I try not to have to write too many of these business feature stories anymore because, after 24 years of owning and editing the Neighborhood News, I’ve written so many stories about (for the purpose of this story) doctors and dentists of all specialties that it’s hard for me (or anyone, really) to approach each story with a fresh perspective.
So, why I am I so deliriously happy to write this story about Farina Orthodontic Specialists, which recently opened an amazing new office on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., just north of S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel?
Because, quite honestly, I will always feel personally indebted to orthodontist Mark Farina, D.M.D. (Doctor of Dental Medicine) because not only did he truly transform the smiles of both of my sons, he showed my entire family his heart. He didn’t just ask the boys questions when they would visit during the years they wore braces, he genuinely cared about what they had to say and still can recite back information about both of them to me today, 15+ years later.
First, a little background about Dr. Farina’s schooling and training. He earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Biology from Boston College in Boston, MA. He earned his D.M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in Philadelphia and did his post-graduate orthodontic training at New York University in New York City, NY.
He also has received advanced training in the integrated diagnosis and treatment of temporomandibular joint pain, or TMJ, and has served on research teams at both New York University and the University of Pennsylvania to help find new and better ways to solve orthodontic problems.
He also participates in Continuing Education to stay up-to-date on the latest breakthroughs and most effective innovations in the industry and attends more than 80 hours of professional seminars so that he may bring the most advanced diagnosis, treatment and technology to my patients.
Mark started advertising in my publications way back when he only had his original offices — on N. Habana Ave. in West Tampa and an office he shared in the Palm Lake at Tampa Palms office building with oral surgeon Dr. Ted Grellner. He continued to promote his business in these pages when he and general dentist Dr. Rodney Holcombe built a new office in the professional plaza adjacent to what is now called the Shoppes of Amberly in Tampa Palms in 2000.
He did eventually take something of a hiatus from advertising with me a few years after he had transformed Jared’s crossover canine teeth and Jake’s giant “Chicklets” into the gorgeous smiles both still have today. Why? Quite honestly, his Tampa Palms office was already so busy he really couldn’t handle more new patients.
Enter: Dr. Rudy Wagner
When you talk to Mark about his wife, Lissette (who handles the marketing for his practice, which now has three offices) and his own sons, Stefano and Sergio, you will believe he cares about you and your children the same way he cares about his own family. He doesn’t just appreciate your business. He feels it is his honor and privilege that you have entrusted something so precious to any parent as your child’s smile to him and he will always take the time to ensure they end up looking the way you expect when he finishes his work.
So, even though neither of his sons took an interest in becoming an orthodontist, Mark’s nephew, Dr. Rudy Wagner, who was born in the U.S. but raised in Puerto Rico, did decide to become a dentist. The always-smiling Dr. Rudy joined Mark in 2015, after graduating with his D.M.D. degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine in San Juan, where he also earned both his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Biology and his Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Dental Sciences.
Dr. Rudy also did post-graduate work at Lehigh Valley Hospital, in Allentown, PA, where he had a general practice residency, and his post-graduate orthodontic training at the University of Puerto Rico.
The New Office
Due to the overcrowding at his New Tampa office — he says that he and Dr. Rudy have now helped improve 20,000 smiles the last 24 years — and wanting to expand into the booming Wesley Chapel market, Mark and Lissette purchased some property from the Porter family three years ago in the Wiregrass Ranch area, between Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC) and the also-new Florida Medical Clinic building.
And, a few weeks ago, the unique, cube-shaped building housing the new Wesley Chapel office of Farina Orthodontic Specialists opened on the 5,333-sq.-ft. first floor of the three-story, 16,000-sq.-ft. building. Mark says a periodontist and an endodontist are going to occupy the 2nd floor of the building, but he still has the 5,333-sq.-ft. third floor available. “It has amazing views and would be perfect for an injury rehab center or any professional use.”
He adds, “It’s crazy, but we’re already seeing 20-30 patients a day at the new office,” Mark says. “Of course, this office is twice the size of the one in Tampa Palms.”
New digs require new technology and there’s no doubt that Mark’s new office has the most incredible technology I’ve seen at a dentist’s office to date — and I’ve seen a few.
There is a digital X-ray machine that takes complete, 3D images of your mouth, jaw and all of your teeth in 4.8 seconds, with lower radiation than any traditional X-ray machine.
But, the most amazing thing to me at the new office was the new digital machine (above right) that can create custom-fitted molds of your mouth for braces or sleep apnea appliances without having to chomp down into trays covered with goop. I know I’ve choked on that goop before, so I wasn’t surprised when Mark told me that, “People throw up from the goop all the time. But, not only is the new machine easier for patients, the digitally-created molds we make are so much precise than the goop. And, with our new machine, it only takes a few minutes.”
Think You’ll Save Money With ‘Smile Direct?’ Think Again!
Mark and Dr. Rudy agree that orthodontists across the country currently are dealing with the public perception that it’s worth the initial lower investment to get invisible aligners from on-line companies like Candid and Smile Club Direct. But, they say people who choose that route for themselves or their children don’t understand how much having an experienced orthodontist not only create your appliances, but make sure that everything is going according to plan by actually meeting with the patient every few weeks, is worth.
“Mark and I literally spend one day per week working with patients who have had bad experiences with online aligners,” Dr. Rudy says. “Having to fix a problem is much harder and costs more than coming to us first.”
In other words, if you want to transform your smile or your child’s, you should at least visit the new Farina Orthodontic Specialists office in Wesley Chapel.
And, if you like the analog clock on the side of the new building, you can thank Stefano Farina. “People remember a building with a clock on it,” he told his dad. “It’ll set you apart.”
Farina Orthodontic Specialists’ Wesley Chapel office is located at 2370 BBD Blvd., Ste. 100. For info, call (813) 964-3081 or visit FarinaSmiles.com. For the Tampa Palms office (15303 Amberly Dr., Ste. E), call (813) 972-2929 and please tell them the Neighborhood News sent you!
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