Little Pearls Kids Dentistry & Orthodontics has 3 office locations to betterserve our patients. We have dentists and an orthodontist that rotate to ourdifferent locations. Our locations includeSeattle and Bothell.
AtLittlePearlsKids Dentistry & Orthodontics we strive to give each child theopportunity to learn and grow with us, providing the necessary knowledge andtreatment they need to maintain a healthy smile for years to come. Wewelcome children with special health care needs to our practice as well.
Dr. Derek Zhao was born with a sunny disposition thanks to the lovely weather in Hawaii. He grew up in Shoreline and Bellevue and completed his Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of Washington. Dr. Derek discovered a passion for treating children during a year of dental assisting and pursued that interest throughout dental school at NYU in New York City. He liked it so much there that he spent two more years completing his specialty training in Pediatric Dentistry at NYU. Having had enough of the Big Apple, Dr. Derek is very happy to be back on the West Coast, where he spends his free time...
...hiking, playing racket sports, and growing new plant babies with his wife. He is excited to meet new people and spread smiles all around. Dr. Derek believes that connecting with people of all ages takes building a trusting bond and having lots of laughs together.
Dr. Smita Patel has been creating beautiful smiles with the latest types ofbraces in Washington since 2007. She was born in India and grew up inBolton, England. She earned her bachelors degree in Chemistry andComputer Science at Nottingham Trent University before coming to the UnitedStates to attend graduate school. She graduated from the University of SouthFlorida with her masters degree in Biochemistry and went on to pursue herDoctor of Dental Medicine degree in 2003 from Nova Southeastern College ofDental Medicine. In addition, she completed a General Practice residency atMount Sinai Medical Center in North Miami Beach.
Having gained a finer appreciation for dental esthetics and the importance of a good bite she went back to school to obtain advanced training in Orthodontics. She earned a master's degree and a certificate in Orthodontics from Marquette University.
During her tenure at Nova Southeastern she received the Eleanor J. Bushee Senior Student Award for her academic excellence and outstanding leadership and was elected by the faculty into membership in Omicron Kappa Upsilon, the well-recognized dental honor society for academic achievement and leadership in dentistry.
In addition to her private orthodontic practice in Federal Way and Seattle, Washington, Dr. Patel is an affiliate professor at the University of Washington, as well as a published author in several academic journals.
Dr. Greg Maggass is passionate about providing dentistry for children,creating and maintaining healthy smiles as well as crafting a comfortable andpositive experience for every single one of his patients. Dr. Greg grew up inParadise Valley, Arizona, earned his bachelors at the University of Arizona,and graduated from the University of Washington in 2018, obtaining a licensein General Dentistry. He received courses in how to kids dentistry andSpecial Needs Dentistry, and Dental Fears and grew his devotion to pediatricdental health as a general dentist. He has worked at Little Pearls KidsDentistry since 2018 and has loved his time here.
Dr. Greg has lived in Argentina, Brazil and China, and can speak English, Spanish and Portuguese fluently, and speaks a little French and Italian, and enjoys conversing with patients in other languages for better communication. Dr. Greg enjoys skiing, golfing, surfing, biking,traveling, dogs and reading.