Santa Clarita & Palmdale Pediatric Dentist – Adventure Dental

Santa Clarita

Meet Our Team

Gentle & Caring Pediatric Dentists

Meet Our Team

At Adventure Dental and Orthodontics, we are committed to providing our patients with the highest quality of care possible.

Learn more about our staff here!

team, Meet Our Team

Dr. Amy Monti

Pediatric Dentist

Bio

Dr. Monti has been living in Southern California since 1988, earning her bachelor and D.D.S. degrees from UCLA. She completed her residency in Pediatric Dentistry in Boston at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Boston Children’s Hospital. She currently lives in Valencia with her husband, Ryan, and children, Joseph and Elizabeth. She enjoys exercising, attending Dodger’s games, and cheering for the UCLA football team.

Dr. Monti is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American and California Dental Associations, California Society of Pediatric Dentistry, and Southern California Society of Dentistry for Children.

Dr. Shandra Pepper

Pediatric Dentist

Bio

A native of Southern California, Dr. Pepper graduated from UCLA in 2003 with an undergraduate degree in Physiological Sciences. She loved UCLA so much that it is where she chose to earn her dental degree. Somehow tired of the sunshine and warm weather, Dr. Pepper next moved to Boston, where she completed her pediatric dental residency at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Because Dr. Pepper always wanted to serve her hometown community and be close to family and friends, she happily returned to the Antelope Valley.

Dr. Pepper now lives in Palmdale with her husband Christopher, an aerospace engineer, their son Theo, and two rescue cats. She loves country music, going to the gym, In-N-Out, and, of course, rooting for UCLA. Go Bruins!

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team, Meet Our Team

Dr. Thais Soares

Orthodontist

Bio

Dr. Soares wanted to become an Orthodontist since her teenage years, when she was a patient herself. She was inspired by the positive changes of her new smile on her life and wanted to be able to provide the same.

Dr. Soares was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she graduated from Dental School in 1998. She completed a Master’s Degree and PhD in Orthodontics in 2001. Following her dreams, she moved to the United States and completed a three-year Residency in Orthodontics at the UCLA School of Dentistry and became a Board Certified Orthodontist and a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics.

Dr. Soares stays on the cutting edge of the latest advancements in Orthodontics through continuing education and teaching activities. Besides private practice, she has taught at several schools in Brazil and was a volunteer lecturer at UCLA. She enjoys her weekends with her husband and their 3 year-old daughter going to parks, riding bikes, hiking and enjoying the outdoors.

Dr. Vivian Yee

Pediatric Dentist

Bio

Dr. Vivian Yee is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and is a Southern California native. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychobiology with honors from UCLA. She then received her dental degree from Harvard School of Dental Medicine and her certificate in pediatric dentistry from USC and Miller Children’s Hospital. She is currently an attending at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Being a pediatric dentist has also given her the opportunity to provide dental care to orphans in Cambodia and advocate for children’s oral health in Washington.Dr. Vivian is a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Dental Association, and the California Dental Association.

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In her free time, she loves exploring cities through food with her fiancé, hiking, cooking, and visiting kids at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles with her rescue pup, a therapy dog at CHLA.

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Dr. Josh Ely

Oral Surgeon

Bio

First and foremost is patient care, and everything else is secondary. My goal is to provide uncompromising care, while still having the patient feel comfortable and confident. I believe this goal can be reached through open communication and active discussion.

Professional Position:
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon

Education:
UCLA School of Dentistry

Professional Membership:
President of UCLA Apollonian Society 2013
President of UCLA Alpha Omega 2014
American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS)
American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (ABOMS)
California Association  of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (CALAOMS)

 

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Jessamayn Ratzlaff

RDA

Jessamyn lived in Santa Clarita for most of her life but recently moved to Lancaster. She is happily married with two children, Aurora and Robert. She started her career in general dentistry but now says that she is so happy working with kids that she can never imagine going back.
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Michelle Duren

RDA

Michelle spent her early years growing up in Simi Valley but has spent most of her life in the Antelope Valley. She graduated from Highland High School but she won’t say when. She attended the RDA program at Clarita Career College. She is very happily married and has two children, Hayle and Austin. She enjoys hanging out with family and friends in her free time. When she isn’t cheering on her kids at one of their sporting events, she is out at the Angels’ games cheering for them.

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Kelsey Davis

Patient Care Coordinator, RDA

Kelsey grew up in the Santa Clarita Valley and graduated from Saugus High (go Centurions!) and Charter College. She has been a dental assistant for the past six years and loves all aspects of dentistry, especially pediatrics. In her free time, Kelsey enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.

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Frances Jimenez

RDA

Frances has worked as a dental assistant since 2001. She grew up in the San Fernando Valley, and moved to Palmdale in 2004. Frances has 5 daughters and enjoys spending time with her family playing baseball, going to amusement parks, riding fast roller coasters and travelling.

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Megan Braun

RDA

Megan grew up living in Quartz Hill, and graduated from Quartz Hill High school. Megan started dental assisting in 2015, where she worked with both adults and children. On her days off she enjoys hiking, camping, and spending time outdoors.

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Diana Sanchez

RDA

Diana grew up in the Santa Clarita Valley and graduated from Valencia High School. She started Dental Assisting in 2014 working with children and adults. She enjoys spending time with her family and going for walks with her children Camila and Westley.

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Donna Binder

Office Manager

Donna has lived in Castaic for 20 years with her husband Fred, daughter Alexa and her dogs Rigby and Ellie. She has worked in the dental field for 9 years where her passion is working with kids. When not working she enjoys spending time with her family, camping and watching football.

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Karla Pineda

Patient Care Coordinator

Karla grew up in the San Fernando Valley and now resides in Palmdale with her husband and son, David. She’s been working in the dental field for the past 5 years and has been with Adventure Dental and Orthodontics since 2015. On her days off, she enjoys spending quality time with her family, going out to eat, watching movies and traveling.