Gagnon Dental has been providing top notch dental care since 1978, when Dr. Donald Gagnon started practicing in downtown Gardiner. After retiring in 2012, Dr. Gagnon left his patients in the capable hands of his daughter, Dr. Shanna, who has continued to provide the same exceptional care her fathers patients enjoyed for years. As the practice grew in recent years, Dr. Shanna happily welcomed Dr. Jessica Sikora to Gagnon Dental in 2020, and our patients agree that she has become a wonderful addition to the team. Were honored to continue serving some of Dr. Gagnons first patients from 1978, and look forward to establishing relationships with new ones.
At Gagnon Dental, we are here to help you maintain or regain your oral health through preventive and restorative dental care. We cater to each patients specific needs and expectations, and our team will present treatment options, give a realistic prognosis, and provide you with everything you need to make decisions about your care.
Dr. Shanna was class valedictorian at Gardiner Area High School before going on to Bowdoin College, where she majored in biochemistry and minored in music. Upon graduation from dental school, she was honored with the Academy of Operative Dentistry Award, which is reserved for the graduate who provides the most outstanding restorative care in the class.
She finished second in the state tennis tournament while in high school and played Division III tennis at Bowdoin. She is also an accomplished pianist, having started taking lessons when she was 5. From a young age, she worked at her fathers dental office as an assistant and receptionist.
In 2004, Dr. Shanna began practicing alongside her father, who retired in 2012. Having a widely respected dentist just down the hall allowed her to quickly gain clinical experience that otherwise would have taken years of practice. It also helped to form her conservative approach and learn the finer points that cant be taught in a classroom. Apparently the influence is obvious; many patients, upon seeing her for the first time after years with her father, say that she is exactly like him except with smaller, gentler hands.
Dr. Shanna currently serves on theMaine Dental AssociationExecutive Board as the Kennebec Valley representative. She participates in Donated Dental Services, a program that provides free dental care to elderly, disabled, and otherwise needy patients. She is an active member of theCasco Bay Study Cluband expands her expertise by attending many continuing education courses.
Dr. Sikora became interested in dentistry during high school and college when she would shadow her childhood dentist, whom she regards as a tremendous mentor. At that office in her native Honesdale, PA, observing and assisting on a wide array of procedures and performing a variety of other office duties led Dr. Sikora toward a career in dentistry.
After graduating from Albright College with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, Dr. Sikora went on to earn her Master of Public Health from East Stroudsburg University. While there, she authored a thesis on the importance and connection of oral health and diabetes care. She also assisted in the implementation and evaluation of a program aimed at improving healthy eating and physical activity in preschool children.
Dr. Sikora moved to Maine in 2016 to attend the College of Dental Medicine at the University of New England. At UNE, she was active in student activities and community service, and she researched the efficacy of gag reflex control techniques and their potential to lessen dental anxiety. She completed externships in Bath, ME and White River Junction, VT along with treating patients at the UNE Oral Health Center. Upon graduation, Dr. Sikora received the privilege of being selected into the Omicron Kappa Upsilon dental honor society.