Pediatric Dentist Lands in Old Woody's Bar-B-Q Spot

Palm Coast New Business

If your kid turns into a full-blown negotiator every time a dentist appointment comes up, you're not alone. A new office on Flagler Plaza Drive is betting that's a problem plenty of local families are dealing with.

Anchored Smiles Pediatric Dentistry just opened a pediatric dental and orthodontic facility in the old Woody's Bar-B-Q building in Palm Coast, and it cut the ribbon Thursday, Oct. 29. A place that used to be all about smoked meat now handles kids' teeth and orthodontics. I love seeing a solid commercial building get a second life instead of sitting empty with a for-lease sign in the window.

The practice had been seeing kids on Fridays before moving into the dedicated space. Lydia Ankrom, who spoke at the ceremony, moved to Palm Coast in 2013 and says her family spent years driving their kids to Jacksonville for dental care. She says kids around here were getting sent to Jacksonville, Daytona, or an hour away. The office runs five days a week, focuses on easing kids' fears (they even have an emotional support dog named Junior), and includes open treatment areas, private rooms for kids with different needs, and modern digital equipment.

Kids around here were getting sent to Jacksonville, Daytona, or an hour away just to see a dentist.

The bigger idea is the planned Shine Bright program, which would bring free dental care to underserved children in Flagler County. Volunteer dentists would work four Saturdays a year to handle cleanings, extractions, and treatment for kids in pain. The start date hasn't been announced yet. Dr. Keith Blankenship, who co-owns the practice with Orthodontic Specialists, said the new site complements the existing office on the other side of Palm Coast and gives this side of town a place of its own.

For buyers, this is the kind of detail that makes a neighborhood feel finished. Families with kids often ask how far they'll be driving for the dentist, and having pediatric and orthodontic care close by can tip the scales on a home. For sellers on this side of town, it's a feature worth mentioning, because a home that's a short drive from good family services usually gets more attention from parents who are house hunting.

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Original reporting: Observer Local News, “Anchored Smiles Pediatric Dentistry celebrates grand opening with Palm Coast ribbon cutting - Observer Local News”.