Dr. Karen received her doctorate degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry in 2006. She is exceptionally proud of the strong education received at UMKC-SOD and the confidence it brought her in pursuing further hospital-centered training as she continued her post-doctoral training in a General Practice Residency program at Jacobi Medical Center, as well as her specialty in Pediatric Dentistry at St. Barnabas Hospital. Her training was extensive in Preventive & Restorative Care, Growth & Development in interceptive and comprehensive orthodontic treatment, Behavior Guidance & Desensitization to include oral, IV and IM sedation care and Trauma Management of Primary thru Permanent Dentitions.

Dr. Karen received her Board Certification in 2009 and her final achievement of recognition as a Diplomate in Pediatric Dentistry from the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry after sitting for her oral exam before a committee of examiners in 2010. Since then, she has renewed this Diplomate certification, required after 10 years.

Dr. Karen practiced as a Pediatric Dentist for a year in Stamford, CT and Queens, NY before her big move to Washington, DC in 2010 where she married and has grown to raise her family of three children!

When not in the office, Dr. Karen is thoroughly involved in the numerous activities that our area so graciously offers to her young family! She is dedicated to spending quality time with her husband and their three children. They are often found at various local playgrounds and sports fields, local fairs, events, museums, spray parks, hiking trails, sports adventures, camping and venturing into nearby towns!

Dr. Karen is an outdoor enthusiast! As soon as she leaves the office, you can be sure to find her enjoying the fresh air during her hobbies of gardening, running, kayaking, paddle boarding, skiing, hiking, cycling as well as her love for parties. Dr. Karen truly enjoys organizing dinner parties, outdoor fire pit gatherings, dancing, interior design, cooking, baking, reading, culinary delights and enjoying fine arts from the Kennedy Center to museums and all music offered in between! But most of all, Dr. Karen loves the BEACH! She is often heard saying, Take me to the beach!, to which her children enthusiastically agree and venture about with her. Dr. Karen is blessed to have three children and a husband willing to enjoy the same love of spontaneity in road trips that she does. She truly believes in enjoying every moment life has given you and to enjoy only the best of company!

It is with tremendous enthusiasm that Dr. Karen Benitez has opened Chevy Chase Pediatric Dentistry to bring her knowledge, experience and enthusiasm for Pediatric Dentistry to the Washington, DC area!

Dr. Babak graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology and a Doctorate of Dental Surgery. He continued his studies at the Loma Linda Dental Anesthesiology program a two-year post-doctoral certification program.

Our superhero dental anesthesiologist admittedly does sometimes rest from all his hard work helping our littles receive their optimal dental care. After successfully practicing dental anesthesia in California for eight years and safely treating thousands of patients, he and his wife decided to move to the Northern Virginia area.

Dr. Babak enjoys his adventures throughout Northern Virginia with his wonderful wife and their two children. He enjoys the beauty and serenity of local wineries. When he is unable to make his way back home to visit Californias Napa Valley, he has his own escape within reach!

Our practice is blessed to have such exceptional team members.Everyone is cordial, kind, welcoming and genuinely caring. Dr. Karen is proud of her team and works hard to make sure they all have fun times together between all the hard work. Come meet and hear how we all met.The journey here is always a story indeedone with happy endings!

Our office is delighted to introduce to you our fabulous dental team! They are the ones to greet you and extend your visit through the office, including our fun domino wall toy, spotting your name featured for your first visit with us on our Hello Darling! welcome wall. Our office is designed for your littles in their choices to complement their visit with us each and every time. Our team members help your littles personally make their experience all about them from selecting from our many toothpaste flavors, fun costume sunglasses to their colorful toothbrush and their happy air smell!

Many families have come to know and love Ms. Youie as a versatile and talented team member! She has grown with our practice from dental assisting to now managing the office. This big role involves organization, insurance knowledge, communication skills and charisma. Lauryn, the Office Manager that Dr. Karen started her office with, filled these big shoes in amazing ways and now has passed the baton with her exceptional training to our lovely Ms. Youie.

You are sure to love Ms. Youies enthusiasm, radiant smile, and charm as she is involved in every step of your dental visit with our team. Ms. Youie is knowledgeable and reassuring as you are likely to know. She wears her superhero cape with grace as she helps support all aspects of our office. Many families adore her and support her as we are all involved in her aspirations of studying dentistry and a fine dentist she will be! Not only will Ms. Youie be the voice you hear when you give us a ring, but you will be pleased by her proficiency and spirited laugh!

Ms. Youie lays her CCPD superhero cape to rest in the evenings only to put on her superhero cape in her continued studies! Ms. Youie is an exceptionally bright young lady, currently completing three graduate-level courses in Biomedical Engineering all with a smile on her face! She is an avid lover of exercise and a lover of ice cream (yum!). She is surrounded by her lovely family and friends in the area where she enjoys the great outdoors (minus the bugs), exercising daily, exploring as a food connoisseur, and visiting music venues and art exhibits!

Ms. Maika was the first dental hygienist Dr. Karen had the privilege to work with after opening her office. It has been so much fun over the years that now Ms. Maika has joined us consistently and we could not be happier! Originally from the great Northwestern state of Oregon, Ms. Maika has made the DMV her home since 2015. She was a nanny for a local family for many years until she was accepted into the Dental Hygiene Program at Fortis College. Since graduation, she has practiced in General Practice, Periodontics, and the best specialty, Pediatric Dentistry. In these clinical environments, she has grown her clinical proficiency in dental hygiene and is a master with the kiddos! Ms. Maika is exceptionally sweet and has a wonderful sense of humor.

Like the rest of our superhero team, even she needs to rest her cape in the evenings. Fun Fact: Ms. Maika was a Caps cheerleader and our office is proud to don her holiday ornament photo! Ms. Maika enjoys volunteering her time with the Special Olympics cheer program, playing with her dog and enjoying Korean BBQ (yum!) with her other half! Ms. Maika has been an exceptional addition to our practice and all our patients adore her as well.

Ms. Laurie is absolutely a delightful addition to our already amazing hygiene team. She is cheerful and gentle with our littles. Ms. Laurie is an exceptionally talented and experienced dental hygienist. Ms. Laurie is home grown! She grew up in the field of dentistry as her father was an endodontist in the local community. You and your littles are sure to enjoy her laughter and her ease in the art of conversation. She is genuine, fun, caring and for this and so much more, we all adore her!

As a true superhero, she carries on in her absolute wonderful fashion to be a wonderful and committed mother to her beautiful teenage daughter. We cheer her on and support her in enjoying all that the teen years bring to her and her daughter as they enjoy high school activities, sports and much needed family time. Ms. Laurie is very engaged and familiar with the sport of swimming, as this is her daughters preferred sport. She herself lives a hugely active life of running and is always happy to join us in a fun office run supporting various charities. She is surrounded by good friends and a community that she is immersed in. Ms. Laurie is a blessing to our lives in her truly happy spirit and her vibrancy to enjoy all moments to their fullest!

Ms. Jujus interest in dentistry started with close friends and family who are in the field. She particularly enjoys working with kids because they remind her how amazing and exciting the world can be. Children encourage her to use her imagination and find creative ways to engage them. She adores watching children learn and grow it is central to her character to watch them flourish!

All superheroes have the night off and she is no exception. When she lays her cape to rest it is because she is happy to join her family and friends nearby to shop and spend quality time together. Ms. Juju grew up in the area and is happy to be a key member in childrens oral health for her local community!