Roderick Place was named COO of InterDent in 2017 and assumed Co-Leadership as Chief Executive Officer in 2018. Mr. Place has extensive experience transforming private equity backed healthcare companies through his strategic leadership, focus on operational excellence, clinical leadership collaboration, and structuring of field operations and corporate support teams. Mr. Place is also accomplished in leading boards and executive teams through expansive growth in mergers & acquisitions, DeNovo, due diligence and market consolidation. Before joining InterDent, Mr. Place served in executive level operations roles with Western Dental, MedQuest Associates and Alliance Healthcare. Mr. Place is also the Managing Director and Co-Founder of MedSummit Solutions, LLC. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from Grand Valley State University.
Matthew Wickesberg joined InterDent as EVP/CFO in 2016 and assumed Co-Leadership as Executive Vice Chairman two years later. In 2019, he was further elevated to Co-Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Wickesberg is an experienced board member, executive officer, and lender with a deep background in multi-site hospitality and healthcare industries. He is also experienced working with lending institutions and private equity firms through structuring capital, due diligence, mergers & acquisitions, and uncovering portfolio synergies. Prior to joining InterDent, Mr. Wickesberg served in various senior finance roles with HOA Restaurant Group, ZTejas, Inc., and GE Capital. Mr. Wickesberg received his Bachelor of Science in Finance from Oklahoma State University and his MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Dr. Heather Hawkins has committed her career to patient care while understanding current healthcare trends and value-based comprehensive care. Dr. Hawkins has an expansive clinical, academic and operational background, including leading medical-dental integration as well as quality and risk management for multi-site healthcare organizations. After 12 years of practicing general dentistry, she expanded her skills with several key roles in academia. In 2012 she joined the team at Adventist Health in Northern California, a multi-site health care organization with over 5,000 medical and dental staff physicians, as the Director of Quality. In her leadership role there, Dr. Hawkins led expansion and integration across the health system with medical and dental clinic management and an emphasis on comprehensive care models addressing patient risk factors, active disease and preventative measures. Dr. Hawkins earned her Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry (DMD) from Nova Southeastern University in Florida and her Advanced Education in General Dentistry Certification from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Dr. Manu Chaudhry has dedicated his career in the pursuit of dental health care, improving clinical quality and access to care, and transforming delivery of care to improve overall health outcomes. He is a dynamic and mission-driven leader with extensive leadership experience over multi-region dental practices, and has also founded multiple collaborative organizations that reduce oral and overall health disparities. Dr. Chaudhry is a board member of Healthier Kids Foundation and holds a Masters of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of California, San Diego and earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery from University of the Pacific.
Sandra Lau is a seasoned legal adviser with over fourteen years experience acting as General Counsel of multiple dental healthcare corporations. Ms. Laus responsibilities include advising executive management, supporting strategic growth initiatives, overseeing all aspects of the corporate legal function including HIPAA, state and federal regulatory compliance, corporate transactions and governance, mergers and acquisitions, and risk and litigation management. Before Joining InterDent, Ms. Lau served as General Counsel at Western Dental. Ms. Lau holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Juris Doctor from Loyola Marymount University.
Bernard Piccione has extensive experience across a wide range of industries delivering complex enterprise-scale information technology solutions to achieve major global business value and objectives. Mr. Piccione excels at driving sustainable business growth through IT modernization, solution development, and global transformation initiatives while building strong partnerships to better leverage technology solutions. Prior to joining InterDent, Mr. Piccione served as CIO for Ingenuity Advisory Partners, Inc., Complex Care Solutions, Inc., and MagnaCare. Mr. Piccione holds a Bachelors and Masters in Computer Science from Boston University.
Darrin Kellaris is a senior marketing executive with over 20 years experience specializing in digital marketing, social media, and brand strategy. Mr. Kellaris offers a record of success in creating and driving marketing strategies that strengthen revenue, margins, and market share by elevating brand authenticity and relevance. At InterDent, he leads all aspects of marketing including digital and social media, brand positioning, and performance analytics. Prior to joining InterDent, he led marketing efforts at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and IHOP. Mr. Kellaris holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing from San Diego State University.
Diane Stern brings almost 20 years of dental services organizational experience specializing in organizational design and strategic partnering. Ms. Stern is responsible for Human Resources planning and strategy for recruiting, retention, benefits and performance management. She built her HR leadership experience through roles at Coast Dental, PrimeCo Wireless Communications and LabCorp where she focused on employee programs to increase engagement and satisfaction along with operational efficiencies. Ms. Stern holds a Bachelors degree in English Literature, Education, and Business from the University of Tampa and volunteers at KMR Group Foundation.
Reviews
Rating 4.0 out of 5 based on 73 reviews
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newest oldest highest lowestAkhila Tirupati
2 years ago
Gentle dental is the best! The front staff helped me get a last minute appointment and were so helpful through the entire process! Would definitely recommend to friends and family.
Arturo Perez
2 years ago
The entire staff at GD is very professional. Friendly from the moment you check in till the time you are out the door. Have received excellent dental health. Specifically my last 2 appointments this last week to repair my "flipper". The young lady was so helpful and courteous. A great lady.
Sabrina Mendoza
2 years ago
Worst experience with Dentist Kara Benkovich. She was so rude and talked to me like I did not understand her because I was asking questions. She said " Do you understand or do I need to tell you again" she had the worst tone just very unprofessional. I went there with tooth pain my tooth was infected and she just said need to get your teeth clean. I had not been to dentist in so many years and this is why. Ive never encountered such a horrible dentist. So many people go to dentist scared and nervous and to have a so called dentist talk down to you definitely not going back. Sucks the dental assistant Jorge was so nice and hygienist Selena was so nice and comforting. When Selena was done cleaning my teeth I asked was dentist going to come look at me and Benkovich sd no make appt for next week and then Selena said she is in alot of pain so dentist came back and said it's infected and gave me antibiotic well it was already clear I had an infection but she was not going to do anything just told me to take Tylenol and gave me an antibiotic. I will never see that so called dentist Kara Benkovich ever again. And i have posted everywhere and told everyone I know about this horrible experience. To NEVER go and STAY AWAY FROM KARA BENKOVICH! Would give assistant and hygienist 5 Star but rest of staff 0. Also funny how they tell you to wear mask but the front desk did not even wear mask.
Alfredo Mendoza
2 years ago
The staff at this location is beyond amazing, and the assistants are so nice when attending you. I would definitely recommend this to my friends and family! 10/10
Rachel Feller
2 years ago
General Dental has been my choice of dental offices for several years. Since starting with them my oral health has improved immensely and the staff has been extremely kind. Dr. Benkovich and the Dental Hygienist, Selena are the ones to see!
AE Riley
2 years ago
Selina is the best!! Best cleaning ever! Honestly, Selina was the most gentle, thorough hygienist ever! I highly recommend her and I hope Gentle Dental will recognize her for her excellent ability and high quality patient care. Selina is super kind and my appointment was a joy. How many dental appointments can be described as a joy? LOL Thanks!
Megan Waymire
2 years ago
I love this place ! Everybody there is so nice and they make my teeth look amazing every time !
Sharon Jensen-Rios
2 years ago
Staff was very friendly and helpful! I will be returning for all dental needs!!!
Debra Ponticelli
2 years ago
This was the best experience I've ever had from walking into the door and leaving today. Dr ham land was great! No pain and Laura was very sweet.. girls at front desk was so helpful the best! Thanks everyone at this gentle dental!!
X R4co0n
2 years ago
Went in over the weekend and i can that is office really care about their patients. Michelle was so sweet. Thanks so much for your help
Scott Smith
2 years ago
Gentle dental lived up to their name! They were extra careful with my sensitive teeth! Thank you!
DJ DEGonia
2 years ago
The staff is confident, informative and friendly really a great dental office . Rio Vista thank you
Michelle Greenwell
2 years ago
Clean and friendly office and staff. They got me started right away!
Ernest Solorio
2 years ago
Had a deep cleaning and fillings. Hygienist and Dentist were both super friendly and knowledgeable.
Sara Boyd
2 years ago
The front girl are very friendly and so are the staff Im the back. I was very impressed with my cleaning with Nedra and amazing job with Dr.Patel as well as her Dental Assistant Jorge. I would highly recommend going to this office, it's very sanitize and a clean environment!
Heidi Lugo
2 years ago
Gentle Dental For a very awesome I love my procedure definitely will stick to them for any future work shout out to the ladies room for an office that were really nice and polite and answered all my questions to the young man Jorge that also helped me and my hubby understand and explain my Options.
Michael Magdaleno
2 years ago
The ENTIRE staff was very accommodating and friendly which was very comforting as a new patient! I would recommend Gentle Dental to everyone
Mayer Jason
2 years ago
Stacy the dental hygienist lied three or four times about my treatment plan. Was cussing throughout the procedure. Overall acts like a meth head.
Jennabear82
2 years ago
I was a patient here when they were An Elegant Smile and was very happy with them. The only reason I left was bc they weren't open on the weekends. I went to Dental Depot and that was a mistake. I came back and am just as happy as I was when I left. Now they're Gentle Dental, Rio Vista. They explain what is going on with your teeth, what treatment plan needs to be done, and schedule you while you're in the office. The staff is always friendly and very good at putting you at ease. On the opposite, Dental Depot (Greenway) barely gave me anything more than "You need thousands of dollars worth of work", but I could never seem get them to go into detail about what was needed and why without playing 20 questions. They were always confused that I was ready to schedule my next appointment in the office and would tell me to just call when I was ready... Um... I was... I've missed An Elegant Smile/Gentle Dental and I'm so glad to be back! If there were to be any "complaint" it's that when I tried to establish them as my dentist with Cigna, their information was difficult to find in Cigna's system. Perhaps they're listed by a corporate phone number.
Melody Figueroa
2 years ago
Nice office and super friendly staff, very helpful :)
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