Dr. Thomas Edward Stakem, MD

Extremely rude front office staff. Would never let a practice operate on my family member with people who treat you this way. They are too busy to have time to answer any questions or help anyone.

Rude staff. Never saw Dr Stakem. I am sure he is a good Dr because I had many referrals.

Referred for tooth extraction. Done swiftly, minimum discomfort and NO issues afterwards. Totally satisfied with the professionalism of all members of the staff.

Was 12.. TWELVE. Minutes late due to traffic. That it. Only 12 minutes. My son was getting 4 wisdom teeth removed. I walk in to tell them we’re here and the front lady said “we have no time for anything!! Let’s go. Your late and there’s no time” they rushed my son back there who was nervous to begin with. And when I tried to tell the doctor he was nervous, and scared, and to please go light on the anesthesia. He said “no , no, you can’t tell me what to do because you were LATE! You basically came in here and SPIT all over my schedule, no respect.” And walked away!!!!!! I’m sorry but I was only 12 minutes late, not 30, and as a mother I was trying to talk about the procedure and let him know how nervous my son was. And he didn’t care one bit. Never go here.

My primary dentist referred me to Dr. Stakem’s office for extraction of a painful abscessed tooth. I was denied medical care by the front office staff, was spoken to in a demeaning tone by a staffer member, and felt that my health took second place to admin concerns . Background info: My week-old bitewings and panoflex xrays were emailed from my dentist to Dr. Stakem’s office before I arrived. Upon check in, I was asked to sit for another xray. When I asked if there was anything wrong with the emailed xrays, I was told no. My understanding of the justification provided was that another xray was standard for all patients to ensure compatibility with Dr. Stakem’s admin system. The previously emailed xrays were jpegs, which I believe to be the most common digital image format. Although bitewings yield low radiation dosage, any exposure represents a health risk and I therefore believe it is prudent to limit all xrays to the minimum necessary for the medical procedure. With my… current xrays verified to be on hand, I did not perceive sufficient justification for a redundant xray, so I respectfully asked for an exception. The response was that the xray would be free of charge to me, has very low radiation, and any exception would require the express permission of Dr. Stakem. I then respectfully reiterated my request. I waited in the lobby while the staff member went in the back, ostensibly to speak with Dr. Stakem. When I saw her next, the answer was that there were no exceptions- it was office policy. I would either submit to a health risk that I perceived as unnecessary, created by their apparent admin system deficiencies, or I could find my dental care elsewhere. Throughout this dialogue, I thought the staff member presented herself as overly assertive but still reasonably professional. She next asked me about my concerns regarding the proposed xray. As I began to explain, another staff member that had not been involved began talking down to me in a disrespectful tone, while attempting to interrupt me by speaking over me at increasing volume. I was astonished that a representative of a medical establishment would act in such an immature and unprofessional manner and I took that as my cue to leave. I've never met Dr. Stakem but I think this incident reflects poorly on his practice and I will not be back.

I was referred by a friend who spoke very highly of Dr. Stakem. So, I went for my initial visit to have a tooth extracted that was broke off at the gum. I was put to sleep, tooth pulled and out in no time at all. Later that night I received a phone call from him checking to see how I was doing. He was fantastic and the entire office staff was phenomenal. I highly recommend him for any work needed.

Anytime I need work done in my mouth I get a bit anxious. Needing to have a molar pulled was no different. The office staff was very friendly. Dr. Stakem removed the tooth in under 3 minutes after warning me it may be a somewhat difficult extraction; the roots were very close to my sinus and were grabbing on for dear life. Afterwards I experienced no pain or swelling. Back to work the next morning. I would change there practice of collecting payment before the work is done. That is not very professional. All in all I am pleased with my experience.

Dr. Stakem is great. However, his office manager is Fleming Island is extremely rude and unprofessional. When I arrived for surgery, she told me there might be an issue with my insurance, which I realize is her job. However, I was already anxious about having anesthesia and our engagement was so wildly inappropriate I almost walked out. When I asked her for a few minutes to calm down she told me I was acting like a little child. She raised her voice and talked over me in front of other patients in the waiting room. It was a humiliating experience that went on for over 10 minutes. She was so confrontational and all of this came from a mistake that her office made. I am still in shock with the way she dealt with me. I have never been spoken to like that before. My 70 year old aunt who was driving me for my procedure said she's never seen anything like it. I would highly discourage anyone from going to this practice as long as she is employed there.

He is the most gentle caring oral surgeon I have ever known.

very professional and pleasant. You will sense a desire for excellence in the team's patient care.