Born missing six permanent teeth, Dr. Virginia Melmed experienced more dental work as a child than most experience in a lifetime. She saw firsthand how a beautiful smile transforms someone’s confidence. Twenty years later, that experience still shapes her philosophy.

At Hila Dental in Clearwater, Dr. Melmed believes dentistry starts with listening. Raised in rural Alabama, Dr. Melmed brings Southern warmth to patient care. Her approach is conservative and thorough, using digital scanning, CBCT imaging and AI-assisted radiographic analysis.

My Goal: To disrupt one of the most universally disliked healthcare experiences, which is visiting the dentist

“I’m building a different kind of dental practice: one that combines exceptional dentistry with an exceptional patient experience,” says Dr. Melmed. Dr. Melmed graduated cum laude from Vanderbilt University and earned her dental degree from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her commitment to volunteering has taken her to the Dominican Republic to perform implant surgeries and to Israel to provide dental care to underserved patients and survivors of terror attacks. She also participates in the VA Community Care Network.

Outside the office, Dr. Melmed is a wife and mother who volunteers at her children’s schools and cheers from the sidelines.