Your team at Your Business

Three dentists, four hygienists, one fish.

The same humans every visit. Most families see the same dentist for years. Here are all of them, with the fun-fact bios our front desk wrote about themselves at staff lunch.

The three dentists.

All three are board-certified pediatric specialists. Two of them have kids of their own. One of them has a parrot.

Dr. Anika Patel

Dr. Anika Patel

Founder & pediatric dentist
DDS · University of Michigan · Pediatric residency, U Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital

Anika opened Your Business in 2018 after eight years at a larger pediatric chain where she felt the appointments were getting shorter and the kids more anxious. She's the lead dentist for first visits and for any patient under age 4. Calm voice, slow hands, and the patience of someone who's met every species of toddler.

Fun factHas memorized every Bluey episode through Season 3 because of her own kid.
Dr. Erik Johansson

Dr. Erik Johansson

Pediatric dentist · Special-needs lead
DDS · Marquette · Pediatric residency, Children's Hospital Wisconsin

Erik leads our special-needs program and our older-kid (8+) caseload. He's the dentist most teens ask for, partly because he's six-four and they think he looks like a hockey coach. He'll make sure to remember they're playing forward this season.

Fun factCoaches U-12 girls' hockey on weekends. Two daughters who are skeptical of his dad jokes.
Dr. Lia Okonkwo

Dr. Lia Okonkwo

Pediatric dentist · Sedation lead
DDS · Howard · Pediatric residency, Boston Children's Hospital

Lia joined Your Business in 2022 from a hospital-based pediatric program. She's our sedation expert and handles complex cases — kids with extensive cavities, fearful kids who need oral conscious sedation, and our occasional hospital-based general anesthesia coordination. Bilingual in French and English.

Fun factOwns a parrot named Cricket who can say "open big!" Highly disturbing on a Monday morning.
The whole team

The whole crew

Front desk + hygiene + assistants
11 humans, ages 23–61, average tenure 4.2 years

Three hygienists, two dental assistants, two front-desk coordinators, an office manager, and the dentists. We've kept turnover low by paying well and only hiring people the kids would want to spend 45 minutes with. Read more about each below.

One commitmentThe same staff member you meet at intake is in the room for the cleaning. We don't hand kids off mid-visit.

The hygiene & front-desk team.

The people you'll actually see most. Our average staff tenure is over four years.

Sasha

Sasha L.

Lead hygienist

Five years with Your Business. Specialty: getting nervous 5-year-olds to laugh in under 3 minutes. Two beagles.

Marcus

Marcus W.

Hygienist

Came over from a general practice in 2021. Patient hands. Excellent at the X-ray small-talk during the bite-wing seconds.

Becca

Becca H.

Hygienist · Special-needs trained

Our quietest, gentlest team member. Most of our sensory-sensitive families request Becca specifically. Loves cats.

Mia

Mia R.

Dental assistant

Started in 2023 fresh from her certification. Patience of a saint. Knows every Pokémon name and uses them to distract.

Joaquin

Joaquin V.

Dental assistant · Bilingual

Bilingual in Spanish and English. Triathlete. Will hand-deliver fluoride varnish like it's a Michelin tasting course.

Tina

Tina M.

Front desk · Insurance lead

The one who'll save you on your insurance claim. 14 years of dental billing. Ask her anything; she's heard it before.

Karim

Karim S.

Front desk · Scheduling

The voice on the phone when you call. Remembers kids' names by year two. Sneaks dog treats to the office goldendoodle.

Diane

Diane K.

Office manager

Our north star. Has been in pediatric dentistry since 1997. Will personally walk a complaint to whoever caused it.

Three things we won't compromise on.

If a corporate dental chain ever calls trying to buy us, these are the three reasons we say no.

01

Time, never rushed.

A first visit is 45 minutes. A cleaning is 30. A filling is 25 per tooth. We don't compress these. The minute we start, the kid stops trusting us.

02

No "treatment plans" for fake cavities.

If your insurance allows it, we'll do it. If we don't actually see decay on the x-ray, we won't drill. Period. We get our incentives right.

03

Same humans, every visit.

Three dentists, four hygienists, average tenure four years. Your kid will see the same people repeatedly. That's the whole job, mostly.

Come meet the team.

Or call ahead — we'll match your kid with the dentist whose vibe lines up best with theirs.

Book first visit