Meet the Team

Drs. Thomas, McCarthy, and Carpino feel privileged to work with the best dental care team EVER. You really need to meet them in person to know why we can brag like this, but here’s a little description to give you a sense of what you can look forward to as a patient here.

Val

Registered Dental Hygienist

Val has been with us since 2003. She loves easing patients’ anxieties about their dental care so they can get the most out of their time with us. She is thankful for the opportunity to meet so many interesting and wonderful people each day, as she helps them learn new and helpful oral care. Her patients love the gentle, thorough, and informative care and coaching she provides them.

Val is very passionate about her animals, music — especially live concerts — and spending time with family and friends. She also enjoys staying healthy by exercising as much as she can; she even completed the Minnesota Iron Man!

Karmen

Registered Dental Hygienist

Creating comfort and caring for her patients’ needs are what make Karmen love being a hygienist. Her years of experience, gentle nature, and great communication skills help patients feel comfortable and confident in her care.

A mom and gramma, she loves caring for her family and enjoys her time in the garden, both at home and up north at the “tree house.”

Ceng

Business Coordinator

Ceng makes her patients feel like family by welcoming them with a smile. Her specialty is ensuring the whole process runs smoothly for our patients, from making appointments to walking out with a healthy smile, eager to return in six months. Her associate’s degree in office management, tech savviness, and ability to speak Hmong add to her value on the team.

Ceng loves to sing and line dance. She enjoys the great outdoors, hiking and sightseeing with family and friends.

Meredith

Office Manager

Meredith began at our office as a dental assistant. Now she combines her clinical knowledge and business skills to oversee the business processes and support Dr. Thomas in running the place. Meredith is committed to making sure every patient has a good experience here: helping them understand all the elements and costs of their treatment and feel good about proceeding. “No surprises” is her aim.

Outside the office, she loves spending time with her family, friends, her ginormous dog, and two cats. Cooking and reading are her favorite activities.

Tamarra

Patient Coordinator

Tamarra is one of the first to greet you when you call or come in. Since her personal philosophy is, “Treat people as they want to be treated,” you can expect a warm welcome, good humor, and knowledgeable answers to your questions or concerns. She knows your time is important and does her part to ensure your appointment is a positive experience, so you’ll tell your friends and come back.

When she’s not at the office, she loves hanging out with her children. Playing dance games, singing karaoke, watching horror and mystery movies, traveling, and eating new exciting foods add extra joy to her life.

Melissa

Patient Coordinator

Melissa believes in the power of smiles. It’s the first thing she’ll give you when she greets you in the clinic and it’s why she loves dentistry. She can also feel the smile of appreciation when a patient gets treated like family and finds comfort in our welcoming care. What can you expect from Melissa? Kindness, patience, compassion, and excellent communication. Outside of work, Melissa loves going to concerts and movies, listening to music, and watching her niece and nephew.

Hailey

Patient Coordinator

Hailey comes to her front desk role with the empathy of one who’s felt anxious about visiting the dentist. “I keep that in mind when talking through patients’ concerns and am passionate about putting them at ease so they can receive the best possible care and learn about oral health.” Hailey was drawn to the collaborative nature of our clinic and feels the team works well together towards a common goal. Outside the clinic, she and her boyfriend Zack enjoy art, live music, and theatre.

Stefanie

Registered Dental Assistant

The aspect of Stefanie’s career in dentistry she enjoys most is building relationships with patients. She’s been known to hold “dance contests,” tell jokes, and play games during kids’ appointments, and they LOVE her. Serving alongside our dentists through every procedure, she loves getting to know patients and making sure they’re comfortable and satisfied with their visit.

Outside the office, Stefanie loves spending time with her daughter, being outside, and cooking.

A

Registered Dental Assistant

Visiting the dentist might not be people’s favorite thing to do. A gets that and makes it her job to ensure patients leave their visit feeling well cared for, their questions answered, and looking forward to coming back. She was drawn to our office after watching the sense of caring our team exhibits with patients. A welcomes the chance to learn continuously on the job. As she sees it, if you’re not learning, you’re not growing.

When off duty, A enjoys traveling and experiencing new things, having already visited Laos, Thailand, and South Korea. When she’s stateside, you can catch her cooking up a storm or jamming to music with friends and family.

Trish

Registered Dental Assistant

From the moment we met Trish, we knew she was a great fit. She’s a skilled assistant, passionate about dentistry, loves caring for patients (especially kids!) and exudes positivity. What can patients expect from Trish? “I value your time, concerns, questions, and fears, and will do my absolute best to put you at ease, answer your questions, and make your visit enjoyable.”

On her off hours, Trish loves spending time with her with husband and two sons at the cabin, volunteering, reading, baking, going on new adventures, and hanging with old friends. And making cute Tooth Fairy bags for her little patients with wiggly teeth.

Kayla V

Sterilization Tech

Kayla’s position is the most important job we never knew we needed. To enable assistants and hygienists to spend more time with patients and work more efficiently, we added the position of sterilization technician. Kayla’s work ethic and adaptability have set the standard, and our processes go smoother every day. Kayla attributes her success to the support of her team members who have shown her the ropes and are always willing to lend a hand. By day you’ll see her in scrubs, but outside of work you’ll never see this fashion-lover underdressed. She also enjoys spending time with family and friends, exploring the cities, shopping! and taking pictures.

Kelly

Dental Hygienist

Kelly heard about how great Saint City Dental was and knew she'd be a great fit. The feeling was mutual, and she's been an awesome addition to our team. Kelly is passionate about dentistry and educating her patients about the benefits of oral health, as well as building trusting relationships with them. Patients appreciate her gentle touch and find comfort in knowing that they are in good hands. When Kelly is not at the office, she enjoys cooking, traveling, being active, playing with her dog and spending time with friends and family.

Renee

Dental Assistant

What makes Renee great at her job as a dental assistant is her passion for people and being adaptable in the face of varying patient needs. Her philosophy of care is the golden rule: Treat people the way you would like to be treated, and that rings true in all of her day to day interactions. We are so lucky Renee found her way to the Saint City Dental team!

Sarah

Dental Hygienist

Sarah started as a temporary hygienist with us, and she was a great fit from the get-go. We knew we had to give her a permanent spot on our team! She welcomes her patients into her chair as if they were her family or friend, and she is extremely dedicated to her philosophy that everyone should get the best possible care when they walk through the doors of Saint City Dental. She wants patients to feel at ease and excited to come to the dentist. Outside of work, you'll find Sarah hanging out with her dog and husband or traveling to new places to experience new cultures, sights, and foods.

Jessica

Dental Hygienist

What makes Jessica a great hygienist is her empathetic and caring nature, as well as her ability to be an effective liaison between her patients and the doctor. Jessica truly puts the needs of her patients above all else. She’s an invaluable asset to Saint City Dental, and her philosophy of care has perfectly aligned with that of the practice. Jessica’s hobbies outside of dentistry are enjoying time with family and friends, especially when it includes travel and spending time outdoors.

Shelby

Dental Hygienist

When Shelby started to look for a position as a hygienist, she wanted an office that had a great atmosphere and a place she could spend her career at. She found that in Saint City Dental! Shelby fit right in with her kindness, breath of dental knowledge, and her willingness to go above and beyond for her patients and colleagues. Shelby’s passion is helping ease her patients’ anxiety, and her number one goal each day is making sure her patients feel comfortable. When Shelby isn’t at work, you can find her enjoying the arts, going on walks, or building forts in her living room with her husband and daughter.

Sam

Dental Assistant

Sam goes above and beyond to ensure her patients feel as comfortable and as knowledgeable as possible about the care they're receiving from us. She fits the laid-back yet professional atmosphere of Saint City Dental, and her warm energy makes her a special addition to our team.

Outside of the office you can find Sam working on some incredibly impressive knitting and crocheting projects, working in her garden, or trying out a new restaurant.