Meet Our Dental Team

Making your family part of our dental family.

Smiles Associates

Click on each image to read our bios.

Vanessa, DAADOM

Office Manager

Vanessa, DAADOM

Office Manager

Vanessa Escobar is a seasoned dental operations leader with over 13 years of experience in practice management, finance, operations, marketing, and patient experience. She grew up in Central Florida and graduated from Cypress Creek High School in 2004. She later attended Florida State University, earning a Bachelor of Science in International Affairs with a minor in Business Administration in 2009.

Vanessa has been with Winter Garden Smiles since its pre-opening in December 2011 and currently oversees the finance, operations, and marketing for both Winter Garden Smiles and Winter Garden Pediatric Smiles. Known for her strong leadership style and patient-centered approach, Vanessa is dedicated to elevating patient experiences while mentoring dental professionals and building high-performing, people-focused teams.

A passionate advocate for leadership and professional growth in dentistry, Vanessa is the Founding President of the Central Florida Chapter of the American Association of Dental Office Management (AADOM). In 2024, she was inducted into the DAADOM (Diplomate of the American Association of Dental Office Management) program—one of the highest national recognitions awarded to elite dental office managers.

Vanessa is actively involved in her community and has contributed to organizations such as Lambda Theta Alpha, the Central/North Florida Alzheimer’s Association, Leadership West Orange (Class of 2013–2014), Voci del Cuore, the Garden Community Choir, and her neighborhood social committee.

Outside of the office, Vanessa enjoys spending time with her husband Ricardo and their children. She is a dog mom to Zero and enjoys singing, traveling, discovering new restaurants, visiting theme parks, and indoor cycling.

Chenelle, FAADOM

Assistant Office Manager

Chenelle, FAADOM

Assistant Office Manager

Chenelle has been in the dentistry field for over 14 years. She loves meeting patients and making a positive impact in people’s lives, starting with a smile. Chanelle is also involved in the local community and volunteers.

Outside of the office, she enjoys supporting her kids during their extracurricular activities, taking family trips, and indulging in adventurous activities with her husband.

Jazmin, FAADOM

Treatment Coordinator

Jazmin, FAADOM

Treatment Coordinator

Jazmin was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, and completed her dental assistant degree at Everest College in Skokie, IL, in 2009. She’s been a dental assistant for twelve years and is now the treatment coordinator at Winter Garden Smiles.

In her free time, she enjoys walks on the beach, meeting new people, helping family, and spending time with her two daughters.

Samantha

Marketing Coordinator

Samantha

Marketing Coordinator

Samantha grew up in the Winter Garden area and worked as a dental assistant after graduating from Lincoln Technical Institute. For several years, she worked as the lead dental assistant/pediatric dental assistant at our practice. Then, her role transitioned into a marketing coordinator.

Outside of the office, Samantha enjoys trying new restaurants, traveling, spending time outdoors or at the beach, and being with family and friends.

Kendra

Billing Coordinator

Kendra

Billing Coordinator

Kendra has been in the dental field for the past four years and has fallen in love with the field. Kendra graduated with her bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Central Florida and enjoys spending free time with her family and friends. Her favorite hobbies are cooking and shopping. Kendra is so happy to be a part of the Winter Garden Smiles team and can’t wait to meet you!

Stephanie

Business Coordinator

Stephanie

Business Coordinator

Stephanie was born and raised in Orlando, Florida, and graduated from Freedom High School in 2019. After HS, she attended Valencia Community College for 2 years, where she got her associate’s Degree in General Studies directly connected to UCF, where she attended for 2 years, getting her bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice. She is on track to going back to school starting in 2025 for her Masters Degree.

She enjoys having an active role in her church. Where she is the leader of the Youth and Young Adults ministry, Throughout her career, she has been in ministry school to become a Pastor.

During her time off, she loves to play sports, be outdoors, go to the beach, go on road trips, and spend time with the people she loves.

Keerah

Business Coordinator

Keerah

Business Coordinator

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, I have been in the dental field for over 11 years, beginning my career as a dental assistant. I chose dentistry because of my passion for helping people improve both their health and confidence. Outside of the office, I enjoy working out, trying new foods, and spending quality time with family and friends.

Jennifer

Treatment Coordinator

Jennifer

Treatment Coordinator

Born and raised in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela, Jennifer moved to Florida to study medical office administration and quickly fell in love with dentistry. With over 13 years of experience in the field, she works as a Treatment Coordinator at Winter Garden Smiles, where she focuses on patient communication, scheduling, and creating smooth, positive treatment experiences. Jennifer finds great fulfillment in helping patients while supporting the dental team each day.

Outside of the office, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her daughter at the parks—including theme parks—and making memories with family and friends

Dental Hygienists

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Michelle

Hygienist

Michelle

Hygienist

Michelle is from Kissimmee, Fl. She has over 15 years of experience in the dental field and graduated from Valencia CollegeThis link opens a new tab to the Valencia College website with her Dental Hygiene degree in 2006.

What Michelle loves about being a dental hygienist is educating her patients to achieve the best oral health and treating them like part of the family! On her free time, she enjoys spending family time with her two children, traveling and cooking.

Sarah

Hygienist

Sarah

Hygienist

Sarah graduated with her associate degree in dental hygiene from Valencia College in 2017 and is certified in administering local anesthesia. She loves educating patients about oral health and believes the best remedy is prevention.

In her free time, Sarah enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons, going to the beach, traveling, watching movies, and cooking.

Kellee

Pediatric Dental Hygienist

Kellee

Pediatric Dental Hygienist

Kellee was born and raised in the beautiful state of Florida. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Tennessee. With more than 18 years of experience in dental hygiene she enjoys every minute of making people feel great about their smile. She loves helping people feel better about themselves through education and a sense of humor. When Kellee isn’t cleaning teeth you can find her gardening, playing with her dogs or hanging out with family and friends. She lives by the quote from Frank Sinatra, “when you’re smiling, the whole world smiles with you.”

Paola

Dental Hygienist

Paola

Dental Hygienist

Paola is originally from Guatemala, where she earned her dental degree in 2014. In 2015, she moved to Miami and began working as a dental assistant, continuing to build her experience and passion for patient care. In 2017, Paola relocated to Orlando, where she further pursued her career in dentistry and became a dental hygienist in 2019. Paola chose dentistry because of her genuine desire to help others. She believes in caring for her patients as whole individuals, not just focusing on their oral health but also building meaningful relationships and supporting their overall well-being and that of their families. Outside of the office, Paola enjoys visiting Disney parks, exploring new restaurants, and traveling with her family.

Dental Assistants

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Brittney, FAADOM

Clinical Manager

Brittney, FAADOM

Clinical Manager

Brittney is local to Winter Garden, FL, and graduated from Central Florida Institute with her dental assistant degree in 2013. She is also a phlebotomist as of 2019, and maintains her certifications with continuing education courses.

Outside of the office, Brittney enjoys spending time with her family and loves the great outdoors.

Edna

Pediatric Dental Assistant

Edna

Pediatric Dental Assistant

Edna recently joined the Winter Garden SmilesThis link leads to Home page team, but she has been in the dental field for over a decade now.

Her goal as a dental assistant is to make her patients feel comfortable and content. Edna does her best to assure that her young patients have a positive experience so that they are eager to come back regularly.

Jessica

Dental Assistant

Jessica

Dental Assistant

Born and raised in Cuba, Jessica has been living in Florida for the past eight years.

She brings five years of experience as a Dental Assistant and chose dentistry out of a genuine desire to work closely with patients while contributing to their comfort, health, and overall experience in the dental office.

Andrea

Dental Assistant

Andrea

Dental Assistant

Andrea Mata is a Dental Assistant with a strong passion for dentistry. She is currently a student at the University of Central Florida, working toward her goal of becoming a dentist.

Andrea enjoys helping patients feel comfortable and confident during their visits and is enthusiastic about continuing to learn and grow within the dental field.

Christian

Dental Assistant

Christian

Dental Assistant

Christian is very active and grew up around sports and wrestling. He enjoys working in dentistry because it allows him to help many patients each day and contribute to building their confidence through their smiles.

Being part of this team has helped Christian grow both personally and professionally, and working as a Dental Assistant continues to challenge him to learn new skills and improve every day.

My visit to Winter Garden Smiles was excellent. The staff most of all are very attentive. They are very well organized and trained. The new building location and layout is welcoming and the practice is using all the latest dental and medical equipment.

- Randy B.