Dr. Denise Maniakouras (“Dr. Denise”), founder of Bite Size Pediatric Dentistry, is a Board Certified Pediatric Dentist and a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.
Dr. Denise completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois, Chicago where she received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology with a minor in Psychology. She obtained her D.D.S. degree from the University of Illinois, Chicago. Dr. Denise was selected as Chief Resident of her pediatric dentistry residency at the University of Illinois, Chicago earning a certificate a Masters degree in Public Health.
In 2011-2012, Dr. Denise served the Chicago area as an Albert Schweitzer fellow. She developed and implemented an outreach program to educate and provide dental care for children in underserved areas. Dr. Denise has also traveled to Zacapa, Guatemala with Hearts In Motion (H.I.M) to provide oral health care to children and families in remote areas.
Dr. Denise is a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Dental Association, the Illinois State Dental Society, the Chicago Dental Society, the Illinois Society of Pediatric Dentistry, and is currently a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.
Her true passion is working with children and building relationships with the families she cares for. Dr. Denise strives to provide quality dental care to children in a safe and relaxing environment. Dr. Denise understands that every child is unique and so are their dental needs. She takes pride in helping children build a healthy dental future. In her free time, Dr. Denise spends time with her husband, George, and her kids, Alex, Dean & Mia. She enjoys being a mom and spending time with her family. She sincerely looks forward to meeting you soon!
Dr. Marissa Dziepak (“Dr. Marissa”) is a Board Certified Pediatric Dentist and is very excited to have returned home to her native Chicagoland area and to have joined Bite Size Pediatric Dentistry to serve and advocate for our little patients!
She studied Neuroscience with a minor in Chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She obtained her D.M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine where she graduated with honors in serving patients with medical complexities and as a leader in community oral health programs, such as Penn Smiles. She completed her pediatric dentistry residency at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora, CO where she was selected to serve as Chief Resident. Dr. Marissa is a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Dental Association, and the Chicago Dental Society.
From an early age, Dr. Marissa recognized her passion for working with children. She is committed to providing comfortable and positive dental experiences that support and address each of her patient’s individual needs, striving to create life-long healthy dental patients.
Dr. Marissa is very happy to be back home in Chicago. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, cooking, and traveling with her husband, Andrew.
Making the move back to the Midwest, Dr. Paulina went on to pursue her pediatric specialty training and Masters degree in Oral Sciences at the University of Illinois in Chicago. While in residency, her research was recognized nationally by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentist, earning the Graduate Student Research Award.
In her spare time, Dr. Paulina loves exploring the outdoors and travelling, and is always seeking her next adventure. She loves to stay active with hiking, rollerblading, and running along the lake shore. When not outdoors, you can find her checking out local live music and sporting events, or spending time with her dogs.
She is so excited to continue calling the Chicagoland area her home and to serve the needs of the surrounding community as a member of the Bite Size team!
Dr. Elissa Teasdale (“Dr. Elissa”) is a board-eligible pediatric dentist who grew up in a small town in New Hampshire’s vibrant Merrimack Valley. She attended Colby College, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Chemistry. She then moved to Boston, Massachusetts to complete her dental school education at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. While at Tufts, she was honored to receive the Honos Civicus award due to her dedication to providing outstanding community service to the underserved population in the Boston area. She regularly provided free dental care to homeless youth, visited local schools to educate children about oral health and hygiene, and organized an annual preventive-screening event, Tooth Day at Fenway, for all park patrons.
Following dental school, she completed a one-year Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency on the Navajo reservation in Winslow, Arizona. She considers this an invaluable experience in her professional life, as she continued to treat an underserved population of deserving patients. After completing her general residency, Dr. Elissa worked at a private pediatric practice in Charleston, South Carolina for three years. It was there that she realized her passion for providing care to the pediatric population and patients with special health care needs. She decided to pursue specialized training and went on to complete a two-year pediatric dental residency at The Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta while continuing to work at the pediatric practice in Charleston on the weekends.
Dr. Elissa is excited to be a part of the Bite Size Pediatric Dentistry’s family and is devoted to providing quality care in a positive environment for both her patients and their families. She considers herself lucky to be in a position where she has the ability to impact and influence children at such a young age. Dr. Elissa strives to create a calm and inviting environment for her patients in order to alleviate fears while promoting positive future dental visits. She loves seeing improvements and growth with each and every encounter. Dr. Elissa is passionate about pediatric dentistry and finds the profession incredibly rewarding.
Dr. Elissa visited Chicago frequently and was intrigued by the city, culture, and even the snow (after living in the Southeast for five years). When she’s not taking care of little teeth, you can find her staying active at yoga and group exercise classes, hiking mountains, traveling to untouched areas of the world, volunteering, exploring the Chicago food scene, and spending time with friends and family, both near and far. She looks forward to meeting you and your family soon!
Angela is excited to be part of the pediatric dentistry team at Bite Size! She truly has passion to learn about dentistry and loves working with kids. For Angela, there is nothing better than hearing patient’s funny jokes and seeing their smiley faces!
When Angela is not teaching brushing and flossing, she is busy spending time with her golden retrievers, AJ & Buehrle. She also enjoys going to Brookfield Zoo and baseball games! Go Sox Go!
Andrea began working in the field of Pediatric Dentistry in 2007. She has a deep passion and great understanding of what it takes to provide quality care to each and everyone of her “little” patients. She enjoys spending time at home with her husband, watching Netflix reruns of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, and can’t get enough of spending quality time with her adorable kids. Andrea looks forward to meeting and providing a positive experience for your child soon!
Amber is very excited to join the Bite Size team! She loves getting to know each patient and making each visit enjoyable! Amber’s favorite part about pediatric dentistry is building trust with each child and watching them grow. When Amber is not working she loves having movie nights with her two children. Amber also loves getting creative and spending time with her family.
Olivia joins the Bite Size team after being a patient of ours! Olivia found a passion for teeth after learning to love the dentist and orthodontist over the years. Olivia loves getting to help the little kids realize the dentist can be fun. In her spare time away from the office, Olivia enjoys dancing or spending time with friends.
Ale is excited to join the Bite Size clinical team! When she isn’t at the office, she enjoys cooking, working out, playing tennis and softball, and spending time with her family and 2 adorable dogs. She can’t wait to meet you!
Daniella has worked in dentistry for 3 years and is excited to join the Bite Size team! When she isn’t at the office, Daniella likes to spend time with her cat, go on adventures with her boyfriend, and study dental hygiene. She can’t wait to meet you at your next visit!
Emily is excited to join the Bite Size clinical team and brings 2 years of dental office experience! When Emily isn’t busy at the office, she enjoys working out, spending time with her family, playing/coaching basketball and watching one of her favorite movies, Finding Nemo. Emily is excited to meet you!
Karla is excited to be part of the Bite Size clinical team! Karla loves to hear her patients tell funny jokes and help them overcome their nerves and leave the dentist with a big smile. When she isn’t at the office, she enjoys spending time with her two daughters and having movie nights and going for adventure walks. Karla hopes to continue her education and become a dental hygienist.
Samantha is so excited to be a part of the Bite Size team! She loves being able to see kids enjoy coming to the dentist and helping their teeth sparkle! She hopes to continue her education to become a pediatric dentist in the future as well. When Samantha isn’t at the office she enjoys traveling and spending time with family. She can’t wait to meet you!
Elena is excited to be part of the Bite Size clinical team! Elena has years of experience in pediatrics and orthodontics. When she isn’t at the office fighting sugar bugs, Elena enjoys spending time with her son and daughter and doing crafts. She can’t wait to meet you!
Celinda has worked in the dental field for 5 years. She loves working with kids and looks at each day as an opportunity to learn something new. When Celinda is not at the office, she enjoys spending time with her husband and kids outdoors or doing arts and crafts at home. She looks forward to meeting you soon!
Michelle is super excited to have joined the Bite Size team! She enjoys getting to know each patient and catching all of their sugar bugs! When Michelle is not working, she is studying to one day become a Dental Hygienist. Michelle also loves to attend sporting events, concerts, hike, travel, as well as hang out and have fun with her family and friends!
Bio coming soon!
Bio coming soon!
Angie is so excited to join the Bite Size team! Her favorite part of working in pediatric dentistry is being able to comfort the children and
having them walk out with clean healthy teeth. Angie has a passion for growing and learning more
about dentistry that plans to continue her education to be a Dental Hygienist. When she is not working, Angie
loves to spent time with family. She is a busy mother of four boys. As a family they love going to church,
the park, museums, going on nature walks, or just simply having a movie night at the house. Angie looks forward to meeting you soon!
Katie graduated from the Prairie State College Dental Hygiene program in 2014. One of the reasons she loves working with kids is seeing their smiley faces after they get their teeth sparkled! She enjoys discussing tips with parents to help children maintain healthy teeth. Katie likes to spend time with her husband and family and baking. She is looking forward to meeting you!
Areliz graduated from the Southern Illinois Dental Hygiene program in May of 2019. She enjoys working in a pediatric dental office because it is amazing to see how children are introduced to the dental setting at a young age and learn to love going to the dentist. Most importantly she loves seeing the big smile of every child after their cleaning! In her spare time, Areliz enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Johanna joined the Bite Size team in 2018. She is passionate about making every dental visit comfortable and enjoyable so that each child is excited to come see the dentist! Johanna enjoys spending time with her husband, son and two spoiled yorkies when not at the office. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, outdoor activities, the beach in the summer, and favorite television series Grey’s Anatomy.
Melissa joined our administrative team with previous experience in the dental field. She brings attention to detail, loves interacting with the kids, and helping parents! She enjoys our pediatric office since she is a mother of a 4 year old boy. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and son camping. When she is not watching Paw Patrol she enjoys The Bachelor.
Jessica is excited to be part of the Bite Size team! When she’s not working, Jessica loves spending time with her husband, son and daughter. Jessica enjoys outdoors activities with her family like going to the zoo, swimming and taking bike rides.
Nora is excited to be part of the Bite Size front office administrative team! When Nora isn’t at the office, she enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter. Some of their favorite activities to do as a family is traveling, biking, fishing, walking nature trails, and going to the zoo.
Suzanne enjoys working with the Bite Size team and meeting the wonderful families that come into the office. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her two kids. They like to go to the park, go to the movies, and bike riding around their neighborhood. She looks forward to seeing you soon!
Bio coming soon!
Brittany is excited to be a part of the Bite Size Team! She loves getting to meet our patients and making them smile! Brittany’s favorite moments are spending time with her three kids and going on vacations. When Brittany isn’t at the office, she enjoys spending her time with friends and family. She looks forward to meeting you and your children!
Jessica is excited to be a part of the administrative team at Bite Size Pediatric Dentistry! She has a year of administrative experience and hopes to continue to grow while here. Currently, she is attending Moraine Valley Community College to receive an Associate of Arts Degree and an Accounting Assistant Certificate. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her family and boyfriend. She loves playing volleyball, watching movies and anime TV series, and going to arcades.
