Dr. Joyce Kao
Dr. Kao obtained her DDS degree from New York University’s College of Dentistry with Honors in Pediatric Dentistry and Special Patient Care. Realizing her passion for treating children and special needs patients, she remained at NYU and its affiliated Bellevue Hospital Center for specialty training in pediatrics. She is board certified by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.
Growing up in Taiwan and Vancouver, Canada, Dr. Kao had been constantly on the move. After residency, Dr. Kao practiced in Massachusetts for 4 years before settling back in Orange County, where her husband is from. She is glad to call SoCal home. While not at the office, Dr. Kao enjoys spending time with her twins, building LEGO (she just finished a 7500-piece Millennium Falcon), cooking, exploring fun places in southern California and watching sports. She loves the New England Patriots and Vancouver Canucks and is deciding between Dodgers or Angels.
Dr. John Khalaf
Dr. John Khalaf graduated from Loma Linda University School of Dentistry and completed a two-year residency program in Dental Anesthesiology at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
Dr. Khalaf loves the satisfaction that comes from transforming lives by providing his patients with exceptional dental care. His years of in-depth experience and his kind, professional manner leave patients at ease and create positive experiences about sleep dentistry.
He has a California General Anesthesia permit and is also certified in Basic Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support.
Dr. Lana Tran
Dr. Tran received her dental degree from USC in Los Angeles, CA and her pediatric specialty certification from St. Barnabas Hospital in Bronx, NY. During dental school and residency, she was active in community service and was a part of several international humanitarian trips abroad. Dr. Tran is committed to improving the oral health of all children and those with special needs. She believes in delivering quality dentistry with a warm and gentle approach, utilizing a multidisciplinary team. When not cleaning up sugar bugs and counting teeth, Dr. Tran enjoys reading, pilates, live music, traveling the world and learning about different cultures.
Dr. Andrea Nguyen
Dr. Nguyen was born and raised in Southern California where she grew up in a family of 6. Her passion for guiding children began in high school where she tutored elementary school kids and worked the summers as a piano teacher.
She attended the University of the Pacific where she completed the accelerated dental program. Within 3 years she graduated magna cum laude and obtained her BS degree in Biological Sciences. After another 3 years she completed her DDS degree with high honors, graduating 7th in her class. Her studies continued to Brooklyn, NY with NYU Langone Hospitals Advanced Education in Pediatric Dentistry residency. During residency she was awarded for presenting her research project on Maternal Anxiety Screening and Referral in a Dental Clinic.
Dr. Nguyen understands that children’s oral healthcare extends beyond just baby teeth and practices dentistry by evaluating patients as a whole. In her free time, Dr. Nguyen enjoys taking her labrador retriever to the dog park where he runs with his friends every night. She is also an avid pickleball player, so let her know if you play too!