Patient Information

In the summer of 1960, Dr. John L. Coker, Jr., having been in practice in Jacksonville for one year following his residency in Oral Surgery in Philadelphia, moved to Gainesville to set up practice. At that time, there were no dental specialists in Oral Surgery in the Gainesville area, and he was received with some trepidation as the local dentists had been doing most of their own surgery. They would have referred difficult cases to Jacksonville. Because of that, Dr. Coker felt there was a need for a good oral surgeon in Gainesville, Florida, and he was certainly ready to fill that need with great capability.

He practiced alone for 12 years until Dr. Randall B. Caton joined his practice in July of 1972. Drs. Coker and Caton practiced together for 11 years until Dr. Coker’s retirement in 1983. Just prior to his retirement, Dr. Cesar Keathley, a graduate at the University of Florida and Oral Surgery Residency at the University of Virginia in Richmond, joined the practice for one year. He left to open his practice in Clearwater, Florida. After being in solo practice for a number of years after that, Dr. Caton was joined by Dr. Robert Fox in 1989. Dr. Fox left to create his own practice in 1992. Dr. Caton practiced alone, opening a new office in the Crown Pointe office complex in 1996. In 1998, Dr. Glenn N. Taylor, Jr. (best known as JR) joined Randy Caton in the practice of surgery. Dr. Taylor brought a wealth of knowledge and experience from his very wonderful training at the University of Florida College of Dentistry, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. In the late ’70s and early ’80s, the name of the specialty was changed from Oral Surgery to Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. This name change better describes the scope of our practice which includes the entire upper and lower jaw regions, jaw joints, and sinuses.

JR and Randy have been privileged to be partners together since 1998 and have been blessed to bring Oral Surgery services to the Gainesville and surrounding areas.