tampa Parents Happier With New Bell Times For 2018-19 School Year

District officials believe the new bell times will help keep school buses on schedule.

When the 2018-19 school year kicks off in the fall of 2018, all New Tampa schools will have new schedules.

District officials say the new schedules will allow school buses to run more efficiently, resulting in more bus-riding students getting to school on time each day.

It should also allow bus drivers who currently only take two “tiers” of students to be able to do three — elementary, middle, and high schoolers — resulting in a cost savings to the Hillsborough County School District of at least $2.5 million.

With the new schedule, elementary schools will start at 7:40 a.m. and finish at 1:55 p.m., which is 20 minutes earlier than the current school year and keeps the same amount of instructional time for students.

Middle schools will start at 9:25 a.m. and finish at 4:20 p.m. This means they start 25 minutes later, but end only five minutes later.

High schools will start at 8:30 a.m. and finish at 3:25 p.m. They begin nearly an hour later than the current start time and end 25 minutes later.

In our area, the most dramatic time change will happen at Turner/Bartels K-8 School, which currently starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. Next year’s schedule has school starting at 7:40 a.m. and finishing at 2:35 p.m.

“It’s a drastic change,” says principal Cindy Land, “But, I’ve gotten mostly positive feedback from parents.”

She says many parents don’t like the current schedule, which was adjusted this school year to be an hour later than in 2016-17.

“Right now, kids who play sports or go to activities at the New Tampa Rec Center or other places don’t have any time after school,” Land says. “In that regard, it’s very challenging. Now, parents can drop off earlier and won’t need morning daycare, so I think it will be a good thing for our school.”

She also supports the district’s main reason for making the change.

“It will be good to have a bus schedule where the kids get picked up by their buses on time,” Land says, “so we’re not waiting on two or three buses every morning.”

Land also notes that the significantly earlier start time will make one big impact on kids’ mornings.

“My biggest concern is that at the beginning of the (2018-19) school year, kids will be at the bus stop in the dark,’’ she says. “We have a lot of kindergartners who ride the bus. Parents are going to have to rally together to make sure they’re safe, and then we have to get together as a community and be vigilant and be sure to be watching out for the little kids.”

Parents can’t say they didn’t see this coming. After negative backlash last spring to its first proposal for a revised bell schedule, the Hillsborough School District created options for parents, teachers, students and community members, who were invited to vote for new bell times.

The district was aggressive in communicating via text, phone and email that surveys were available, and reports that 57,000 people across the county responded to the survey.

The new schedule is the most popular option that was selected by survey participants, albeit adjusted slightly.

For example, the schedule that was voted on had elementary school starting at 7:30 a.m., but district officials studied the option and realized buses could still run on time if elementary school started at 7:40 a.m. instead.

This option was preferred by many people who cite the American Academy of Pediatrics in saying that high school shouldn’t start before 8:30 a.m., because insufficient sleep is a serious problem for teenagers.

Most parents seem to be taking it in stride. “It’s not a big deal,” says Ashley Cantin, a Hunter’s Green resident whose two daughters are in elementary school and will head to school a bit earlier. “It’s 20 minutes, so it’s not the end of the world.”

Cantin says she wishes the district would have added instructional time at the elementary school level.

“I do wish they would have made the day longer,” she says, “because it seems hard to fit in everything they’re mandated to do, including the 30 minutes of recess every day.”

As for lost time at middle and high schools, a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document on the district’s website addresses it this way: “Students may lose a few minutes from middle and high school periods, which would be decided at the school level.”

Also, “The new schedule still exceeds state’s requirements for time spent in class and still allows our district to offer a seven-period day with more opportunities for advanced courses…and electives.” For more info, visit SDHC.k12.fl.us.

bell schedule

Riverchase Dermatology Expands Again With Its New Tampa Palms Office

The staff of Riverchase Dermatology, located in the Palm Lake at Tampa Palms office building off of Amberly Dr., includes Board-certified physician assistant Kim Siders (front left) and Baord-certified dermatologist Dr. Salma Pothiawala (front right).

Riverchase Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery, a regional practice with 27 offices throughout Florida, acquired Tampa Palms Dermatology in March of this year. Along with Board-certified physician assistant Kimberly Siders, PA-C, who has been there since 2014, Riverchase Dermatology has added two practitioners — Milan Lombardi, M.D., and Salma Pothiawala, M.D.

Located in the Palm Lake at Tampa Palms office building off of Amberly Dr., Riverchase Dermatology promises to offer the same quality dermatology services patients have come to know and trust from Tampa Palms Dermatology, which was founded 30 years ago by Ruth Hanno, M.D.

“Dr. Hanno built an incredible practice and, along with Kimberly Siders, they have established an excellent reputation in the community,” says Andrew T. Jaffe, MD, FAAD, who is the founder, CEO and Chief Medical Officer of Riverchase Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery. Riverchase was founded in 2000 in Naples, getting its name from the street where that first office was located.

In Tampa Palms, Dr. Hanno has retired from private practice and has shifted her focus exclusively to dermatopathology, while Siders has joined the Riverchase team and will continue to see her established patients and welcome new ones.

Siders has more than 10 years of experience. She started her medical career at the University of Florida in Gainesville, where she received a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Nutritional Sciences in 2003. In 2006, she earned a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Health Sciences/Physician Assistant Studies at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Philadelphia, PA, and began specializing in dermatology.

For Dr. Hanno’s former patients, the transition has been seamless. “My wife and I were previously patients of Dr. Hanno but (we) have been seeing Kim Siders for about a year and a half,” says Bob Dolan. “We both find Kim extremely thorough. She follows through very carefully if there are any issues during an exam.”

Bob also appreciates how quickly he gets in for his appointments, which are every few months. “I never have to wait more than 10 minutes from the time I get there until the time she sees me,” he says. “I’m out of there in a matter of 15 or 20 minutes.”

Elaine Stewart also is a former patient of Dr. Hanno’s who is now happily seeing Dr. Pothiawala. “You know how difficult it can be to change doctors, but I was so pleased,” she says. “She put me at ease right away. I’ve already recommended her to a couple of my friends.”

New & Expanded Services

The addition of Dr. Lombardi and Dr. Pothiwala to the office expands the offerings available to patients.

“Now, we have more services,” says Siders. “With Dr. Lombardi, we have a surgeon, so we don’t have to send patients offsite for Mohs surgery (Note-see below for an explanation of Mohs surgery and information about cosmetic procedures available at Riverchase Dermatology.)

And, Dr. Pothiawala does cosmetic procedures, so we can offer a lot more than we used to.”

Since Riverchase Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery acquired the former Tampa Palms Dermatology in March, the practice now offers cosmetic procedures, such as Botox and dermal fillers.

Dr. Lombardi specializes in Mohs surgery for skin cancer. He joined Riverchase Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery in 2016, after graduating in 2008 with his M.D. degree from Cornell University Medical College in New York City. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Physics from Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY, which he earned in 2004. His postgraduate medical training included Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and Stanford University Hospital in Palo Alto, CA. He also worked as a research fellow at Cornell University Medical College, studying the immune system of the skin. Dr. Lombardi then completed his residency in Dermatology at the Washington University School of Medicine-Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, MO, and also received extensive training in both cutaneous surgery and laser surgery.

“Mohs surgery is a method for certain skin cancers to be removed based on the type of cancer, how aggressive it is, or the location of it,” explains Dr. Lombardi. “The purpose is to make sure you get the entire cancer out with a high degree of accuracy, while taking the smallest amount of (healthy) tissue.”

He also explains that the procedure starts with him removing what is visible to the naked eye, then the patient waits while he checks that tissue under a microscope. He then takes additional tissue, if needed, and checks again. He says it takes a couple of hours — up to half a day — but patients leave knowing the entire lesion has been removed.

“It’s a very efficient way of clearing skin cancer,” Dr. Lombardi explains, saying that it is performed “anywhere the conservation of tissue is important,” especially on the patient’s face.

Claudia Candella recently saw Dr. Lombardi for this type of procedure. “He was very personable with a great bedside manner,” she says. “He was very concerned about getting it right.”

Dr. Pothiawala joined Riverchase in 2017. She completed the combined B.S./M.D. program at the University of South Florida in Tampa, where she earned a B.S. degree in Biomedical Sciences as well as her Doctor of Medicine degree in 2009. She then moved to Boston to study at the Harvard School of Public Health and received a Master of Public Health degree in 2010. Dr. Pothiawala then spent four years at USF, completing an internship in Internal Medicine and a residency in Dermatology, which she completed in 2014. She then moved to New York City, where she practiced for two years, before returning home to the Tampa Palms area.

“I was in a practice in Manhattan that was very focused on providing cosmetic services,” Dr. Pothiawala explains. “That was the majority of my work for those two years. The practice had cutting-edge technology and used the latest techniques. Some of that is now available at Riverchase, and some of that we’re going to add going forward.”

She says that some of those cosmetic procedures that are now available at Riverchase Dermatology, include Botox, injectable fillers and microneedling (a type of skin rejuvenation procedure that increases collagen and plumps and smooths the skin). “We are expanding our services,” she says, “so our office is a good place to come to take care of all of your dermatologic needs.”

Dr. Pothiawala says she also sees patients for their general dermatology needs, and expects that will continue to be most of her practice. However, she wants to be sure to get the word out that cosmetic procedures are now available at Riverchase.

“I think it’s really important to know that if you come to us for cosmetic procedures, you’re getting it done by a Board-certified dermatologist, who has been trained for years in this type of practice,” she says. “You’re going to someone who’s had formal medical training, as opposed to someone who’s just done weekend courses.”

Riverchase Dermatology in Tampa Palms is located at 15310 Amberly Dr., Suite 150. For more information, see the ad on page 41 or visit RiverchaseDermatology.com. To make an appointment, call the office at (813) 978-8888.

Riverchase Dermatology

SPOTLIGHT ON…Beach House Assisted Living!

When the Beach House Assisted Living & Memory Care (located on S.R. 56, a half-mile east of Mansfield Blvd.) opens in January, it will include 100 residences and will be Wesley Chapel’s first full-service assisted living and memory care facility.

“We’re bringing resort-style senior living to (Wesley Chapel),” says executive director Linda Mena. “It’s a very comfortable environment.”

She says it’s called Beach House because it is intended to remind people of fond memories of summers past.

“We are also building memories,” she says, “and want to help our residents make new memories.”

The residences vary from “alcove” apartments to two-bedroom, two-bathroom units. Right now, Beach House is accepting deposits to hold a spot in the new facility, and Mena says it is already about 30-percent occupied.

Of the 100 residences, 33 are specifically designated for memory care.

“We have an amazing memory care program called Heartfelt Connections,” she says, “celebrating what’s left and not focusing on what’s been lost.”

Amenities in the 93,000-sq.-ft. Beach House include restaurant-style fine dining, a movie theater, full-service beauty salon and barber shop, arts & crafts studio, shuffleboard, and a putting green.

“We have many beautiful outside courtyards, covered porches, and a lot of common area space for residents,” Mena adds, saying that the activities at the Beach House are chosen by the residents, as well.

“We don’t do cookie cutter activities,” she says. “We don’t just do BINGO. We have a preliminary schedule, but it changes along with the audience it serves. If no one wants to play BINGO, we’ll do something else.”

Mena adds that every aspect of care is designed to meet the needs of each individual person who chooses to call Beach House his or her home.

“We offer resident-centered, focused care,” Mena says. “From our dining menu to meeting (our residents’) clinical needs to socialization, we personalize every aspect for each resident.”

Mena invites people looking for assisted living for themselves or a loved one to visit the Beach House offsite sales office at 2754 Windguard Circle, Suite 101 (located across Bruce B. Downs Blvd. from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel) to see the current pre-construction promotions. For more information, call (813) 358-0554 or visit BeachHouseWiregrass.com.

Beach House Spotlight