DR. JENNIFER VILLALTA, DDS, MPH
BOARD CERTIFIED
Dr. Jennifer Villalta is a board-certified pediatric dentist who is proud to serve the community with top-notch, truly personalized care. There’s one thing that Dr. Jen is passionate about above all else: making children smile.
A first generation Latina, Dr. Jen's parents fled El Salvador’s Civil War before she was born, seeking refuge in the US, in Los Angeles. The family moved to Northern California for a time, where Dr. Jen attended middle and high school. During her junior year, at the age of 16, she was forced to drop out of high school and provide for herself. It was at this time that she began working full-time at an orthodontic practice and attending Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) after work. She often says “dentistry saved my life,” as during this trying time dentistry gave her
a goal that she wanted to achieve, and a future that she became determined to build. She eventually transferred from SRJC to UCLA on an academic scholarship, where she obtained a B.S. in Physiological Sciences. Dr. Jen then took a gap year to embark on 2 humanitarian military missions, notably with the US Navy and other military branches aboard both the USNS Mercy hospital ship and the USS Pearl Harbor battleship. She continued to backpack solo throughout Southeast Asia and Europe before matriculating into dental school and attending the UOP Arthur A. Dugoni Dental School, the only 3-year accelerated program in the US. But she wasn’t done there. After graduation, Dr. Jen returned to UCLA, this time to their School of Dentistry, where she earned her Pediatric Dental Specialty certificate while simultaneously obtaining her Master of Public Health from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. She is
also proud to be a speaker and Key Opinion Leader for NuSmile.
She brings her rich experiences and compassion for her fellow humans both big and small, and loves nothing more than inspiring her little patients and their families to smile with health and confidence. Dr. Jen has dedicated her life to dentistry and is thrilled to welcome families and kids from every age group, cultural background, and walk of life.
