When you count on Growing Great grins to care for the most precious smiles in your life, you know you are getting more than outstanding dentistry you are getting customer service and loving care that goes beyond the norm.

It starts with our warm, caring, kid-centric team. Every member of the Growing Great Grins staff is completely dedicated to keeping your children happy, feeling calm and at ease, and as healthy and happy as possible. They take time to get to know your family and always greet you with open arms each time you walk in the door. This caring attention helps tykes feel safe and builds trust so that when dental procedures are necessary, they go smoothly and are distress-free.

You can count on the training and experience of our fabulous doctors. Both Dr. Leslie Blackburn and Dr. Judith Ragsdale have undergone the extra years of specialized training required to be licensed as pediatric dentists, with specific attention to child psychology, behavior guidance, and dentistry for special needs patients. They also know how to talk to kids so they understand what is going to happen every step of every procedure. Plus, they are great teachers so your children learn how to take care of their oral health for life!

It also helps that our dental office doesnt look, sound, or smell clinical. We use essential oil aromatherapy in both the waiting room and in the hygiene area to accent tranquility and soothe your senses. Plus, aromatherapy can be used with our heated neck and back pads and eye pillows. Aromatherapy has been proven to help calm even the tiniest tot! Its luxury with proven benefits.

Music fills the air with gentle, uplifting sounds. And, of course, there is always the joyful sound of laughter coming from the game room (equipped with iPads, Xboxes, and PlayStation), the GIANT Lite Brite (it really is 6X3!), or the comfy poofs scattered through the play and reading area.

And if you need to do get some work done, dont worry. Busy parents can recharge their devices, use a lap desk, and even support their backs with a lumbar pillow all while enjoying refreshing beverages such as a Starbucks Frappuccino and nibbling some veggie chips.

I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. My father was still in training to be an ENT, so we moved around a lot before settling in beautiful Jonesboro, Arkansas. After graduating from Jonesboro High School I headed off to Provo, Utah, where I attended Brigham Young University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in 2003. Although I always knew I wanted to work with children, after graduating I took a few years to look at my career options and decided in what way I would work with kids. Finally, I decided that pediatric dentistry was the career for me. I went to Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in New York and received my Doctorate of Dental Surgery and also a Masters of Science and Dental Education in 2012. Then I completed the final leg of my education at Yale University, receiving my certificate in Pediatric Dentistry in 2014.

Im married to Shawn Blackburn, who is an attorney in downtown Houston at the firm of Susman Godfrey. We have a wonderful little daughter named Isadora who loves to dance and make up sweet moves, and my giant baby Rockwell, who is eating us out of house and home. We live in Benders Landing right across 45, and absolutely love our communities there and here in The Woodlands. My husband calls me his bookworm I love reading, and I also enjoy lifting weights and getting aerobic exercise by doing anything involving dancing (Zumba, Just Dance on the Wii I love it all!). I have a passion for trying delicious new restaurants and playing with my family. Im extremely excited to be back south and to experience Texas and the wonderful area of The Woodlands.

A graduate of Houston Dental School, Anisha is highly skilled in helping our doctors keep smiles healthy and happy. While working chairside, Anisha is responsible for caring for patients and making them feel comfortable, preparing for procedures, educating patients, applying preventive dental materials, and taking digital x-rays. Anisha loves our patients and takes great pride in watching them mature and grow to enjoy caring for their teeth. She says Growing Great Grins is unique because the office has the right mix of love and care for every single patient. One of the reasons Anisha loves our dental family is because family means so much to her. She loves spending time with her husband and their three busy kids. Together, theyre an active and amazing party of five.

When Kims not soaking up the sun at her one of her favorite happy places aka the beach, youll find her hard at work at her other happy place the office! Kim brings over two decades of dental expertise to the team with experience as both a chairside dental assistant and in her current administrative role. Kim will tell you that she loves working with her fellow team members to take great care of our patients and their parents. She goes out of her way to make sure the office is running smoothly and efficiently so that we can continue to provide the compassionate, caring dentistry that Growing Great Grins is known for. Outside of work, Kim loves to spend time with her husband who shes been married to for over three decades. The couple has two children, and they enjoy sharing moments together as a family.

Kathie has worked for various doctors within The Woodlands Dental Group for over 25 years, but has just recently started working with the Growing Great Grins team. She has experience both as a dental assistant and a dental hygienist through her education from Sam Houston State University and Wharton Junior College. This combination of roles makes her a dynamo in the exam rooms, prepared for any and all possible problems while gently educating our little patients and keeping them calm. She loves the people that she works with and all the precious children that she gets to see every day, but she especially loves the fact that something that she does on a daily basis makes a real impact in the lifetime of someones healthy smile. She also loves Dr. Blackburn, and says shes a combination of unicorns and rainbows!

Kattie is a proud graduate of both Houston Community College as well as the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Dentistry. She joined our team in 2020, but has already had 10 years of experience in the front office, as well as 5 years of experience chairside as a hygienist. Shes also laser certified and certified in the application of nitrous oxide sedation. She loves taking care of our patients and being a part of setting the foundation for great dental health. She also loves to volunteer, working with both Give Kids a Smile and Give Vets a Smile, as well as volunteer events with the greater Houston Dental Hygiene Association.

Outside of work, and when shes not volunteering, Kattie mentors for FEI/Endurance athletes locally. Her husband is a dentist, Dr. Azam Shah, and together they love to discover restaurants with clean and delicious foods, like EAD Vietnamese in Shenandoah.

Jennifer has been with The Woodlands Dental Group for over 36 years, although she joined our very special team for GGG time back in 2021. She started her career in dentistry back in high school with a work program that allowed her to work 1/2 of the day at a dental office and then go to school for the other 1/2 of the day learning how to be a dental assistant. Shes always had an interest in science and biology, so helping families with the changes and possible issues during oral development and maintenance is a perfect match for her. She graduated from Wharton County Jr. College, and then furthered her education at Sam Houston State University.

Outside of work, Jennifer is usually outside tending the vegetable garden, raising chickens, or fishing. She also does volunteer work at a local senior retirement home twice a month. She and her husband have two grown kids, so they have lots of time for projects like re-upholstering furniture, rock hunting and polishing, and discovering fossils and arrowheads.

Kayla joined our team after graduating from the University of Texas Health San Antonio. One of the things that she enjoys the most about her job is the rewarding feeling of making an anxious / nervous patient feel safe and secure while theyre getting their treatment. She feels that the connection between oral health and overall health is something that is overlooked by a lot of people, so starting the children off with a proper education on its importance is key to a lifetime of good health.

When Kayla was asked about her life outside of work, she gleefully told us, I love breakfast food. A LOT! So you might see her out for breakfast at the Toasted Yolk, or out enjoying new dinner spots with friends. She also loves sand volleyball and softball, and occasionally volunteers for charity events at her local Chick-fil-A.

Chasity has been working in dentistry for about 17 years, though not all of that time was here in Texas. Shes a graduate of the Central County Occupational Center in San Jose, CA, and states that shes always had a thing about teeth and peoples smiles. Youll see her setting up the rooms and assisting Dr. Blackburn with all sorts of procedures, but shes also here to keep the kids calm and try to make their visit fun.

Outside of the office, Chasity likes to go to downtown Houston and feed the homeless. She loves spending time with her husband and son, making crafts and care packages, and eating crawfish at Wolfies.