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Meet the North County Dental Surgery Center Team

The North County Dental Center administers comprehensive, compassionate pediatric dental care.

Serving San Marcos, CA, as the only ambulatory surgical dental center in North San Diego, we at North County Dental Care provide expert and compassionate dental procedures and top-notch general dentistry services. Our pediatric dentist is ready to help! We believe that a calming, patient-centered, inviting environment allows us to deliver high-quality care to ALL pediatric patients.
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Our Dentists

Pediatric Dentists

Marjan Rashedi, DMD

Dr. Rashedi is board certified by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. She has a degree in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology from UCLA. She graduated with honors from Boston University School of Dental Medicine and completed her General Practice Residency from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. From there, her lifelong desire to treat children led her to complete two additional years of specialty training in Pediatric Dentistry at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, a hospital consistently ranked in the top ten of all U.S. Children’s Hospitals.

More About Marjan Rashedi, DMD

Dr. Rashedi proudly serves as a staff member at Rady Children’s Hospital of San Diego. She has been recognized as a young leader in San Diego County and named a “40 under 40” by both the San Diego Metro Magazine in 2016 and the San Diego Business Journal in 2018.

A believer in lifelong learning, Dr. Rashedi is a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, California Society of Pediatric Dentistry, American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, American Academy of Dental Practice, American Business Women’s Association and American Society of Dental Anesthesiologists. In her spare time, Dr. Rashedi enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband and daughter.

Jaclyn Barrera, DMD

Jaclyn Barrera, DMD. is board certified by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of California, Irvine with a degree in Biology and specialization in Neurobiology. She earned her dental degree from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine.

More About Jaclyn Barrera, DMD

Her passion for pediatric oral health and education motivated her to pursue two years of specialized training in Pediatric Dentistry at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where she served as chief resident.

Jaclyn Barrera, DMD. is a member of the American Dental Association, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, California Society of Pediatric Dentistry, and the San Diego County Dental Society. During her spare time, she enjoys traveling, cooking/baking, being outdoors, volunteering with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and spending time with her family and friends.

Neehal Ghoniem, DMD, MS

Dr. Ghoniem has a degree in Psychology and Chemistry from the University of Miami. She graduated from Nova Southeastern University School of Dental Medicine and completed her General Practice Residency at the Veteran Affairs Hospital in San Diego. Her passion to advocate for and treat children led her to pursue pediatric dental specialty training at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, a dental school that is consistently ranked in the top five of all U.S. dental schools.

More About Neehal Ghoniem, DMD, MS

Dr. Ghoniem also received a Masters of Science in pediatric dentistry. Dr. Ghoniem is board eligible by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and will be completing her board certification by the end of this calendar year.

Dr. Ghoniem is a member of the American Dental Association, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, California Dental Association and the San Diego County Dental Society. In her spare time, Dr. Ghoniem enjoys running, traveling, hiking, and spending time with her friends, family and husband.

Kathryn Dardis, DDS

Dr. Kathryn Dardis is a board-certified pediatric dentist and a diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Miami University with a degree in Zoology. She went on to graduate from one of the country’s consistently top-ranked dental schools, the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, where she was class vice president as well as a curriculum committee student representative, and a member of the Scholars Program in Dental Leadership.

More About Kathryn Dardis, DDS

There she was recognized with the Donald A Kerr Award in Oral Pathology and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Predoctoral Student Award. Dr. Kate completed her residency in pediatric dentistry at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Dr. Kate is a member of the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the California Dental Association, and the San Diego County Dental Society. She is thankful to call San Diego her home for all the outdoor opportunities provided by our sunny climate. In her spare time, she loves to run, practice yoga, sail, hike, camp, and travel with her husband, friends, and family.

Shiva Mohazab, DDS

Dr. Shiva Mohazab became board certified through the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry in 2015. She is local to San Diego and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from San Diego State University. She then attended UCLA School of Dentistry for her Doctorates of Dental Surgery (DDS) and participated in several dental mission trips abroad. Her love for children led her to decide on pursuing a specialty and she completed an extra two years of advanced training in Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Puerto Rico.

More About Shiva Mohazab, DDS

Here, she was trained on dental management of young children, including special needs children, using both behavior management and sedation techniques. During her time in Puerto Rico, she became fluent in Spanish and grew a passion to serve the Spanish speaking community as well.

Dr. Shiva Mohazab is a member of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, College of Diplomates for Pediatric Dentistry, American Dental Association, California Dental Association and San Diego County Dental Society. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling with her husband, hiking, beach volleyball, deep sea diving, cooking, hosting friends and family and most of all salsa dancing.

Oral Surgeons

Nader Nasseri, DDS

Dr. Nasseri is a board certified Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon. His father being a dentist, he grew a passion for dentistry in his teenage years. He earned a Bachelors of Science from Portland State University in micro-molecular biology. He then attended the highly ranked UCLA School of Dentistry, where he earned his DDS degree.

More About Nader Nasseri, DDS

He also completed 2 years of advanced training in hospital dentistry and general practice residency at UCLA and the VA hospital in West Los Angeles, which made him realize his passion for Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. He was chosen to attend the University of Texas, Houston for his residency and trained at Texas Medical center, the largest medical center in the nation. His training included dento-alveolar surgery, implants, reconstructive surgery, anesthesia, trauma, reconstructive jaw surgery, & pathology.

He has participated in several humanitarian mission trips to aid in providing much needed dental care. He enjoys spending his spare time with his wife, traveling and exploring the world. Soccer is another passion of his and he enjoys both playing and watching soccer games from all around the world, especially European soccer!

Laura Pashkowsky, DDS

Dr. Pashkowsky is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and limits her practice to treating patient’s oral surgery needs. She was born and raised in sunny San Diego, CA in a small town called Tierrasanta. She studied Cellular and Developmental Biology at UCSB and graduated with magna cum laude honors.

More About Laura Pashkowsky, DDS

She completed her dental training at UCLA School of Dentistry and was inducted into the Omicron Kappa Upsilon honor society and received the California Dental Association Award. From there, she pursued her passion of surgery and was selected to complete a residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery at the University of Illinois, Chicago Hospital and Health Sciences System.

While there, she specialized in complex dental implant rehabilitation, bone grafting, wisdom teeth extractions, corrective orthognathic jaw surgery, microsurgical nerve repair, as well as completing medical rotations in internal medicine, anesthesia, trauma surgery, plastic/reconstructive surgery, surgical oncology, and pediatric surgery. While in Chicago, she was chief resident of the oral and maxillofacial surgery hospital team and was nominated as the hospital resident of the year.

Dr. Pashkowsky is a member of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, American Dental Association, and California Dental Association. In her spare time, Dr. Pashkowsky enjoys traveling, painting, and spending time with her husband and daughter.

Our Anesthesia Team

Dr. Sharmin Haque, MD

Dr. Sharmin Haque is a board-certified anesthesiologist. She completed her anesthesia residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City and her pediatrics fellowship at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC. S

More About Dr. Sharmin Haque, MD

Since then, she has enjoyed taking care of both adults and children in private practice for various surgeries and anesthetics. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, biking and spending time with her family.

Shannon Granger, DO

Dr. Granger is a board certified, fellowship trained pediatric anesthesiologist and has specialized in taking care of pediatric patients since completion of her fellowship in 2015.

More About Shannon Granger, DO

Dr. Granger attended UCSD for her undergraduate degree while playing soccer for the Women’s team, which required much dedication in order to maintain a qualifying GPA for medical school entrance. She then went on to A.T. Still University for medical school finishing with honors.

Dr. Granger then completed her medical residency at Riverside County Regional Medical Center. During her time at Riverside she excelled in the treatment of patients and because of her leadership she was selected as the Chief Resident her 4th and final year. A great honor bestowed upon the resident that has good clinical decision making skills as well as effective communication and interpersonal skills.

Once Dr. Granger graduated she was selected prior to the match to attend one of the top Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowships in the country, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She spent one year in Cincinnati focusing solely on taking care of pediatric patients including weeks of pediatric dentistry cases.

Upon graduation from fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Dr. Granger accepted a position at Valley Children’s Medical Center. Valley Children’s Medical Center is well known for excellent patient care focused only on taking care of the Valley’s children.

While there Dr. Granger performed 1,000’s of anesthetics, many of which were dental cases. The last several years Dr. Granger moved to San Diego to be closer to family and has been practicing at both Palomar Medical Center and commuting to Valley Children’s Hospital monthly to continue care of pediatric patients. Dr. Granger has a passion for taking care of children and loves the fact that she is able to offer high quality anesthesia to children needing dental work.

Scott Gillin, MD

Dr. Gillin is dual board certified in anesthesia and pediatric anesthesia. He completed his anesthesia training at University of California San Diego and a fellowship in pediatric anesthesia at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

After working at Rady Children’s Hospital from 2002-2019 he decided to help form a group of physician specialists to provide hospital grade anesthesia in pediatric dental offices.

Patrick D. DeMars, MD

Dr. DeMars is a board-certified, fellowship-trained pediatric anesthesiologist who has specialized in the care of children for over 35 years. He received his medical degree from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis in 1981 and served in the United States Navy for 18 years.

More About Patrick D. DeMars, MD

He served in Desert Shield/Desert Storm and was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal for meritorious service. He completed residencies in Pediatrics and Anesthesiology at Naval Regional Medical Center in Virginia and completed fellowships in both Pediatric Anesthesia and Pediatric Critical Care at Vancouver Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia.
Dr. DeMars practiced at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego for over 20 years where he served as Director of pediatric resident education for both the Naval Hospital San Diego and University of California San Diego residency programs in anesthesia.

In addition, he started the first sedation service for children with cancer undergoing painful procedures as part of their cancer therapies and lobbied the California legislature to allow reimbursement for those procedures. Dr. DeMars developed a world-recognized Center of Excellence in Pediatric Pain Management at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. He served as Chair, Department of Pediatric Anesthesia at Shriners Hospital for Children in Spokane, Washington, and served on staff at St. Jude’s Research Hospital for Children in Memphis, Tennessee.

In all his hospital-based practices, Dr. DeMars has had extensive experience performing dental anesthesia for children. Since 2016, has practiced exclusive mobile office anesthesia for pediatric dentists. In 2018, Dr. DeMars decided to start up his own mobile pediatric dental office anesthesia business in San Diego, California, based on the idea of providing pediatric anesthesia expertise to pediatric dental patients in need, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, or financial background. His company is called Pediatric Office Anesthesia Specialists.

Andre Pinesett MD, MPH

Dr. Andre Pinesett received his bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of California, Irvine, and later received his Master’s in Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles. He obtained his medical degree from Stanford University and completed his anesthesia residency at the University of California, San Diego.

More About Andre Pinesett MD, MPH

He prides himself on making patients and their families feel comfortable and cared for and strives at all times to provide the highest-quality and safest care possible.

When he is not working in the pediatric dental office setting, he is practicing anesthesia at the VA Medical Center in La Jolla. He enjoys spending time in the pool and at the beach with his wife and 2 children.

Theresa Pham, DDS

Dr. Theresa Pham is a Dentist Anesthesiologist who resides in Southern California. She grew up in Switzerland and Southern California. Dr. Pham graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in General Biology with a Visual Arts minor from The University of California San Diego and a Doctorate of Dental Surgery from The University of Michigan School of Dentistry at Ann Arbor.

More About Theresa Pham, DDS

She then completed her General Practice Residency at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine/Cambridge Health Alliance. After 10 years of General Dentistry in her own private practice in San Diego, Dr. Pham moved to NYC to complete a three year Dental Anesthesia residency at Jacobi Medical Center. Dr. Pham’s primary goal is to provide hospital quality mobile intravenous sedation and general anesthesia for adults, children, and special needs patients.

Her focus is on both safety and comfort and the reduction of fear and anxiety in the dental setting. Dr. Pham brings hospital/surgery center quality monitoring equipment and high safety standards to the dental office. She can help make dental care safe, comfortable, and easy for you, your child or a loved one who has challenges receiving dental care. Dr. Pham is BLS, ACLS, and PALS certified and available for coverage in all of Southern California. In her spare time, Dr. Pham enjoys staying fit by working out and running. She enjoys hiking, traveling, trying different cuisines, snowboarding, and hanging out with friends.

Registered Nurses & Dental Assistants

Su Jung Joung, R.N, B.S.N

Su Jung is a Board Certified Registered Nurse. She graduated from West Coast University with a degree in Bachelor’s of Nursing. She received such awards with Norma Ford Scholarship by meeting outstanding academic requirements.

More About Su Jung Joung, R.N, B.S.N

Her passion in nursing led her to continue with her Master’s Program to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. She loves working as a pediatric nurse and plans to work with children after completion of her graduate studies. In her spare time, Su Jung enjoys cooking, hiking, spending time with her family, and trying out new restaurants.

Erika Pacheco RN BSN

Erika is a Board Certified Registered Nurse. She graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in Bachelor’s of Nursing in 2020.

More About Erika Pacheco RN B.S.N.

She was drawn to nursing in her passion to help patients understand their health needs. She loves working with children and helping them feel comfortable before any treatment. Certifications that she has obtained include base life support, advanced cardiovascular life support, pediatric advanced life support, and safe sedation. In her spare time, Erika loves trying new foods, hanging out with friends, and spending time with family.

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Hours

Monday—Friday: 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Saturday & Sunday: Closed