Meet Our Doctors

​​​​​Pediatric dentist, Dr. J grew up in San Diego and went to Rancho Bernardo High School, where he played soccer for the Broncos. Currently, he is on faculty with the UCLA Department of Pediatric Dentistry and is on staff with San Diego’s Rady Children’s Hospital. He is also a blogger and a breastfeeding advocate. Since 2010, he established his private practice in his hometown to serve San Diego families with two offices in Scripps Ranch/Mira Mesa area. He is also a proud husband and father of three girls.

Dr J. earned a honors degree in Molecular Cell Biology at UC Berkeley, then he attended UCLA for dental school. There, he served as Student Body President and was recognized by the Dean’s Leadership Institute. Subsequent to earning his D.D.S. from UCLA with honors, Dr. J completed 3 years of specialty training at the University of North Carolina. At UNC, Dr. J served as Chief Resident and won national recognition for his research on hereditary dental disorders. Dr J is also a breastfeeding advocate and a UCSD trained Certified Lactation Educator Counselor.

 

​​​​​​​​​​Dr. Nicole ‘Neek’ LaMantia is a Chicago native who competed at the collegiate level as a triathlete and at the international level as an Irish dancer. She studied at Marquette University before completing her DDS at UC San Francisco. She then completed a residency in Pediatric Dentistry along with a master’s degree in Public Health at UCLA.

She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the California Society of Pediatric Dentistry and as a liaison for the San Diego area for the American Academy of Pediatrics. When she's not practicing dentistry, Dr. Neek enjoys spending her time with her husband and daughter. She continues to stay active by running, practicing yoga, and swimming in beautiful San Diego.