Dr. Raymond Santa-Cruz

Members of the community, Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce and family of Dr. Raymond Santa-Cruz, attended the ribbon-cutting of his second dental office, Cruzin’ Dental, in Port Charlotte on April 10. 

What sets Santa-Cruz apart from many is beside providing dental care to the public, he also provides care for members of the military as part of the U.S. Naval Reserves Dental Corps. He deploys in June for three weeks as a commander in the Naval Reserves Dental Corps.  

Santa-Cruz left active duty as a Naval flight officer but continued serving in the Reserves. 

He opened his first dental practice in Lehigh Acres in 2020 and became known throughout the region. Cruzin’ Dental’s motto is to make “dentistry as relaxing as being on a cruise.”  

As his Lehigh Acres practice grew, he decided to open a second practice in Port Charlotte at 220 Kings Highway. 

Cruzin’ Dental provides cleanings, dentures, botox/dermal fillers, oral sedation, veneers, inlays and onlays. The Port Charlotte office is open Tuesday through Friday, and the Lehigh Acres office is open Monday through Friday. 

A native Floridian, Santa-Cruz received his undergraduate education at the U.S. Naval Academy where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Systems Engineering. 

After graduation from Annapolis, he completed flight school and earned his wings. After nearly a decade of military service and several overseas deployments, he resigned his active-duty commission and enrolled at the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry. 

There, he won several academic awards, was elected to his school’s ethics committee and served as president of the student dental association. 

After graduation he moved back to his home state and began his general dentistry practice. 

In 2020 Santa-Cruz earned a Masters of Health Administration remotely from Florida International University and is continuously expanding his education. 

He is known in the area for his volunteer work with Meals on Wheels and Toys for Tots.