Meet Our Dentist in Vista, CA

I grew up in San Diego and have lived here most of my life. I earned my Bachelor of Science Degree in the field of Physiology from UCSD, then attended the prestigious USC School of Dentistry, where I was trained by some of the world’s most prominent dentists. Upon graduating from USC in 2006, I returned to beautiful San Diego and have been practicing dentistry in North County. After 10 years of practice in San Marcos, I moved my practice to the neighboring city of Vista, in April 2016.

Dentistry is my true passion in life. I have attended countless hours of post-graduate training in the fields of cosmetic, implant, and reconstructive dentistry. I take great pride in my clinical experience and enjoy being able to offer all phases of dentistry from the most basic procedures to complex cases that require comprehensive reconstruction. I also enjoy passing on the knowledge that I gained over the years to students at USC, in my role as part-time clinical faculty.

Relationships are very important to me, and I am proud to say that I still serve my very first patient. My aim is to serve you for the next 20 years by providing an ethical and caring family atmosphere, and the highest quality of dental care.

I am especially grateful for my staff – from Keri, my wonderful assistant of many years; to Barbara, our hygienist who has been with the practice for 40 years; to Sharlene who will take care of all your scheduling and insurance needs–we are all here to make you feel at home.

Flora participated in the dental assisting program at Palomar College, graduating in 2000. She became a back-office RDA for years before transitioning to the front office. Her many years in that position helped her prepare patients for all dental procedures and to ease anxiety. She joined the practice in October of 2021. She appreciates how we treat all our patients like family at Melrose Dental Arts and how we have a fun, hardworking team. Flora enjoys thoroughly explaining all the necessary dental treatment and insurance coverages with patients.

Flora has been married for 27 years, and has a son, a daughter and two dogs. In her free time, she enjoys taking her dogs to the beach, seeing live music and traveling around the world to see new places.

Lauren graduated from Foothill Community College with her degree in dental hygiene and joined our team in 2023. She enjoys being part of a small family practice, and works hard to help each patient receive dental education specific to their needs so that they can make informed decisions about their care.

Lauren and her husband, Mike, have one son, Keaton. Mike owns a dental lab, and Keaton is a firefighter in Tennessee. Lauren also has two dogs: a bull terrier named Haney and a rescue dog named Muller.

Jessica received her bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene from West Los Angeles College. She joined Melrose Dental Arts in September of 2021, and enjoys working with everyone at the practice as a close-knit team. She feels confident about bringing her friends and family here knowing they will receive excellent care. Jessica cares for all her patients and strives to educate and help them to achieve and maintain a healthy smile.

Jessica has been married for 23 years and has three teenagers. In her spare time, she likes to read and spend time with her family.

Raquel became a part of our team in July of 2021. She likes the people she works with and how Melrose Dental Arts is a private practice. She and her husband, Miguel, grew up in Vista next to the ocean, and have been married for 22 years. She is the mother of three amazing grown boys (Miguel Jr., Mario and Isaiah). In her spare time, Raquel loves to work out every day of the week and enjoys traveling and exploring different parts of Mexico. Whenever she is not working as a dental assistant, she dedicates her time to providing eyelash extensions.