Cassandra started out at our office as a sterilization tech in 2017. We watched her go through hygiene school at Lake Superior College and immediately hired her full time as a dental hygienist upon her graduation in 2019. She now is an assistant to our doctors and really enjoys this new and challenging role. As an assistant, she is able to apply her hygiene skills along with her assisting skills to create a very unique role in our office.
Cassie is a Duluth native and continues to reside here with her long-time boyfriend, Ryan, and their 20 month old son, Mac. She thoroughly enjoys being a mom and soaking in every stage of Mac’s development. In her free time, Cassie enjoys hanging out with her little family and spending time at their family cabin in Wisconsin.
When asked what her favorite part about her job is, Cassie shared, “Helping patients and making coming to the dentist a positive experience.” That comes as no surprise, as her attitude toward patients and coworkers has always been helpful. She’s someone we can count on to give 100% and we can also count on her to make us laugh until we cry. Please don’t ask her to pronounce a difficult name!
A little known fact about Cassie is that she also graduated from a restorative functions class in the Twin Cities, which allows her to perform additional assisting duties, such as placing certain fillings. This frees the doctor she is working with to move on to other tasks while she finishes the procedure. The restorative functions certificate ensures no two days are the same at our office for Cassie.
Cassie is a breath of fresh air and always has a ready smile on her face. She is sharp and efficient and proud of the work she does. In fact, she lists graduating hygiene school and her restorative functions class, along with being a good mom, among her proudest achievements. Her passion for the care and comfort of the patients she sees is top notch. We are extremely lucky to have her on our team!
Lisa joined the team at Pike Lake Dental Center in 2006 as a dental assistant. Since that time, she has continuously developed skills in the dental field and embraced each new piece of dental technology as it has come along. She completed the restorative functions course, which allows her to perform many additional procedures and ensures variety for her each day at the office. She enjoys assisting with intricate procedures such as dental implants and designing crowns on the CEREC. She has taken the lead on 3D printing and is the go-to person for many of the office’s techy questions. She is a problem solver and an integral piece of our dental team.
Lisa grew up just outside of Eveleth and lives in Esko now with her husband, Travis, their son, TJ, and their family dog, Daisy. In her free time, she is an outdoor enthusiast and enjoys camping, fishing, ATVing and hunting. She often has tales to share of her weekend adventures with her family. Lisa is happy to pass along her love of nature to her son and is thrilled he enjoys the outdoors as much as she does.
A veteran in the dental field for nearly 20 years, Lisa shares her favorite aspect of her job as, “Developing relationships with patients over the years.” With her nearly 17 years invested at Pike Lake Dental Center, those relationships are certainly strong! Our patients look forward to catching up with her, even though they are at the office to have dental work done. She is able to put anxious patients at ease and make them feel comfortable with some small talk and a smile. Others are simply happy to catch up with an old friend as they sit in the dental chair for treatment.
If she wasn’t working at Pike Lake Dental Center, Lisa would be found owning and operating a local food truck offering unique and delicious food. Until she buys her first food truck, we are thrilled to have her continue as a long-time member of our dental team. Lisa’s calm and steady presence when treating patients is unmatched. Our patients know they are in expert hands with Lisa!
Nancy
Stacey
Nancy moved to Pike Lake Dental Center in 2005, although she had worked with Dr. Matt for years before that at a different dental office. A true veteran in the dental field, Nancy has been working as a dental assistant for over 35 years! Her dad was a dentist here in Duluth, so becoming a dental assistant was a natural fit for her. Nancy’s skills and know-how as a dental assistant make her stand out from the crowd. She is extremely patient with young kids, helping them focus and relax during their first dental experiences. She also takes care of all the ordering and organizing of our dental supplies, which is a huge job. If you need something, just ask Nancy. We tease her that she “Nancies” certain supplies by hiding them away from the rest of the stash to always ensure we have a spare when needed. Nancy is dependable, hard working and one of the kindest people you will ever meet.
Nancy grew up in Duluth and lives on Island Lake now with her husband and love of her life, Ward. Nancy is a naturally gifted hostess and enjoys entertaining friends and family at their beautiful home on the lake. She would like to start snowshoeing and get back into cross country skiing. She includes spending time with friends, looking for agates, fishing, traveling and hunting among her favorite pastimes. She has traveled to many exotic places including Africa, Alaska and Hawaii over the years. Although she says she’d like to get back to the range for “guns”, she is an amazing shot and impresses even the most stoic of hunters with her aim. Ask her about her hunting safaris or her impressive animal mounts the next time you see her.
“My favorite part of my job is when patients come in with a problem, whether it’s a chipped or broken tooth or a toothache, and we get to fix it for them,” she shares. “I also love my coworkers. They are all wonderful people with incredible talents.”
We are thankful she hasn’t decided to pursue her dreams of being either a travel critic consultant, an interior decorator or an architect if she wasn’t working in the dental field. Our office wouldn’t be the same without her vast dental skills and her consistently happy smile. She is a huge part of what makes our office special and welcoming. Nancy is truly one of those rare people you find in life that you feel lucky enough to know. We feel certain you will agree!
Stacey joined Pike Lake Dental Center in 2014 as a dental assistant. Although she is also a registered dental hygienist, she gravitated to an assistant role years ago and continues to love her job. She especially appreciates the variety all her training has enabled her to do. Each day and each patient is different, creating a fun and challenging work environment for her. She is our go-to for Invisalign and has embraced every new piece of technology or dental procedure with gusto. She’s not afraid to jump in on any procedure and has the knowledge and skill to ensure each job is well done. Undoubtedly, she has the loudest laugh in our lunchroom and hallways. We can count on her to be happy and full of energy for life each day.
Stacey grew up in Lakewood Township and lives in Duluth with her husband, Andy, and their two children Grace and Jack. They also have an adorably spoiled little dog named Roxy. She enjoys golfing, reading and spending time with family and friends. Stacey also loves to keep moving, so she enjoys running and has participated in many local races, including the Fitgers 5K and Grandma’s half marathons. She fills the rest of her free time with her two active pre-teens’ schedules, cheering on soccer games and dance competitions. There is no grass that grows underneath her feet!
When asked about her favorite aspect of her job, Stacy says, “I love the artistic part of my job that involves creating things. I also enjoy developing relationships with patients.” There are a lot of opportunities for her to be creative in her role at Pike Lake Dental Center. Stacey has designed thousands of crowns and bridges on the iTero and helped create hundreds of winning smiles.
If Stacey wasn’t working in the dental field, she would be enjoying a career that involves travel. We are thankful she isn’t ready for that yet, as we want to keep her with us as long as possible. Stacey is an invaluable part of our dental team and we can’t imagine the office without her happy spirit and easy going nature. Without a doubt, our patients always enjoy their time with Stacey and look forward to their next visit with her. Stacey is a true gem!
