DENTIST – SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA
Come Smile with Stephanie Alvarado, DDS
I grew up in Santa Cruz, so San Luis Obispo already feels like home — the coast, the pace of life, the community. Moving to SLO also brings me closer to family, which makes the opportunity even sweeter.
why did I become a dentist?
My path to pediatric dentistry started with community volunteering, long before I ever set foot in dental school. Some of the most formative experiences of my journey were the mission trips I took to Ensenada, Mexico and to Panama, providing dental care to communities with little to no access to it. Seeing how much a simple dental visit could change a child's health and confidence, often for kids who had never seen a dentist before, is what truly guided me toward working with kids. That same spirit carried into dental school, where I continued volunteering through USC's Mobile Dental Clinic, bringing care to underserved communities across California. Every one of those experiences reminded me why I love this work — kids are light-hearted and silly, they make it easy to connect, and I'm always learning something new from them. Every day in this field is different, and that's exactly why I chose it.
My Education and Pursuit of Continuing Education
- Doctorate of Dental Surgery, University of Southern California Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry
- Pediatric Dental Residency, University of Southern California Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry
- Second Year, Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) — treating medically complex patients and children with special health care needs
- Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences with an Emphasis in Human Biology, University of California, Merced Professional Memberships
- American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD)
- California Dental Association (CDA)
- California Society of Pediatric Dentistry (CSPD)
- English
- Spanish
Languages
Away from the Office
Outside of the office, I love trying new things — I recently went skydiving over the North Shore of Hawaii and rode in a hot air balloon over Mexico City. I'm always up for travel and a good hike, and I spend a lot of my downtime at the dog park with my two fur babies, Chavo and Gremlin. Family time is a big part of my life too — I'm lucky to have six nieces and nephews who keep me on my toes!
