Michelle is the daughter of Dr. Papademetriou and Dr. Smith and was born and raised on the island ofCyprus. During her summer breaks, she assisted in her parents practice in Cyprus which the doctors had for 20+ years. After graduating from high school in Cyprus, Michelle moved to the United Statesto pursue her bachelors degree at the University of Arizona, graduating with aB.A in Theatre Arts with a minor in psychology and philosophy with an emphasis in neuroscience. She also studied at the University of Greenwich in London, England focusing on psychology.Michelle wears many hats in the office. Aside from being the office manager, she works the front desk,works with the doctorsand patients during their new patient exams, creates the financial plans and contracts, does the coding and billing, insurance claims, administration and design and marketing.
When she is not in the office Michelle teaches Pure Barre in Scottsdale and North Scottsdale. She has over 15 years of classical ballet trainingthrough the Royal Academy of Dance. Asside from dance and fitness, her passion is ultimately in the film industry as an actress. She worked on many stage productions growing up as well as film, commercial and tv sets while living in Los Angeles. This allowed her to join the union making her a SAG-AFTRA member since 2014. Someof her favorite memories were working on the tv shows 'Glee' and ABC 's'How To Get Away With Murder', working as a body double and stand-in on ABC 's 'Switched at Birth'and winning the award for 'Best Actress' at a film fesitval in 2013.Michelle also loves spending time at home with her pomeranian Coco!
We recognize that all of our patients are unique and deserve to receive orthodontic care that reflects their individual needs. Our experienced and talented team is committed to working with you and your family to create a comfortable, stress-free, and rewarding orthodontic experience every time you visit our practice. We are pleased to welcome you and your family, and we look forward to working with you.
At Desert Ridge Orthodontics, Dr. Michael PapademetriouandDr. Catherine Smith work hard to treat our patients the same way we would like to be treated: with respect, professionalism, and sensitivity toward our needs. We understand the expectations of the patients and families we serve, and we do everything we can to make sure that each patient has an exceptional experience at our practice.
We are commited to providing the very best personal care and quality to all the patients. Our staff is very warm, inviting and caring.Being a very experienced clinician (since 1989) and at the same time an orthodontic educator (Clinical Director of Postgraduate Orthodontic Progran at A.T.Still University), it reinforces my belief that continuing education is very important in keeping up with the advances in our profession and in providing the best care for our patients. We both practice evidence based orthodontics and attendseveral times more continuing education than required by the State Board.
Reviews
Rating 4.9 out of 5 based on 43 reviews
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newest oldest highest lowestKacie Johnson
2 years ago
Love this practice! They make you feel like family and truly care about their patients :)
Dawn Gunn
2 years ago
I am 54 years old and this is the second time I've had to have braces. Everyone has been so caring and warm, I have never felt odd or out of place there. I can't say enough positive things about this practice. I would give them 10 stars if I could!
Jenny A
2 years ago
I just had the worst experience with Linda, a receptionist. I have been going to Dr. Cat since 2016. I paid in full and my treatment should have been over awhile ago. I have not complained since none of my visits were getting charged. My braces were taken off in 2017 and I was supposed to have a permanent retainer on my bottom teeth put in at no charge. This still has not happened. Both my top and bottom retainers come loose very often and now I am expected to pay $75 dollars just to come in. I asked to please have Dr. Cat call me so we could work something out but I was told that Dr. Cat is in right now but going on vacation soon and I won't hear back from her until July. I explained my situation and was pretty vulnerable with Linda on the phone. I said it is imperative that this be expedited since my retainers are very loose and I need to figure out my cost options. When I was finished explaining my financial situation to Linda her tone of voice completely changed. She made it clear she had zero sympathy for my situation. She also made it clear that she felt like she was a victim. She brought up the vulnerable things I had mentioned to explain to her my situation. I felt very personally attacked. I only called back briefly after to get her name so I can write this review. I will not be contacting this office again as I do not trust Linda to get any of my messages across.
Mia Christine James
3 years ago
Desert Ridge Orthodontists have changed my life and given me a fresh new look for my career. I will forever be grateful for all of the hard work they have put in for me and for their unfailing kindness.
Dawn Gunn
3 years ago
I am 54 years old and this is the second time I've had to have braces. Everyone has been so caring and warm, I have never felt odd or out of place there. I can't say enough positive things about this practice. I would give them 10 stars if I could!
Jenny A
3 years ago
I just had the worst experience with Linda, a receptionist. I have been going to Dr. Cat since 2016. I paid in full and my treatment should have been over awhile ago. I have not complained since none of my visits were getting charged. My braces were taken off in 2017 and I was supposed to have a permanent retainer on my bottom teeth put in at no charge. This still has not happened. Both my top and bottom retainers come loose very often and now I am expected to pay $75 dollars just to come in. I asked to please have Dr. Cat call me so we could work something out but I was told that Dr. Cat is in right now but going on vacation soon and I won't hear back from her until July. I explained my situation and was pretty vulnerable with Linda on the phone. I said it is imperative that this be expedited since my retainers are very loose and I need to figure out my cost options. When I was finished explaining my financial situation to Linda her tone of voice completely changed. She made it clear she had zero sympathy for my situation. She also made it clear that she felt like she was a victim. She brought up the vulnerable things I had mentioned to explain to her my situation. I felt very personally attacked. I only called back briefly after to get her name so I can write this review. I will not be contacting this office again as I do not trust Linda to get any of my messages across.
Kacie Johnson
3 years ago
Love this practice! They make you feel like family and truly care about their patients :)
Mia Christine James
3 years ago
Desert Ridge Orthodontists have changed my life and given me a fresh new look for my career. I will forever be grateful for all of the hard work they have put in for me and for their unfailing kindness.
Ashley Montgomery
3 years ago
Best experience ever! Dr. Cat and Dr. Pap are amazing!! The office staff as well! Such a family sage environment!!!
Ashley Montgomery
4 years ago
Best experience ever! Dr. Cat and Dr. Pap are amazing!! The office staff as well! Such a family sage environment!!!
Charles Stocks
4 years ago
Absolutely the best orthodontist in the valley! I have had three of my children here and the Doctors and Staff are Incredibly knowledgeable and really helpful in understanding the process of what they have to do to correct the teeth and keep them straight! I would definitely recommend Dr. Papa and Dr. Smith. Great team and even better results.
Jennifer Swan
4 years ago
Excellent! Noah got braces and yummy cookies! Love the office atmosphere and everyone there! You can't go wrong in choosing this office, its like coming home.
Joey Valdez
4 years ago
Had a amazing experience here on the right track here to get my teeth fixed finally thank you guys. Dr.papademetriou & dr.cat made me feel very welcomed and at home. The staff is beyond amazing. I love them like family I love seeing them and I hate knowing I'm going to be getting my surgery this year and getting them taken off because I've grown so close to them and their staff there , they are truly amazing people and I thank god I was able to find them!! They have done a lot more for me then just fix some teeth
J Nelson
4 years ago
Great doctors and staff. They have a comfortable and conveniently located office. After 16 months of braces, earlier this month I was able to have double jaw surgery at another office. Dr. Papademetriou professionally worked with my oral surgeon on the best treatment plan possible for me. My smile and bite are going to be perfect. I will be highly recommending Desert Ridge Orthodontics to family and friends.
Katie Petersen
4 years ago
We love desert ridge orthodontics! They do a phenomenal job and make my son and I always feel welcome and comfortable :)
J Nelson
5 years ago
Great doctors and staff. They have a comfortable and conveniently located office. After 16 months of braces, earlier this month I was able to have double jaw surgery at another office. Dr. Papademetriou professionally worked with my oral surgeon on the best treatment plan possible for me. My smile and bite are going to be perfect. I will be highly recommending Desert Ridge Orthodontics to family and friends.
Charles Stocks
5 years ago
Absolutely the best orthodontist in the valley! I have had three of my children here and the Doctors and Staff are Incredibly knowledgeable and really helpful in understanding the process of what they have to do to correct the teeth and keep them straight! I would definitely recommend Dr. Papa and Dr. Smith. Great team and even better results.
Katie Petersen
5 years ago
We love desert ridge orthodontics! They do a phenomenal job and make my son and I always feel welcome and comfortable :)
Joey Valdez
5 years ago
Had a amazing experience here on the right track here to get my teeth fixed finally thank you guys. Dr.papademetriou & dr.cat made me feel very welcomed and at home. The staff is beyond amazing. I love them like family I love seeing them and I hate knowing I'm going to be getting my surgery this year and getting them taken off because I've grown so close to them and their staff there , they are truly amazing people and I thank god I was able to find them!! They have done a lot more for me then just fix some teeth
Jennifer Swan
5 years ago
Excellent! Noah got braces and yummy cookies! Love the office atmosphere and everyone there! You can't go wrong in choosing this office, its like coming home.
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