Ryan Pendleton, DDS, grew up in Southern California and wanted to be an orthodontist since the early age of Ten. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Sports Medicine with high honors at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. He then went on to the UCLA School of Dentistry to earn his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree, graduating in 2004. He immediately entered a residency program to earn his certificate in Advanced Orthodontics from the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, which took an additional three years. Having practiced for almost ten years, Dr. Pendleton enjoys the entire process of creating confident smiles, especially getting to know each patient and their families over the course of treatment. In his free time, Dr. Ryan can be found with his fiancé, Keri, and two Labrador retrievers, Penny and Ruby. He also enjoys playing the drums, disc golf, tennis, seeing live music, and watching NFL football.

Dr. Arwa Owais is a Board-Certified Pediatric Dentist with 25 years of experience. She is an honors graduate of The University of Iowa College of Dentistry, an active member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American Dental Association, Texas Dental Association, and the Texas Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. Owais is also an American Board-Certified Dental Public Health Specialist. Additionally, she is currently the Vice President of the Pediatric Oral Health Research Group at The American and International Association of Dental Research. Dr. Owais has extensive experience with all aspects of pediatric dentistry for newborns, infants, children, and adolescents. She has extensive experience in treating children with special health care needs, medically compromised children, and children with orofacial clefts. Above all, she is a mother of four children, the youngest twins are Texans and were born prematurely. Her practice philosophy is that each child is unique and they deserve the best quality dental care they and their family expect. She has an open-door policy and continuous direct communication with parents. Dr. Owais’ care delivery is based on the prevention of dental disease, medical management of dental caries, and treatment of children in the most comfortable and conservative approach that builds a positive attitude toward dental health. She is certified in laser dentistry for soft and hard tissues, including tongue tie revision, upper lip tie frenectomy, and is a Solea dental laser provider. Additionally, she is also an Invisalign-certified specialist and works with children and their families to stop harmful habits such as thumb sucking. She is a Basic Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support Provider and is licensed to provide dental care under sedation and general anesthesia for children requiring more extensive dental treatment.

Dr. Zehra Zaid was born in Manchester, England, but considers herself a proud Texan as she grew up in Sugar Land, Texas. She started her college career at 16, where she attended the Texas Academy of Math and Science at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. She then went on to the University of Texas at Austin, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2011 while majoring in Sociology and minoring in Biology. Dr. Zaid spent 2012 as a math and science teacher at Sugar Land Preparatory Academy. When considering dental schools, Dr. Zaid wanted to devote her time to helping underserved populations and accepted admission into the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry, where she received her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 2016. During her time in dental school, Dr. Zaid held numerous leadership roles, participated in many outreach projects which included extensive interaction with patients with special healthcare needs, and was a biomedical sciences tutor to dental students. She was the 2014 recipient of the Demler H. Eichler Scholarship, 2015 fellow for the Academic Dental Careers Fellowship Program, and the 2016 recipient of the Clinical Pediatric Dentistry Award; all while spending 4 years on the Dean’s List. Some of Dr. Zaid’s most memorable accomplishments include founding the annual mission trip for the American Students Dental Association to Chichicastenango, Guatemala, and growing the Pediatric Dentistry club from just a few members to a group of over 40 active members today. Dr. Zaid even published an article in “Pediatric Dentistry Today,” highlighting the club’s accomplishments during her term as President. With her passion for working with children, Dr. Zaid went on to complete a Master of Science in Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Michigan in 2018 (currently ranked as the #1 dental school in the country, and #3 in the world). Dr. Zaid’s master’s thesis explored Silver Diamine Fluoride, and it’s use as a caries arresting material in baby teeth. After seven memorable years in Michigan, Dr. Zaid returned to her home state to be closer to her friends and family. Dr. Zaid believes that every child deserves the opportunity to have a smile on the surface that matches the beauty of a smile within. She has a strong passion to educate, relieve discomfort, and gain trust in every patient. When Dr. Zaid is not working, you can find her laughing and spending time with her friends and family. Dr. Zaid is an aspiring yogi and has completed two half-marathons. She loves traveling, exploring the outdoors, shopping, and is a huge foodie. Dr. Zaid is excited to be back in her undergraduate (hook em’ horns) city and is uniquely equipped to embark on this journey as part of the Rising Stars community keeping those smiles for children of all ages beautiful, bright and healthy! She looks forward to meeting you and your young ones soon!

Dr. Melissa Otero, DMD grew up in the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. She realized she wanted to be a dentist when she was in the 6th grade after getting braces. Dr. Otero earned her undergrad degree at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she studied Biology. She later earned her Doctorate at the University Of Puerto Rico School Of Dental Medicine. She graduated in 2005. She had an amazing experience and it was throughout this time where she was confident that she would be happy doing dentistry. Dr. Otero feels very fortunate to have volunteered with The Boys & Girls Club in Puerto Rico. She enjoys changing people’s lives on a daily basis. In her spare time, Dr. Otero enjoys spending time with her two teenage daughters who are the joys of her life.