Our Staff

Claudia Heras

Our super joyfull New Patient Coordinator, Claudia Heras, is one of those voices and friendly face you may have already heard and met. Claudia has been with our office since 2020 and she has been an amazing addition to our little smiles team here at Dr. Surillo’s Center for Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics. Born and raised in San Diego, she is a new mommy now twice. She is known to laugh and put a smile on everyone’s face whether in person or over the phone! Our staff and multitude of patients and parents love Claudia. Her favorite quote is “Make it a happy day!” She is genuine, hardworking, kind-hearted, and a funny person (did we say funny?) and takes amazing pride in insuring that our new and old patients are able to be seen promptly and timely to accommodate their schedules. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her middle school sweetheart Bryan and their two wonderful children and making new memories with them. She enjoys trying new restaurants and going to amusement parks with her kids, when she is not with us daily. Can’t forget Padres games! Although she was new to the dental world when she first started, she adapted quickly to our office staff, patients and pace! Her children are our patients as well and love coming to get a checkup, and she enjoys helping our patients and parents feel comfortable and safe and is always excited to see the young infants light up her day!

Dianely Covarrubias

Dental Assistant

Diannely is one of our newest members to our dental team. She graduated from UEI College in 2024 from the dental assisting program and proceeded to do her externship in our office. We liked her work and dedication and her eagerness to learn so much that we decided to hire her full time. She was born in Tijuana, B.C. Mexico and speaks two languages ( English and Spanish). At around the age of 15, she relialized that she wanted to work in the dental field during the time she was undergoing orthodontic treatment and found the process so interesting and transforming. Her favorite hobbies are listening to music, watching comedy movies, visitin new placews and trying different types of sushi.

Diannely is a very kind and friendly dental assistant and it shows in how she likes to help her coworkers and our patients. She appreciates the opportunity that was given to her and loves being a part of this team, a place she feels is a great work environment and truly passionate about the children’s dental health and orthodontic care.

Dr. Wilson Tam

Pediatric Dentist

Dr. Wilson is a board-certified pediatric dentist who provides exceptional care to each one of his patients. Dr. Wilson Tam was born in the country of Brazil and spent most of his childhood years moving from place to place. Upon moving from Brazil to America, his family spent some time in the state of Oregon before finally settling in California. Dr. Wilson completed his undergraduate education at the University of California Davis and attended dental school at the University of California San Francisco. He later traveled to New York University to complete his residency in the pediatric specialty.
Dr. Wilson joined our practice in 2023 and has made a significant contribution to our team. He has a passion for his role as a pediatric dentist and enjoys the chance to educate children and start them in the right direction to ensure a healthy smile in the future. One of his favorite aspects of his job is interacting with his patients, making them laugh, and showing them how much fun dentistry can be.
Outside of the office, Dr. Wilson loves spending time with his family and going out for a run with his dog, Grizzly. He also enjoys participating in a variety of sports and fitness activities, such as basketball, tennis, and hiking in the beautiful California landscape.

Jessica Wolf

Orthodontic Treatment Coordinator / RDA (Registered Dental Assistant)

Jessica, a San Diego native, is our Orthodontic Treatment Coordinator as well as one of our favorite long-time Orthodontic and Pediatric Dental Assistant. She has been with us for many years (although she looks like she is straight out of high school!). Jessica has always had a passion for working with children and adolescents ever since she was a young girl. Before entering the dental field in 1999, she attended college where she studied Child Development.

Jessica has enjoyed being a part of our close-knit team since she first started with us in 2001. She describes the best part of her days as when she is “having the greatest conversations with our patients, since you never know what they are going to say or what they come up with.” She also feels privileged to be able to work with young patients and be a witness to their growing up.

Her biggest gift to our office is not only her amazing technical skills but also, her immense heart and caring demeanor to our young patients. She truly cares about making them feel comfortable and being able to help them overcome their fears. Being the mother of three wonderful grown-up children and coming from a family who raised her with such kindness, spills over to our office and her caring touch. We are so fortunate to have had Jessi (as we know her) with us for so many years.

When not at our office, Jessica loves cruising the back roads with her husband in her restored classic British convertible, especially on the back roads of our local mountains. On many weekends, you may also see her cruising or strolling around Coronado, one of her favorite spots in San Diego. She also loves going to country music concerts and loves to cook and bake. We love that she thinks of us often, and almost weekly, brings a sample of her delicious creations. She is an easy going, funny, simple, and kind-hearted lady who is loyal to her friends and co-workers. I hope you enjoy, as we do, her contagious welcoming smile.

Lee Perez

Orthodontic and Pediatric Dental Assistant / RDA (Registered Dental Assistant)

Lee Perez, is a newer valued member of Dr. Surillo’s team. He has been with our office since 2023, bringing with him over 10 years of experience in the dental field. His journey into dentistry is quite unique. While he initially pursued a career in welding right after high school, fate had other plans. After a severe car accident that left him with a back injury, Lee was faced with the need to shift career paths. Determined to move forward, he attended UEI College to pursue his passion for dentistry. After finishing his studies, Lee briefly returned to the shipyard as a welder, but it didn't take long for him to realize that his true passion was in the dental field. His heart was set on helping people, and he’s been thriving ever since.

Lee was born in El Paso, Texas, but he has called San Diego home for most of his life. With deep family roots in the area, many would consider him a native of San Diego. Lee values the unity of family and believes strongly in maintaining a healthy work-life balance. On his days off, he's very involved with his three children, coaching baseball and supporting their interests.

Lee has worked in various dental offices, learning valuable skills and gaining a wealth of knowledge that makes him an excellent team player. His ability to problem-solve, provide exceptional customer service, and continually learn new things has made him a standout in every position he's held. He’s enthusiastic about making a difference and loves working with people from diverse backgrounds. He is also happy to share that he has found a wonderful fit here at Dr. Surrilo’s office, where the friendly staff feels like a second family. He’s deeply appreciative of Dr. Surrilo’s expertise and plans to continue working and growing with us and especially, helping our patients get aclimated to their visits.

Molly McKnight

Registered Dental Assistant-RDA

Molly is one of our rock-star pediatric ane orthodontic Registered Dental Assistants that we are so proud to have. She has been working with our office since 2021 as one of our most caring and competent doctor and patient’s helper. She loves working with children of all ages but has a special place in her heart for the little ones and those children with special needs. She found her profesional calling to be a dental assistant after being a patient of Dr. Surillo herself since she was 4 yrs. old. She enjoyed coming to the dentist as a child for her dental treatment and braces and got inspired to make this a career. She said we made it look fun! Her patience, dedication and profesionalism is evident every day and she inspires our team with her smile and warm heart.

In her free time, Molly enjoys going to the beach, hiking and relaxing in the mountains, and she loves to work out. She also enjoys being with family and having quality time with them. Molly recently got engaged to the love of her life, Josh who was her highschool sweetheart. She’s enjoying all the wedding planning for the big day in October of 2025.

Perla Ramirez

Front Office Patient Coordinator

Perla Ramirez, our front office Patient Coordinator, is another of those new faces you may have seen and heard over the past years. Ever since she joined our office she has given us her spark. She joined the #SurilloFam in 2023. She is the first friendly face member of our team that greets you as you enter our Center for Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics. Perla is known for being very welcoming and caring to our patients and parents. She is also constantly expanding her knowledge in the dental field and is eager to keep learning and growing with us. She enjoys what she does and it shows.

Perla has lived in San Diego for most of her life. She started in the hospitality environment in Old Town San Diego when she was 16 years-old. Perla realized then that she enjoyed engaging with people and grew her passion for enhancing people’s experiences wherever she is at. She enjoys working with people so much that she decided that Old Town San Diego did not have enough people to engage with, and so, moved into the hospitality industry for a couple hotels at the San Diego Airport. She genuinely enjoys working with others and creating bonds with the people she comes across with. Perla has been a fantastic addition to our front office team as a result of her background and she therefore strives to insure that all our patients are being seen on time and that their experince with us is outstanding. She uses her personality and aiding skills to ensure the comfort and familiarity to our patients and parents when entering our Center. We’re glad she represents us when you walk in or when you give us a call. Our staff and patients thinks the world of her.

There is one thing Perla enjoys more than people and that is food. In her personal time she is fond of discovering new places to expand the flavors of her taste. She loves that San Diego is the city that is connected to Tijuana, which is where she travels the majority of time to try all kinds of new and delicious foods with her spouse.

Stephanie Gomez

Orthodontic and Pediatric Dental Assistant / RDA (Registered Dental Assistant)

Stephanie is another of our old-time favorite dental assistants. She has been with Dr. Surillo since 2004. She was born and raised in La Mesa and is a proud former Helix Highlander. Immediately after high school, Stephanie attended Grossmont College and studied Child Development.

Stephanie has has been a Registered Dental Assistant since 1999 and started her dental career in General and Cosmetic Dentistry. Soon after those early days, she discovered her true passion and joy of working with kids and young adults. Stephanie is a confident, caring, and a fun person and it shows in her daily care of our patients. Her outlook in life is that there is always something that can be learned from our patients and from life itself. She feels this office is her “work home’ and plans to work here until retirement age. Stephanie believes in Dr. Surillo’s work so much that she herself had orthodontic treatment with him, as well as her husband, both of her children, mother, her nieces and nephews and her personal friends and friends from Little League, Pop Warner football and her children’s school classmates. She seems to be our walking billboard!

Stephanie loves helping transform smiles with her TLC. The best part of her job she says is getting a nervous patient to be able to leave with a confident smile on their face. She has a special place in her heart for our “special needs patients” too. Stephanie is famous for always saying “are we having fun yet?” She enjoys making everything fun for our young and teenage patients. She also likes to be silly with them. Stephanie really gets to know our patients and their families and she looks forward to seeing the patients she attends to, grow up with us.

Stephanie is married to her best friend and high school sweetheart and has two grown sons. They enjoy camping together, cooking and family game nights. She also enjoys spending time with friends, attending her son’s sporting events, and band performances.

Veronica Elias

Treatment and Scheduling Coordinator / Patient Advocate

Veronica Elias, our front office coordinator, is one of the new faces you will see in our office. She is native to San Diego, being born and raised in the South Bay. Although new to us, Veronica has been in the dental field for many years. She started her career in the Oral Surgery specialty back in 1997, having worked for 25 years as office manager to a team of well known oral surgeons, Dr. Lester Machado and Dr. Joel Berger. She takes pride in the fact that she was able to help many children with cleft palate and craniofacial disorders, coordinating their surgical care and helping their families navigate through the Cleft Palate & Craniofacial Team at Rady Children’s Hospital during her time in oral surgery. She was also very instrumental in the coordination of their office continuing education seminars for many years.
Veronica joined our practice in early 2024 and is excited to be part of a new team where she can continue to provide exceptional care and support for our pediatric and orthodontic patients & families.
Veronica enjoys traveling and has visited many of her bucket list destinations. Her favorite places to visit include Paris, Tokyo and Bilbao. She is an avid collector of antique and vintage jewelry, especially from the Victorian and Art Deco period. She has been collecting for over 30 years and loves the hunt of finding new pieces to add to her collection. She lives in Bonita with her husband, who she met in college, and her very spoiled chocolate lab, Orson.
Please don’t hesitate to meet Veronica next time you visit us. She is a dedicated profesional and an amazing addition to our practice.

Sahara Ramirez

Orthodontic and Pediatric Dental Assistant /RDA (Registered Dental Assistant)

Sahara is one of our old-time favorite orthodontic and pediatric dental assistants and she is very proud of that. She started as an intern with us in 2017 and has enjoyed working with our kids ever since. After becoming a Registered Dental Assistant she sparked her passion for working in pediatric dentistry and in orthodontics. One of her favorites aspects of her job is that she loves educating the children about their oral health. She is so very caring with our patients and always jokes about how most of them are taller than her. She is also very proud that she had orthodontic treatment at our office and enjoyed this journey. It makes it so much easier to relate to our patients and even help the new ones ease their fears when they start their orthodontic treatment. As a dedicated and compassionate registered dental assistant, Sahara brings 7 years of experience in dentistry and creates a warm and positive environment for children and our young adults. She is a true master of her craft, but more importantly, she has the kindest heart and a gigantic empathy for our little and not so little patients. In addition, she has obtained her orthodontic assistant permit in 2024 and continues to seek more orthodontic knowledge in the field. Outside of work she loves going to the zoo where she works weekends at any chance she gets, and has a warm spot for animals. Don’t be surprised that you may see double when in our office: her twin sister, Perla, is our our front office coordinator.

Joseph Lawlor

Pediatric and Orthodontic Registered Dental Assistant-RDA

Joe, as he is known to us, is one of the new faces you will see in our office. He started at our center in early 2024 and immediately was well liked by our Team and our community of patient’s families. He has worked in the dental field since 2011 where he was part of several well known pediatric dental offices around San Diego and who relate that they miss him dearly. He is a very caring, talented and valued pediatric and orthodontic assistant who brings amazing talent and disposition to our young patients. Parents continuosly praise the way he makes their children feel comfortable and safe when they visit us and request his assistance continuosly. Joe brings to our office an amazing zest for life, as well as an extensive knowledge of orthodontic and pediatric dentistry considerations. He has a great laugh as well as a most positive attitude which makes our young patients and their parents feel comfortable and at home. Joe was born and raised in San Diego and has an extended family here including two grown children (boy and girl), which he enjoys spending time with. He also enjoys rooting for our Padres and is a proud and accomplished guitar player on his spare time. Joe’s joyful, infectious laugh can many times be heard throughout the office and we hope you enjoy his personable care and professionalism during your next visit.

Dr. Karina Sharifi

Orthodontic and Pediatric Dental Assistant / RDA (Registered Dental Assistant)

Dr. Karina Sharifi, our orthodontic and pediatric dental assistant, is one of our most accomplished team members. She was born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico, where she spent her formative years and eventually completed her professional degrees. She obtained her Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree in 2009 as well as her Orthodontic Specialty Degree in 2011 from the University of Mexico. Growing up right across the border, Karina was surrounded by the vibrant culture of Tijuana and San Diego. From a young age, she developed a fascination with dentistry, often looking forward to her visits to the dentist. The excitement of the tooth fairy fueled a passion that would shape her entire future. She comes from a kind-hearted tight-nit family of Physicians and Dentist (her father was a well-know Pediatrician in Tijuana) with whom she likes to spend time together along with her husband.

Karina moved to San Diego in 2017 and began a new chapter in her life. Her professional journey continued in our office where she initially interned. Two years later she obtained her Registered Dental Assistant ( RDA) license and Orthodontic Assistant Permit. This allowed her to work alongside Dr. Surillo, where she has been contributing to building beautiful smiles for our patients.

Karina’s biggest gift to our office is that she takes great pride in being part of Dr. Surillo’s team. She finds immense joy witnessing the positive impact orthodontic treatment can have on growing patient’s self-esteem. As an outgoing, kind, and empathetic person, Dr. Karina is always willing to help our patients and she is contantly striving to make their dental visits as comfortable as possible. It is utmostly important to her that the patients she serves have a positive experience in the dental office, which will shape a lifelong comfort and trust during their dental visits. She is committed to changing people’s lives “ one smile at a time”, driven by the belief that a healthy smile can significantly impact confidence and overall well-being.

Dr. Viridiana Caraveo

Orthodontic and Pediatric Dental Assistant / RDA (Registered Dental Assistant)

Dr. Viridiana Caraveo, our orthodontic and pediatric dental assistant, is one of our newest but also one of our most accomplished team members. She was born in Sonora, Mexico and raised in Tijuana, where she spent her formative years and eventually completed her professional degrees. She obtained her Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree in 2009 as well as her Endodontic Specialty Degree in 2018 from the Autonoma University of Mexico. Growing up right across the border, Dr. Viridiana was surrounded by an older sister and a younger brother from a very close family. Her parents dedicated a lot of time to them, focusing on teaching them strong values, encouraging the pursuit of a higher education and most importantly, reminding them of the Almighty in their lives.

Dr. Viridiana moved to San Diego after meeting her husband here and are raising two wonderful children. As a family, they prioritize spending time together and are very active in their church community. They love to create meaningful memories with their kids, whether it is through fammily activities, outings, or just quality time at home.

Dr. Viri (as we know her) has been in the dental industry now for 15 years and recently earned her RDA. She has continued her professional journey which has allowed her to work alongside Dr. Surillo. She absolutely loves working with us here and loves her job. It has given her the opportunity to expand her knowledge, particularly in orthodontics. Her favorite part of her work is getting to interact with children and it is truly rewarding to her. And it shows; our patients love being attended by Dr Viri. I hope you get a chance to meet her and witness the great caring gifts she brings to our office and patients.

Valerie

Treatment and Scheduling Coordinator and DA (Dental Assistant)

Valerie, our Treatment and Scheduling Coordinator and Patient Advocate is also one of our old-timers (don’t worry, she’s proud of that!), who started with us in the year 2000. She grew up in El Cajon and started her career in dentistry for children in 1972, when she was just a junior in high school.

She loves working in the field of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, and truly enjoys seeing and helping our patients and their families leave our office with a smile on their faces. She loves their smiles and always has one herself. Valerie has a kind heart and an incredible helping disposition, which truly makes our reception room one where our families feel at home. She is an incredible asset to our practice with 16 years of dedicated service to us and is the first and last motherly smile our patients get to see when they visit us.

Valerie has lived most of her life in Ramona and is probably the most recognized person there. She enjoys spending time with her husband of 40 years, Tom, her family and friends. Her favorite past-times are her grandchildren, outdoors, bike-riding, going to the gym, running, and gardening. Her biggest hobbies are her tearoom and their frequent trips to their house in Mexico, a very special place whom she feels a very special connection to. Summer time is her favorite time of the year, but you can always find a warm smile on Valerie all year round.

Stephanie Talbot

Insurance Coordinator and Patient Advocate

Stephanie Talbot, one of our long-time front office staff member is our Insurance Coordinator and Patient Advocate. She has been with Dr. Surillo since 2017. Her background was originally in medical insurance, billing and scheduling at an orthopedic group practice in Del Mar. She is one of the first friendly voices you will hear when you call our office. Stephanie is happily married to her husband Chris of 21 years and together they have a beautiful daughter named Taylor. Taylor has been a pediatric dental patient of Dr. Surillo since 2008 (when she was 3 yrs. old) and later had her Orthodontic treatment with him as well. She has a beautiful “Surillo Smile.” Stephanie loves a good beach day, enjoys family trips to the desert, riding quads, driving their Can Am and hanging out around the fire. And don’t forget the smores; (her favorite is with a peanut butter cup). Don’t be surprised to see her singing and dancing at country concerts as well.

Stephanie’s favorite pastime is chasing sunset and she enjoys the beauty and magic each sunset holds. She takes great pride in her work and insures each patients account is accurate and that our families understand the benefits they will receive.I hope you have the opportunity to meet her and especially with any questions regarding your children’s accounts. She is an expert at what she does and we are so grateful to have her be a part of our team.