Wanda has over 28 years of experience in the dental field and has been in our office since February of 2016. She is knowledgeable about many dental procedures and enjoys educating patients, answering questions, and calming their fears . Wanda is Nitrous Oxide and sedation certified. She strives to do her best to make patients feel comfortable which is a great reward for her. Patients experience this calm feeling and enjoy our office's soothing environment during treatment.

Wanda delights in changing smiles and changing lives through dentistry. She is trained in correcting smiles through Invisalign, implant treatment, and CEREC digital dental crown technology. Through those skills, she is a patient advocate and enjoys the challenge of creating financial plans to help patients reach a smile goal. She builds patient relationships with her bubbly, positive personality and radiant smile.

Wanda loves to travel, dine out, and spend time outdoors. She values quality time with her husband, Gary, their three children (and a future son-in-law), and furry baby, Koda. Family, friends, baking, reading and camping are her treasures.

She works on operatory set-up, maintains sterilization of instruments and does maintenance throughout the office. Tami has advanced CPR training as well as training in Sleep Apnea. Outside of the office, Tami can be seen riding in her vintage BMW where she says convertible hair-dont care! As a mom and grandma spending time with family (this includes time spent with her tea- cup yorkie ) is very important to her. When she sits and watches her favorite movie, she is watching The Notebook. You may catch Tami eating often at the Cheesecake Factory or in line at Starbucks where she is ordering a white, mocha-latte, no-whip, skimoh, and a shot of ESPRESSO, please!

In 2013, Casey joined our practice as a lead chairside assistant. In addition to assisting, she sterilizes and maintains dental equipment, tools, and treatment areas, and assists in keeping the office clean and tidy. She is CPR-certified and has training in Sleep Apnea.

Casey enjoys expanding her education especially with new, innovative technology that makes our patients feel comfortable while having treatment. She relates well to patients of all ages and enjoys meeting new faces and getting to learn about them as well as their families. Casey has a tender touch and uses her skills to educate patients about needed treatment before, during and post-operatively.

Away from work, she loves spending time with her husband, Jeremy, and her fur baby, Sam. She enjoys shopping and baking desserts (her cookies are amazing!) but her most favorite pastime of all is going four-wheeler riding on the weekend with her family and friends!

Abbie can be seen in the front office welcoming patients. She has expertise in both administrative and clinical duties assisting the doctors with clinical procedures. She is dual certified in both CPR and deep sedation monitoring. She takes pride in ensuring you have the best patient experience.

Shes a Harry Potter fan and enjoys watching movies with her Husband, Jake and her dog Cal. She currently lives in Waterloo and loves the small-town feel. Abbie enjoys traveling and exploring new cities.

Fresh in the dental field, Ashley has been practicing since 2015 as a Registered Dental Hygienist. As a hygienist, her favorite undertaking is working with a patient who is insecure about their smile with a goal to give them back confidence through her care. Ashleys favorite color is purple which is fitting because purple is the color associated with dental hygiene.

She lives in Columbia with her volunteer firefighting husband, Kyle, and wants to soon start a family. She already has the family pets because she is a dog-lover and has two Labs. When Ashley wants excitement, she watches Blues hockey and enjoys float trips and camping. When she wants to relax, she says she is a page-turner and enjoys reading or listening to audio books.

Karen is our veteran at Columbia Dental Center - practicing almost 20 years. Her dental career began back in the 80s when she worked chairside as a dental assistant until she returned to college and graduated in the 90s with her hygiene degree. Over the years, she has worked with prominent dental companies in product development, sat on dental advisory panels, tested and evaluated products as a clinical researcher, past national lecturer, and had been a feature and monthly author for RDH Magazine as a columnist for five years. Her proudest accomplishment was being one of eight chosen nationally as a winner of the prestigious Award of Distinction, in dental hygiene.

Karen is passionate about her patients and enjoys how her younger patients have grown up under her care - so dont be surprised if she opens up a fun picture when you were five years old and puts it on her computer screen for you to see and enjoy a light-hearted laugh! Karens most famous patient was a home-run hitting Cardinal from the late 90s.

Now, she has her own baseball player, her son. He attends Vanderbilt University in Nashville, as a pitcher. Karen is from home in Waterlooa term used by locals who have lived in the area their entire life and have family here. She is a grandma of four, whom she adores! She has authored a book (found on Amazon), and is a part of local non-profit group Project Skipper, which educates kids about the dangers of ice-covered water. She holds a black belt in Shorin-ryu karate, plays violin and abstract paints for artsy-relaxation.

Britani is one of our Registered Dental Hygienists at Columbia Dental Center and joined our team in 2011. While in her hygiene program, she received the Colgate Oral Health STAR award. This award is given to only one hygienist in the graduating class who demonstrates excellent patient motivation skills. Britani is a lifelong learner and has certification in Laser Periodontal Therapy and local anesthesia.

Candace has a passion for helping people and especially enjoys working with pediatric patients and those with special needs. One of her favorite parts of her job is getting to know patients and their families and watching them grow. She works hard to make a positive impact on our patients by improving their oral health while maintaining a comfortable and professional environment.

She graduated with honors from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, earning a Bachelors of Science in Dental Hygiene. While finishing her schooling, she received the Southern Illinois Dental Hygienists Society SIU Scholarship Award, given to one senior student for displaying kind, compassionate care for their patients. She also proudly represented the SIU Dental Hygiene Program at the state level as Delegate of the Student American Dental Hygienists Association for two years.

Julie is a Columbia native who has over 15 years of experience in all areas of dentistry. She handles front office duties including patient scheduling, insurance and finances. Throughout her many years in dentistry, she has attended continuing education courses which have helped her to develop mindfulness of patient needs. She loves interacting with patients to make dental care possible. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, especially her husband, Thomas and sons, Leo and Xavier.

A native of northwestern Illinois, Dr. Leppo completed his undergraduate studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and obtained his Doctor of Medical Dentistry from SIU School of Dental Medicine.

A perfectionist by nature, Dr. Leppo went on to receive additional post graduate training at some of the most renowned American dental and medical educational institutions. He was accepted into Louisiana State Universitys externship program where he completed additional dental surgical training. In recognition of his unique skillset and clinical knowledge he was bestowed the honor of Fellowship with theAcademy of General Dentistry. He is proud to bring this knowledge and enhanced skills to the Columbia-Waterloo communities.

To better support the patients of the Columbia-Waterloo area, Dr. Leppo completed advanced training in dental implants and bone grafting techniques. Dr. Leppo completed the Implant Program at the Medical College of Georgia, one of the most respected and comprehensive training programs for implant dentistry. This training prepared him with the skills necessary to replace missing teeth and even stabilize ill-fitting dentures. As an active member of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID), Dr. Leppo is committed to maintaining the highest standards in dental implantology.

As an active participant in the dental community and to say thank you and give back to the community that has supported him, Dr. Leppo has participated in the Give Kids a Smile program since 2004. This non-profit organization provides underserved children with free comprehensive dental care.

Dr. Leppo is a proud member of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce and Columbia Rotary Club. His dedication to the community is evidenced in his personal commitment to quality care, integrity, and leadership.

'I truly enjoy being a dentist. I enjoy getting to know my patients and creating a caring and professional relationship with them. I want to truly understand their dental needs and exceed their expectations by providing quality dentistry that will help my patients achieve and maintain a healthy, brilliant smile. When patients leave our office, I want them to know that I am a gentle, caring dentist who is always looking out for their dental needs.'

Dr. Connolly earned her dental degree at Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine in Alton, IL. She completed her undergraduate degree at Bradley University in Peoria, IL. In addition to her formal education, Dr. Connolly is certified to provide Invisalign invisible braces and she has also completed the following:

'As a dentist, I strive to provide high-quality dental care to the best of my ability. I am committed to staying on the leading edge of new dental technology and techniques to ensure I am doing the best I can for our patients. I want to make sure every patient I see is treated just like family!'