Dr. Larry Kawa earned his degree from New York University in 1991 and his specialty certificate in Orthodontics and Dento-facial Orthopedics from New York University in 1993. He also earned a Bachelor of Arts in biology from Brooklyn College in 1987. He is a dual Board Certified Orthodontist, having been Board Certified by the National Board of Orthodontics. He did a thesis on cleft palates and craniofacial anomalies and their respective treatments. An emphasis in his training in his post-graduate studies was placed upon orthognathic surgery and complex interdisciplinary cases. He also spent a year in implant training and placement at New York University as well.
He is a member of the American Dental Association, Florida Dental Association, South Palm Beach County Dental Association (where he has served on the board of trustees), Broward County Dental Association and Southern Association of Orthodontists.
Dr. Kawa has also been a continuing education provider for the Florida Board of Dentistry since 1994 and has contributed to the dental community by sponsoring a complimentary study club for both dentists and their staff. He is also closely involved with the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts and the Haven (a home for abused and neglected children). The Florida Panthers (where he has served as the official team orthodontist since 1997), Bartons Boosters (program of underprivileged children), and the National Childrens Dental Health month project.
Dr. Kawa is a second generation orthodontist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where he attended Brooklyn College and graduated with honors in 1987. He has a working knowledge of both Spanish and Portuguese. He lives with his wife, Virginia, in West Boca Raton. He adores both his son, Michael, and daughter, Niki, and hopes they one day share his passion for orthodontics.
Jay C. Taylor ' My wife Jennifer received braces from Kawa Orthodontics and we could not be happier with the results. Not only are her teeth now perfect, they were able to complete in less time then they originally thought and for less money then their competitors. Thank you to the entire Kawa team for making our experience one that will be unforgettable! We highly recommend them.'
Enrique Mendez 'Incredible location for orthodontic, it 's an amazing place, every child would love being there and the adults too. Incredibly kind and knowledgeable staff, always going out of the way to satisfy the parent or the patient.'
Cindy Hilliard Steadman 'Great! Clean and Professional. Alissa was always in her comfort zone and never worried or scared. So much to look at to keep her mind well occupied. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND to my family and friends.'
Dr. Lauren Gerkowicz grew up in Orlando, Florida. After high school graduation, Dr. Gerkowicz started her educational journey that allowed her to live in cities all around the US. She attended Northwestern University in Evanston, IL where she received her Bachelors degree in Anthropology. She then went on to receive her dental degree at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, MA. While in dental school, Dr. Gerkowicz served as the Community Service chair for her class for three years, was actively involved in dental education research and represented Tufts at the ADEA conference two years in a row, and served as a teaching assistant in her group clinic. During dental school she also met her husband, Sean, who is an endodontist.
For orthodontic specialty training Dr. Gerkowicz attended the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN where she received her Masters degree and certificate in orthodontics. Dr. Gerkowicz's Masters thesis was on mandibular ramus heights in patients with unilateral posterior crossbite.
Dr. Gerkowicz loves hiking, traveling, going to concerts, cooking, and doing anything with family and friends. She is happy to be back in her home state and is ready to enjoy the warmth again after a long stint up north!
Dr. Morales earned her specialty Certificate and Master of Science in Orthodontics at Seton Hill University for Orthodontics in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. She brings 5 years of experience in private practice and is also fluent in Spanish. Dr. Morales was also Chief Resident at New York University Langone Medical Center, Trauma Center from 2014 through 2016.
Dr. Morales has also volunteered on Jamaica Dental Mission trips in 2013 & 2014. She has also volunteered at Give kids a smile in 2013 & 2014. Her hobbies include Boxing, Cross fit, traveling and spending time with family and friends.
Reviews
Rating 4.5 out of 5 based on 446 reviews
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newest oldest highest lowestLucy Donis
a year ago
(Translated by Google) I am satisfied with the work and the attention with my husband and my son very kind all the staff very professional thanks for the best smile on the face of the clients (Original) Estoy satisfecha con el trabajo y la atencion con mi esposo y mi nino muy amable todo el personal muy profesionales gracias por la mejor sonrisa en el rostro de los clientes
Katrina Anderson
a year ago
Staff is very welcoming
Amy Steiger
a year ago
Highly professional and friendly place! An amazing facility! Alan returns calls within 5 minutes! He is AWESOME.
Yuliana Taborda
a year ago
Amazing service
latosha miller
a year ago
It's just OK! Don't like the fact that I was waiting so long. I was about to leave the room and the Dr. Was standing there talking. Having me to wait. Huh I don't know! Then she made it seemed like they were talking about patients. Boo who! SOMETIMES You just don't know! "Consultation" is all I wanted .......:/
Mariluz Guerrero
a year ago
Beautiful place and doctors very professional. I definitely recommended.
Ai Pham
a year ago
Came here for braces years ago. The service was good, no complaints. Fast forward almost 9 years later came back for wisdom teeth extractions. WORST service ever from Fatima Endres. She had to submit pre-approval for wisdom teeth. Kept calling her and never calls back "always with a patient." Pre-approval was sent to her a few days after submission, called my insurance they said they've sent several pre approvals and yet still no call back from her to set up appointment or anything. Will be taking my business elsewhere. Approval sent back 7/25 and not a word from the office
Silvia Ennis
a year ago
Love the atmosphere...the people are great and great customer service
Sherprieska Estefon
a year ago
First time patient, Hands down the most aesthetically pleasing dental office with all the fish tanks! I love the under the sea theme. Biggest kudos to ALISA (Oral Surgery Manager) made sure i was comfortable, very numb, and explained the process to me before hand. She did an excellent job with calming my nerves before a tooth extraction. Dr Michael Digney hands down 100% best Oral Surgeon! Dr was a very kind man, knowledgeable, explained step by step while doing tooth extraction, and got it pulled out in less than ten minutes with no serious pain! I am very satisfied. I even ran into Jason F in the hallway who treated me with royalty by politely moving out of the middle of the hallway and letting me exit first. I didn't like the document I signed before the procedure ; it made me 100x more nervous but i do understand it is needed from a business standpoint to avoid any lawsuits. Big thank you to Ms Vicky working behind the scenes, getting me on the schedule right away, and good customer service. Thank you Kawa Ortho.
Vernell Moncrief
a year ago
Very clean. Professional workers. Friendly. No long wait time.
ashley barrett
a year ago
I love this place. There is never a long wait and it's beautifully decorated. The staff are very informative, nice and professional. I definitely recommend this orthodontist office!
Mery Morales
a year ago
(Translated by Google) I love it that place they always serve us super well and fast (Original) Me encanta ese lugar siempre nos atienden super bien y rapido
Renata Ruzian
a year ago
Everyone there is kind and polite.
Mishel K
2 years ago
Dr.Digney was referred to me by my primary dentist for the extraction of one wisdom tooth. The coordinator Ana, surgical assistant Lisa, Anthony, and Dr. Digney were all amazing. His entire staff was incredibly accommodating, kind and reassuring. Dr.Digney is not only personable and approachable, but his expertise makes you feel very confident in his work. During the initial consultation he was very thorough; he answered all my questions before I even asked them. He went through every detail with me about my wisdom tooth, including how he would remove the tooth, where the sutures would be placed, and he discussed in detail about the tooth's location and its proximity to the nerves. I don't remember much the day of the surgery, because I was sedated - I just remember exchanging pleasantries with him. He ended up personally calling me later on the same day, presumably towards the end of his shift, to ask how I was doing. He is a very compassionate surgeon who prioritizes patient care. I called Ana about 3 times and each time she was amazing, knowledgeable and accommodating. She helped me schedule the appointment for the day that I wanted and she helped me pick up the prescriptions in time. She always got back to me either the same day or next day. She was also very sweet! She was reassuring and let me know it was OK to take my time to get the procedure and that I could wait, I'd just have to let them know so they could start battling it out with my insurance company when I did decide. Lisa is the surgical assistant who I met the day of the surgery. She was VERY sweet and her energy helped me feel very calm. She kept asking if I had any questions about what she was doing and she was constantly explaining everything which helped ease my nerves. I very much appreciated her help. I believe she also brought me out to the car and went over care instructions with my mom. I called the office over the weekend and left a voicemail on a non-urgent question and she called me back first thing in the morning on Monday. She is amazing! I interacted with Anthony briefly, he also was in the surgery room and was the one who sedated me. He was very kind and also helped ease my nerves as he also spoke out-loud about everything he was doing. I would 1000% recommend Dr.Digney. The fact that he even includes his personal number in the post-care instructions shows that he is readily available and devoted to patient care. I was also very appreciative of his follow up phone call the day of the surgery. During my follow up visit he was super sweet and I was reassured by him once again. About my surgery itself, I only had one partially impacted third molar and I did not have any complications. I barely needed the pain killers prescribed, just mostly took OTC Ibuprofen. I didn't suffer at all and I think this has a huge part to do with Dr.Digney's skill. Overall, Dr.Digney's staff and team are incredible and hardworking! I'd highly recommend them for oral surgery, but YMMV on orthodontics here.
Wisner Jean
2 years ago
Kawa Orthodontics is number one in south Florida. Their staffs are very friendly and experienced. Go visit them to see yourself.
Abraham Monzon (Rahambajo)
2 years ago
I'm really satisfied with the final results. Thanks to all Kawa team for this amazing job
J Rod
2 years ago
Got stabbed in my mouth 3 times with two different objects (both sharp and hard enough to make me bleed) mouth still hurting 3 hours later seem as if the woman didn't know what she was doing from start to finish my worst experience ever at this orthodontist from all other best appointments I had. Terrible. Hope I never receive her again.
Diana R
2 years ago
The service here is terrible. All they want to collect is their money and go on about their day. You are never seen by the same person. Kawa only sees you on your first visit and then it's like trying to set an appointment with the president I was told 4 years ago that is anything happened to my retainers where they don't clip it would be taken care of. My teeth have not shifted and I called and the lady at the desk said "they changed the life time policy cause nothing lats forever and it's a cheap plastic". I do not recommend anyone to go here they were making "space" in between my teeth and that's when Dr. Barbosa hand slipped. He never informed me I would have accepted a mistake it wasn't until I got my braces removed that I saw I had a huge whole back there. When I mentioned it to him he denied it I had a second opinion where the Dr personally reached out to Dr Barbosa and informed him he messed up and he couldn't believe it.s
Julia Shust
2 years ago
I went here to remove my wisdom teeth 3 weeks ago. What should've been an easy extraction, turned out to be a real hell. Dr.Digney damaged my lingual nerve and my tongue is now has a constant burning and numbness. It is very painful to talk and to eat, and it's impacting my work. My surgery was on Friday. When I called on Monday to see why I have this pain, the doctor never called me back. I went there on Friday and all he said it's a wait and see for 3-6months. I am very disappointed since I thought I was getting a professional service especially at what they charged.
Annette Mitchell
2 years ago
I have the best dentist Midalia. Excellent gentle and very passionate about her work and toward her patient. Excellent worker.
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