Dr. Joanna Ayala — Board Certified Pediatric Dentist

Dr. Joanna Ayala was born and raised in San Antonio. After earning her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio, Dr. Ayala went on to complete her dental degree at Boston University. Her passion for children inspired her to continue her education at Miami Children’s Hospital, where she earned her specialty certificate in pediatric dentistry.

Dr. Aashna Handa — Board Certified Pediatric Dentist

Dr. Handa earned her dental degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). During this time, she was involved in various pediatric patient-centered activities, including the Infant Oral Health Care Club, Craniofacial Center at Ronald Reagan Hospital, UCLA.

Her dedication and passion for children made her go a step further and she earned her specialty certificate in pediatric dentistry at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida where she served as the chief resident. Her training covered the full spectrum of behavior management, basic and advanced, which included sedation and hospital dentistry. She also excelled in working with children with autism at the Mailman Segal Center for Human Development as part of her residency.

Besides her professional life, she loves art and enjoys spending time with her husband, who is working as a general dentist in San Antonio, and her daughter, Areesha.

Dr. Jennifer Hole — General Dentist, Practice Limited to Children

Dr. Jennifer Hole is a San Antonio native, born and raised in the Alamo Heights area. She attended the Honors Program at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she double majored in Biology and Chemistry. Upon being awarded the Bush-Jones Sprenger Scholarship for Leadership and Academic Excellence, she attended Baylor College of Dentistry, where she graduated with her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 2012. During her time at Baylor, Dr. Hole was involved in many leadership positions, including student council class representative, philanthropy chair, student consultant for Admissions Committee and a mentor for the summer pre-enrichment program for prospective students.

Dr. Hole lives in the neighborhood she grew up in with her husband, Dr. Steven Hole, who is a Captain in the United States Army. They have two children together, a daughter, Riley, who is two years old and a son, Everett, who turned one this past May. While life with two kids can get busy, in her free time she enjoys cooking, crafting, and running!

Dr. Kara Whittington – Board Certified Pediatric Dentist

Dr. Kara Whittington was born and raised in nearby Castroville, Texas. She received a bachelor of science degree in psychology at Texas A&M University, class of 2008. Gig ‘Em Aggies! She then moved back to San Antonio and completed her DDS at UTHSCSA. She practiced in San Antonio for the next 6 years where her passion for treating children grew until she decided to return to school to specialize in pediatrics, completing her residency at UT Health San Antonio-Laredo.

Dr. Kara resides in the San Antonio area with her husband who is a firefighter for the city of Austin and their daughter, Reed.

She looks forward to meeting your children and their families to provide child-friendly dental care in a positive and welcoming environment.

Dr Patricia Reese – Board Certified Orthodontist

Dr Patricia Reese brings more than 10 years of caring experience, premier training, and cutting-edge research as a Board Certified Orthodontist.

She loves helping patients create beautiful smiles that make lasting impressions. She is particularly passionate about providing second chances for patients with severe issues as well as fine-tuning aesthetics for those with milder ones.

Dr. Reese is Board Certified Orthodontist by the American Board of Orthodontics and she Graduated from the Orthodontics Residency Program at UCLA.

Also, she holds a Certificate in Orthodontics from her native country of Peru and she is fluent in Spanish.

Dr. Reese has facilitated discovery of emerging treatment and suppression of bone loss in Cancer patients and recently published research in four major journals, including the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics.

Dr. Reese recent publications:

Bone analysis of pancreatic tumor-bearing hu-BLT mice.
UCLA Theses and Dissertations December 18, 2020
Orthodontic and Surgical Treatment of Facial Asymmetry in Unicoronal Craniosynostosis
American Journal of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics. AJO-DO. January 1, 2020
Effects of Cortipuncture (CP) and low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on the rate movement and the root resorption in rats using Micro-CT evaluation.
Lasers in Medical Science Journal. December 1, 2017
Multidisciplinary treatment of Antley-Bixler Syndrome: A long term case report. Published at the Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal.
Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal. January 1, 2017
Guidelines for Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry Analysis of Trabecular Bone-rich Regions in Mice: Improved Precision, Accuracy and Sensitivity for Assessing Longitudinal Bone Changes.
Tissue Engineering Journal. May 1, 2016

When Dr. Reese is not in clinic she likes to stay engaged with people through networking and professional development opportunities. She is an animal lover and enjoys traveling, cooking and playing tennis when the opportunity presents.

Dr. Anna Stell – Pediatric Dentist

Dr. Anna Stell is a Texas native who grew up in San Antonio. She attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas where she graduated with honors and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Bachelor of Science in Health and Society, and a Minor in Biology. Dr. Anna then moved back to San Antonio to earn her dental degree at UT Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA). During her time at UTHSCSA, Dr. Anna served as Vice President of her class and was active in many clubs. She also received the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Predoctoral Student Award and graduated with honors. After graduating from dental school, Dr. Anna moved to Iowa City to pursue her passion of working with children and obtain her Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry from the University of Iowa. During residency, she was fortunate enough to obtain extensive training in pediatric dental care including behavior management, sedation, hospital dentistry, dental trauma, and caring for individuals with special health care needs. She is excited to be back in her hometown where she can share her passion of helping kiddos achieve healthy and happy smiles! When she isn’t treating patients, Dr. Anna enjoys spending time with her fiancé and their tiger-striped dog, Bex. Some of her favorite things include exploring new restaurants, traveling, live music, alpacas, and spin classes.

Dr. Lori Fulk – Board Certified Orthodontist

Dr. Lori Fulk is a board-certified specialist in Orthodontics and a member of the American Association of Orthodontics. She graduated Magnum Cum Laude from Southern Illinois University and then completed her degree in June of 1999 at SIU School of Dental Medicine. In 2001, she achieved her Masters degree in Orthodontics at St. Louis University. Dr. Fulk was also inducted into the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Dental Honor Society.

Dr. Fulk emanates compassion and commitment in her services to all people, in all places. She has traveled to provide dentistry to the underprivileged in Haiti and Honduras. Her volunteer efforts were recognized with an award for the best “Give Kids a Smile Day” initiative by the state of Illinois.

In 2007, Dr. Lori Fulk relocated to San Antonio after working at a private practice for six years in Peoria, Illinois. She has been practicing orthodontics in San Antonio for 16 years before joining Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry.

Since moving to San Antonio, Dr. Fulk has been blessed with two sons, Ian and Evan. She is enjoying raising her boys here in Texas as well as serving the community of Alamo Heights and surrounding areas. Dr.Fulk and the incredible staff look forward to creating beautiful smiles for the patients of Sunshine Pediatric Dentistry!

Schedule an appointment to meet the team!