Harbor Dental is dedicated to providing all our patients with a warm and hospitable atmosphere in which to receive top quality dental care. We understand the apprehension that many people feel when going to the dentist, and so we strive to make sure your experience with us is a pleasant one.
Harbor Dental was established in 2000 and we have built a solid reputation throughout Benicia and beyond for our professionalism and friendliness. We hold ourselves to the highest standard of ethics and customer courtesy.
Dr. Scott Swoboda is licensed by the Dental Board of California. He is a member of the American Dental Association, California Dental Association and Napa-Solano Dental Society. He received his training from the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry in San Francisco and his undergraduate degree from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo in 1994. He has been practicing dentistry at Harbor Dental since August of 2003.
A sole practitioner, the one thing Dr. Swoboda loves most about his job is the ability to completely change a persons self perception from one of depression and shame to one of happiness and confidence. There are a few ways he does this. One is through cosmetics. Whether its whitening, bonding, veneering, or a combination of the three, having the ability to give someone a reason to smile again is a wonderful gift to have. Another way is by just getting someone who is in excruciating pain, out of pain. Perhaps the most rewarding though, is to assist someone in getting over his or her fear of the dentist and restoring not only his or her oral health but also his or her confidence, outward appearance, view of the dentist, and general outlook on life.
Dr. Swoboda has been a resident of California all of his life. He was even born in Southern California and moved to Moraga, California in 1977 where he grew up. His big interests growing up in Moraga were playing soccer and swimming competitively. In swimming, he was a high school and collegiate All American more than 20 times over. He was also an Academic All American. He was a swim coach at the recreational, high school, and college level until he quit to pursue a career in dentistry in 1995.
He met his wife on a blind date and was married in August of 2001. The Swobodas live locally in Benicia where they are raising their two children. Dr. Swoboda enjoys training for triathlons, playing golf, fishing, backpacking, skiing and surfing when he gets the chance.
Dr. David Swoboda was born in Okinawa, Japan, where his father was stationed while in the military. His family returned to the States a year later, and after a short time in the Los Angeles area, they moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. He has two brothers. His brother, Dr. Scott, and his other brother is a business owner in Coeur dAlene, Idaho.
Growing up, Dr. Swoboda was active in a variety of team sports, including soccer, baseball, basketball and swimming. He went on to pursue competitive swimming at the collegiate level while attending Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. His athletic career led to an understanding about goal setting, discipline, determination, hard work, and the importance of team work. As a swim coach and soccer referee, he also strengthened his leadership skills. Throughout his school years, Dr. Swoboda also studied art, which helped to refine his artistic eye and hand skills. Today, as an amateur artist, he takes pride in his collection of artwork, and finds the many lessons learned from sports and art to be invaluable to his career as a dentist.
Even after graduating from the University of the Pacific, School of Dentistry, Dr. Swoboda continually strives to better himself as a health care provider via continuing education. He wholeheartedly embraces technological advancements, and makes every effort to provide his patients with the best material on the market as well as the latest techniques in dentistry.
Nikki became a part of Harbor Dental in December of 2000 on the day it first opened. She has been a consistently reliable team member and has worked hard to make sure her patients are well taken care of and enjoy their experience. She has been a certified dental assistant for 10 years and received her degree from the Solano County Regional Occupation Program. Nikki became Dr. Swobodas chair side assistant in August of 2003 when Dr. Swoboda took over as the owner at Harbor Dental.
Nikki knows her patients very well and really enjoys the family oriented environment provided by the community of Benicia. She chose the dental field because she wanted to work directly with people, have fun, and help the patient have a great dental experience. She also loves being able to help patients attain healthy mouths.
Some things Nikki likes to do when she is not at Harbor Dental are, hiking, working out at the gym, and spending time with her family and friends. She also likes to play with her young niece when she has time.
Caroline was raised in Benicia and graduated from the Dental Hygiene Program at Diablo Valley College in 2014. She comes to work every day excited and passionate about what she does. She enjoys educating her patients so they can achieve the best dental and ultimately overall health. She values each of her patients and strives to make every visit a comfortable and positive experience.
Cassandra joined our team in May 2012. She graduated with an associate degree from the dental hygiene program at Santa Rosa Junior College in 2011. 'I wanted to become a dental hygienist because i enjoy helping others obtain optimal oral health' Cassandra said. 'I look forward to getting to know each of my patients and educating them on the correlation between oral health and general health.'
Meet Mayra, Harbor Dentals newest team member who is actually returning to be Dr. Swobodas chair side assistant after being away for eight years. She worked on and off as a dental assistant with different offices and as a temporary assistant for a Temp agency during those eight years.
Mayra was born and raised in El Salvador untilthe age of twelve when she and her family moved to San Francisco. In 1985, she graduated from Mission High School in San Francisco and simultaneously received her certificate to be a Dental Assistant from the School of Business and Commerce.
She has been practicing dental assisting since 1985.She quickly discovered she has a passion for dentistry so in1990, she received her Registered Dental Assistant license with the state of California.
She first met Dr. Swoboda in 1999 at a dental office where they both worked. In 2003, Dr. Swoboda recruited Mayra to help start Harbor Dental. She worked there until 2009 when she took a break from dental assisting to be with her children.
She is the mother of four children. A beautiful young lady, age 24 and three handsome gentlemen aged 22, 20 and 10 years old. Her children are the loves of her life and her spare time is spent with them.
Beginning in April 2017, she was lucky enough to be reunited with Dr. Swoboda, Maria, and Nikki at Harbor Dental. She is very grateful for the opportunity and loves the patients and the town of Benicia.