Our services
Complete care, from cleanings to full-arch implants.
Everything from your six-month cleaning to advanced implant surgery, under one roof, with a doctor who shows you what she sees and explains every option.
Dental implants · Our specialty
The tooth replacement that preserves the teeth you have.
Dr. Michaels placed her first implant in 2000 and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry, a board certification held by only about 800 dentists worldwide. Whether you’re missing one tooth or all of them, implants are what she does best.
- Single-tooth implants
- Multiple missing teeth
- Full arch: upper, lower, or both
- Implant consultations & second opinions
A titanium root with a crown, standing on its own.
- ✓Stands on its own, preserving the teeth next to it
- ✓Floss normally, just like a natural tooth
- ✓Titanium can't get a cavity
- ✓Helps maintain your other teeth for the long run
Why we usually recommend an implant
Bridges and partials were great when they were all we had, and there are still times they’re the right call. But when an implant is possible, here’s what each option means for your other teeth.
Bridge
Uses the teeth on each side for support, with a crown on each and a replacement tooth in between. Those supporting teeth are shaped to hold the crowns, and floss is threaded underneath to keep the area clean. A well-maintained bridge can serve you for many years.
Partial
Clasps onto your remaining teeth and comes in and out of your mouth. It's a flexible, affordable option, and because it leans on the teeth that hold it, we'll keep a close eye on them over time.
Implant
Stands alone, like the root of a natural tooth, with a crown on top. It leaves the teeth beside it just as they are, it's titanium so it can't decay, and you floss it like any other tooth. It's the option that best preserves your natural teeth, and over time it's often the most cost-effective.
Oral surgery & grafting
Building the foundation an implant needs.
Here, these procedures are planned on our in-office 3D CT scan and performed by a gentle, board-certified implantologist. Experience often opens up solutions, so we’ll look at your scans together and explore what might be possible.
Extractions, with or without grafting
When a tooth has to come out, we can place a bone graft in the socket at the same visit. If you're planning an implant, it preserves the bone the implant needs. If you're planning a bridge or partial, it prevents the hollow spot underneath that traps food.
Sinus augmentation
Upper back teeth often sit just below the sinus, with too little bone for an implant. By gently lifting the sinus membrane, we create room for new bone. It's one of the most successful grafts in implant dentistry.
Ridge splits
When the jawbone ridge is too narrow, we can carefully widen it so an implant fits, often avoiding a separate grafting surgery.
Soft-tissue & autologous grafts
Using your own tissue, we can rebuild gum and bone where it's thin or receding, for a healthier foundation and a more natural look.
Biopsies
If something looks unusual, we can take a small sample right here and get you answers, without a referral and a second waiting room.
Cosmetic dentistry
You’ve waited years for this smile. It should be right.
Remaking a smile is a real investment. Many offices take impressions and accept whatever the lab sends back. We add steps, so your final smile is one you’ve already seen, tried, and approved.
Design it first
We design your new smile digitally or on models. You see it, and we make changes before anything is made.
Test-drive it
Hard temporaries let you live with the shape and length. Something feel off, or bother you when you chew? We adjust it now.
Love the final
Your final porcelain: glazed, glowing, and exactly what you approved. You know what you're walking into.
Teeth whitening
Three ways to whiten. One we’d choose for ourselves.
Light touch-ups only
Whitening toothpaste
Mildly abrasive pastes remove some surface stain, but they can't change the color of the tooth itself.
Hit or miss
In-office light whitening
Some people get amazing results. Others find it too sensitive, or don't get the shade they wanted, after spending a lot on one appointment.
Our recommendation
Custom take-home trays
You're in charge. Feeling sensitive? Skip a day. It costs less than in-office whitening, the trays last 15 to 20 years, and refills run about $100 for three or four tubes of gel.
General dentistry
The everyday care, done right.
Excellence isn’t saved for the big procedures. Every cleaning, filling, and crown gets the same standard, and the same honesty about what you actually need.
Thorough, gentle cleanings
Unhurried hygiene visits with digital X-rays and an exam you can watch on screen.
Honest deep cleanings
Scaling and root planing is sometimes truly needed. Think of shocking a pool: it only helps if you maintain it afterward. If we recommend one, we'll show you why and give you the maintenance plan that keeps you from needing another.
Tooth-colored fillings
Natural-looking restorations that blend in with your smile.
Crowns for cracked teeth
A crack is hard to believe until you see it. With a video exam, you'll see exactly what we see before deciding on a crown.
Bridges & partials
Implants aren't right for everyone, every time. When a bridge or partial is the better fit, we'll tell you, and do it well.
Loose teeth & dentures
Missing or loose teeth, or a denture that won't stay put? We have solutions, including implant-supported options.
Video exams
Watch your exam on screen as it happens. See the crack, the cavity, or the healthy tooth for yourself. It's your choice, never required.
3D cone-beam CT
In-office 3D imaging lets us plan implants and surgery precisely around your bone, nerves, and sinuses before we begin.
All-digital X-rays
Fast, comfortable digital radiographs with clear images we review together, right in the chair.
Dental emergencies
In pain? Call us first.
We work to get emergencies in right away, and most of the time we can. Our goal is to treat you that same day, not just take a look and send you home. If more time is needed, we’ll keep you comfortable and get you back within a few days.
Straight answers
Questions people are afraid to ask
Excellence in Dentistry Carrollwood is at 13930 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 4, Tampa, FL 33618, in the Carrollwood area of Tampa. Call 813-962-2400 to book a visit.
Yes. Dr. Polly T. Michaels welcomes new adult patients, including second-opinion and emergency visits. Call 813-962-2400 or request a consultation online and the office will call you back.
Yes. Dr. Michaels is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry, a board certification held by about 800 dentists worldwide. She is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, a Fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, an Examiner for the AAID Credentialing Board, and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the University of Florida College of Dentistry's Department of Periodontics. She has placed implants since 2000.
When an implant is possible, it is often the most conservative long-term choice because it preserves the neighboring teeth. A bridge is supported by the teeth on each side, and a partial clasps onto nearby teeth for support. An implant stands alone like a natural root, can't decay, and is flossed like any other tooth. We'll walk through every option together so you can choose what fits you.
There are often options. Bone and gum grafting, ridge splits, and gentle sinus augmentation (one of the most successful grafts in implant dentistry) can build up the foundation an implant needs. A consultation and 3D scan let us look together at what might be possible for you.
Sometimes. Think of it like shocking a pool: it helps, but only if you maintain it afterward. If you aren't given a maintenance plan, you end up shocking the pool over and over, which gets expensive and stops helping. If we recommend one, we'll show you why on screen and walk you through the upkeep that keeps you from needing another.
Custom take-home whitening trays are the option we recommend most. Whitening toothpaste only lifts light surface stain, and in-office light whitening works well for some people but is too sensitive or underwhelming for others. With trays you're in control (feeling sensitive? skip a day), it costs less, and the trays can last 15 to 20 years. Refill gel usually runs about $100 for three or four tubes.
You'll meet Dr. Michaels herself. She sits down with you, uses photos or video so you can see what she's describing, and takes the time to explain your options. Second opinions are welcome, before or after your visit.
Usually, yes: call 813-962-2400. The office works to get emergencies in right away, with the goal of treating you that same day rather than just taking a look. If more time is needed, they'll keep you comfortable and get you back within a few days.
Ready to see what’s possible?
Book a consultation and sit down with Dr. Michaels herself. We'll show you what we see and explore every option together.