Meet Dr. Katie Tulipano

Katie Tulipano, DMD

I am passionate about making real, genuine connections with patients. I find the most joy when I am able to help a patient with dental anxiety have a good appointment. It’s a personal goal of mine to try to get a true laugh out of each of my patients. Smiles can be faked, but it’s harder to fake a laugh!

I love teaching my patients that dentistry doesn’t have to be as terrible as they may remember in the past. My job goes beyond treating teeth; it also about creating experiences. Experiences are what can make it or break it for a patient to decide to take oral health seriously. I try very hard to bring a little fun to the experience but I am honest with myself: I understand that I’m a dentist, not Disneyland, and sometimes achieving tolerable is a really great thing too!

At the end of each day, I hope that my passion for dentistry was a little bit contagious and inspired my patients to be as excited about their oral health as I am.

Education and Continuing Education

I love learning, knowing WHY things happen, and being able to educate my patients to avoid future problems and fix current ones. This is where continuing education comes in. I participate in local study clubs, attend lectures, read dental journals and magazines, watch webinars, and participate in self-study continuing education. I find it so amazing how fast we can learn and share information. But that’s the awesome part: I know I will never get bored because there is always something new to learn, to improve upon, and to master! 

Dental conventions are so much fun, the highlight being the Hinman Dental Society Meeting in Atlanta. I’ve been to it nearly every year. One of the many perks to Atlanta is the Atlanta aquarium. They have whales there! If you’ve never been, it’s a very cool thing to go see.

Outside the Office

I was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. My family moved to Bradenton when I was in middle school and they still live in the area. When I bought Dr. David Leslie's office in 2018, I was so happy I found such a gem; it had been a goal and dream of mine for some time to own my own practice in Bradenton.  

My son Joey and I also live in Bradenton. Joey has been an amazing adventure: surprising me in so many ways I never imagined.  He is in the first grade and for now his favorite subject is music. However if there was a class on cars, that would be his favorite. Joey like his nana, loves everything cars. Fast cars, old cars, paper cars, sticker cars, even imaginary pretend cars. He is so creative! I love the time I get to spend with him just being mom.

I have animal babies, too: cats, dogs and cockatiels. They all get along very well, napping together and even playing together. These days they all have one thing in common, keeping up with Joey!

Story time before bed is a must in our home. We are typically joined by the dogs as bedtime snack foods seem to always make it to the floor =) Our current favorite read is The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne. I love all the bits of history and facts that are intertwined within the fantasy story.

I also love gardening. I have many flower and shrub gardens around the house. I find it very therapeutic to be out in the sunshine and working in the dirt.

Last but not least, I love to laugh. I love comedies; I like to watch stand-up on Netflix and periodically attend live shows at the Tampa Improv Comedy Theater and McCurdy’s in Sarasota.