Meet Dr. Renata Da Fonseca
Growing up in my native country of Brazil, I knew that helping kids was what I wanted to do. During college, I became interested in dentistry, and it soon became clear it was the field I was called upon to pursue all along.
I graduated from a five-year dental program at the University of Mogi das Cruzes in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I practiced dentistry for more than eight years in my own growing dental practice. I left it all behind with the dream to pursue a specialization in pediatric dentistry in the United States.
I attended a two-year dental program for internationally trained dentists in order to earn my Doctorate of Dental Surgery and become licensed to practice dentistry in the United States. After working for several years in California as a general dentist seeing only pediatric patients, I had even more conviction to pursue a specialization in Pediatric Dentistry. I attended a three-year Post Doctorate program in Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Puerto Rico to earn my specialist degree and dedicated extensive time in the research department working on my thesis. I have published several papers about different topics including the guidelines and protocols for the dental treatment of pediatric patients with special needs.
I am fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, and English, which allows me to serve patients from diverse backgrounds. I consider myself very fortunate to be a Pediatric Dental specialist because it really fulfills my desire to help kids, which is one of the things I love and cherish the most.
I moved to the beautiful city of Santa Barbara in order to be near my mom, my sister, and her family who have all lived here for years. I love spending free time riding bikes with my nieces, taking cooking classes with my sister, and doing yoga and beach walks with my mom. I look forward to providing excellent dental care for your children, giving them even more reasons to smile!