My friends and patients always ask me why I became a dentist. Let me tell you my story. I grew up as the oldest of four children. The atmosphere in our household was one of love and acceptance. My parents worked hard to create a positive environment where I felt free to learn about myself as I progressed through life. Emphasis was always placed on my accomplishments instead of my mistakes, and as a result my self-esteem and confidence were firmly established. Growing up in Yakima, Washington, I was surrounded by fields of peaches, apricots, and cherries. It was in the orchards that, at a young age, I learned and applied the work ethic that has gotten me to where I am today. In fact, when I think of my childhood, I can still smell the fresh fruit in my mind.
At the age of nineteen I chose to serve a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I lived and served in So Paulo, Brazil, the third largest city in the world. While in Brazil I learned a lot of life lessons, including why it is important to understand other people first, rather than seeking to have myself understood. To a young man from America, it seemed as if everyone in Brazil had bad teeth. It was during this period that I learned that dental health had more of an impact on day-to-day life than I had ever imagined. These experiences culminated while observing a father extract his young childs abscessed tooth on the couch at their home. It was then that I knew I could make a difference in the lives of others. I could not only become their dentist, but also be their friend. Now that I am known as the numb and number dentist, I look back on that day and am thankful that I chose dentistry.
Fast forward twenty-three years and seven kids later, you find me here in Auburn, Washington, with a good portion of my life still ahead of me. Hopefully I have learned enough from my mistakes to make life easier from here on out. The reason I tell you this story is so that you can understand our practice vision and where it came from. Here at Nuttall Smiles, we accept people for who they are because it is part of the process of helping them to feel good about themselves. As our patients self-esteem is raised, magical things start to happen! First, the patients make better decisions in their lives, and second, we gain not only a patient, but a friend. As health care providers, our lives start to have the purpose that we have been striving for. Just like my parents loved and accepted me as a child, our patients feel validated and accepted as human beings as we connect with them. The following statement can summarize this process, A good office team can feel good about themselves, while a great office helps their patients feel better about themselves and their lives. You will feel like you are being worked with instead of being worked on. As a result, this is a place where both patients and staff look forward to coming every day! Thank you for taking the time to read this! We look forward to seeing you in the office! EDUCATION
Jose Dental Hygienist Jose loves making a difference in his patients smiles and helping to boost their self-esteem. He is a registered dental hygienist and enjoys the time he gets to spend with each patient and building relationships with them.
He attended Eastern Washington University in Cheney, WA, earning a Bachelor of Science degree. He started working in the dental field in 2016. Jose has always loved what making new smiles do for social, health, and overall general life in patients.
Jose loves working out, playing soccer, traveling to Mexico, and working with his family on their farm. Patients say he has a great personality and makes them feel at ease. Jose is bilingual, and speaking Spanish helps him to communicate with patients who dont speak English.
Dakotah Dental Hygienist Dakotah started working in the dental field in 2017 as a sterilization technician while also working towards her Bachelor of Science degree in dental hygiene at Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWTech). She enjoys working alongside people who come to work every day with a positive attitude and who are passionate about what they do. As a dental hygienist, Dakotah loves that she has a practical way of helping people while also getting to build relationship with them. Dakotah is a great team player who works hard to help each patient have a positive experience at the dental office.
She finds working in the dental field very enjoyable and rewarding and says its awesome to see the smiles on patients faces when they leave! Jacki says, It does feel like we are making a major impact on someones life.
When Jackis not at work, she has three great kids that keep her pretty busy! Her two teenagers and nine-year-old keep her on the ball. She goes to her kids activities that include soccer and volleyball, plus she volunteers in her daughters class on Friday afternoons. Jacki enjoys cooking, camping, and hiking, and she loves to read!
Ashley Schedule Coordinator Ashley has been working in the dental field since 2015 and is a graduate of Bates Technical College. She enjoys the positive atmosphere around the office and loves helping patients achieve their ideal smile.
Krystal Dental Assistant Krystal graduated from Pima Medical Institute for dental assisting in 2010 with honors. When it comes to her work, she enjoys helping patients take care of their smiles while helping them feel comfortable. She loves how everyone at the practice works well together, helping each other as needed and how great the work atmosphere is! She appreciates that Dr. Nuttall always has an upbeat, positive attitude.
When not busy with work, Krystal loves spending time with Drew, her firefighter husband of 13 years, along with Nova, her oldest daughter who is in kindergarten and Aurora, her youngest daughter. All of them love Cheddar, their Mini Goldendoodle puppy and their cat, Bradley! In her spare time, you can find Krystal gardening, hiking, baking, exercising, doing crafts with her girls and spending time with her family.