Staff Members
Cara is an excellent team member in our office. She keeps our office running smoothly by wearing many different hats. She is certified in many different aspects in the dental field including: nitrous oxide, x-rays, and is an expanded duty dental assistant. When Cara is not at work she enjoys cooking, eating, and relaxing at home with her husband, Mason, and her children. She loves watching Disney movies and is a disney enthusiast.
Jaime brings over 25 years of dental hygiene experience to our practice, including 8 years working with a Periodontist. She believes that healthy gums and teeth really affect overall health. She is certified in local anesthesia, nitrous oxide, and CPR. She is an avid Pittsburgh Penguins fan and loves watching UFC fights. In her free time, she enjoys reading, painting, and playing video games like World of Warcraft and Path of Exile. She also loves Marvel movies, any science fiction movies, Star Trek and Star Wars, and her all time favorite Lord of the Rings.
Paula became a National Board certified Expanded Function Dental Assistant in 1982 after graduating from Midlands Technical College. She has maintained her certification for over 30 years. Paula loves the field of dentistry, and she could not imagine having chosen a different career path. Getting to be part of transforming smiles and assisting Dr. Ruggiero with full mouth rehabilitations is very rewarding. When not chairside assisting, she can be found on her bicycle. She is an avid cyclist, and rides pretty much every day. She and her husband Donald have two fur babies, Fenn and Alex.
Kim brings over 16 years of dental assisting experience to our practice. She enjoys both the dental assisting and the lab portion of dentistry. She was born and raised in Peoria, Illinois. She has 2 children, Conner and Riley, both of whom are attending college. Kim recently moved to sunny South Carolina in January of 2019. In her free time, she enjoys boating on Lake Murray, spending time with family, and watching a good series on Netflix.
Nicole is a dedicated team member and dental assistant. She grew up on Lake Wateree, SC and moved here in 2009, where she graduated from Dutch Fork High. Nicole continued her education at the Carolina Career School, where she received her certificate in dental assisting, and became CPR and xray certified. When Nicole is not at work, she enjoys golfing with her husband Caleb and spending time on the lake with her sons, friends, and her two dogs Pete and Panda.
Megan is from North Augusta, SC. She graduated from Greenville Technical College in 2015 with a degree in Dental Hygiene. As a Registered Dental Hygienist, she loves creating bright smiles and good oral hygiene habits for all of her patients. She is certified in local anesthesia, nitrous oxide, and CPR. Outside of the office she enjoys traveling, hanging out with friends and spending time with her husband Martin and her dog Chloe.
Sonya, has been a dental assistant for 22 years. She enjoys working with people, and making them feel comfortable and cared for. She spends a lot of her free time with her family and watching her 3 precious grandbabies. She enjoys church activities and “getting all the Jesus” she can to help her make it through each week. She also enjoys cooking in her free time.
Maggie just recently graduated from dental assisting school. She is an asset to our office with her calm nature and willingness to jump right in to help out in any situation. She is an extremely quick learner and is open to learning everything about dental procedures to help us.