Experienced & Professional Team
At Midtown Dental, we are committed to being an extraordinary team that treats every patient as family. Our dedicated doctors and team are truly passionate about health care and delivering exceptional service.
If you’d like to schedule a consultation with Dr. Jenny Apekian or Dr. Gina Crippen DDS, please Contact Our Dental Office today.
Donna
Jennifer
Ashley
Fernanda
Denise
Theresa
Jackie
Sara
Amanda
Ashleigh
Ireli
Stephanie
Tatiana
Brianna
Betsa
June
After being to many dentists over the years, I can honestly say that Midtown Dental is very likely one of the top dentistry practices in the country. The entire staff is extremely professional with impeccable manners and attention to detail. The office is beautifully decorated and all the equipment and medical devices used are advanced, state of the art in every way.
Dr. Apekian is an amazing dentist!! Top notch education with a gentle touch. Her office is state of the art technology and all the staff have been the best. I am a RN and understand how hard this is to accomplish. Did I mention I am terrified of dentists!! I had a near drowning incident as a child and have associated dental visits with that.. so when I say I am so grateful to have found Dr Apekian, I truly mean it.
Dr. Apekian has been my dentist for a little over 2 years. This is the best dentist I have ever been too. The staff is friendly and always helpful. I used to have anxiety about the dentist but not anymore. They put you at ease and make sure you are always okay.
More Beautiful Smile?
Donna
Office Manager
With over 30 years of experience in the dental profession, Donna Ruff is an expert in all facets of the dental office. As the office manager, she is responsible for helping patients with every aspect of their dental care, from scheduling appointments, discussing treatment plans and understanding and utilizing their insurance benefits. Donna’s strives to ensure that patients have the best possible experience at Midtown Dental.
In her spare time, Donna enjoys spending time with her husband Chris and children Derek and Kylie.
Jennifer
Treatment Coordinator
As our treatment coordinator, Jennifer is an integral part of the Midtown Dental team. With over 20 years of dental experience, she has always been a passionate patient advocate. She knows that the world of dental insurance and financing can often be complicated and confusing for patients. She prides herself in working with every patient to make treatment possible and affordable.
Jennifer lives in Sacramento with her husband Darrell and their 3 children.
Ashley
Registered Dental Hygienist
Ashley McFall is the lead dental hygienist and go-to staffer for all things hygiene-related at Midtown Dental. She has been with our dental practice since 2016.
In her time at our dental office, she fostered a strong bond within her department and across the practice, creating an open dialogue that enhances the staff’s ability to provide the best dental care.
She provides periodontal therapy, gum disease prevention, and oral health education for patients.
She began her career in 2009 as a dental assistant at a pediatric dental office, continuing her education in dental hygiene and moving into general dentistry, and later graduating from Carrington College in 2014. In 2019, Ashley completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Healthcare Management from Southern New Hampshire University. Ashley has worked at practices in the Bay Area, Sacramento, Dixon, and Folsom.
Ashley volunteers her time with the California Dental Association Cares Foundation to provide free dental services to those in need throughout California.
Ashley is an avid animal lover, and she and her family have fostered several animals in preparation for their forever home. Personally, she owns three cats and two dogs.
She met her husband at The Shady Lady Saloon during a live Jazz performance. The couple is expecting their first child in May 2022.
Fernanda
Registered Dental Hygienist
Fernanda “Fern” is a true believer that an individual’s oral health and overall health are intrinsically related. This philosophy and commitment to patient care is what drove her into the dental hygiene field.
She is passionate about helping her patients better understand oral hygiene and providing the tools necessary to take charge of their oral health. Fern takes pride in making hygiene appointments as informative and comfortable as possible.
Originally from Brazil, Fern is a graduate of the College of Dupage in Illinois and is a proud member of the California Dental Hygiene Association. She loves learning about new products and techniques that can improve patient outcomes. Fern also takes advantage of every opportunity she gets to give back to her community.
In her spare time, Fern loves hiking with her loyal dog pal Albee, going to concerts, comedy shows, trivia, game night with friends, or crocheting dog sweaters.
Denise
Registered Dental Hygienist &
Registered Dental Hygienist in Alternative Practice
Denise Canacari has been in the dental field for close to 30 years. A native of Sacramento, she attended Fresno City College graduating in 1999 as an RDH. Furthering her career, Denise obtained her RDHAP certification through West Los Angeles College and became licensed in 2019. She joined our team at Midtown Dental in October 2020.
Denise is passionate about being a Dental Hygienist and enjoys educating and helping her patients with their oral health needs. She loves putting the patient at ease and creating a comfortable environment where patients can relax and forget they are in the dental chair. Denise has a way of connecting with her patients, resulting in lasting relationships during her 20-plus years as a Dental Hygienist.
When she is not working at Midtown Dental, she provides services for children in the Sacramento County area. She is currently a member of the American Dental Hygiene Association and the California Dental Hygiene Association.
Denise enjoys playing tennis, paddle boarding, and spending time with friends near and far in her spare time. Her favorite pastime is playing with her Goldendoodle, Lucy, and her Double Doodle, Jasper.
Theresa
Registered Dental Hygienist
Theresa Baker, is one of our hygienists, who joined the Midtown Dental team in September 2019. She prides herself on providing thorough yet gentle quality care and comfort for her patients. Her philosophy is to create a relaxed and friendly environment for even the most anxious of patients.
A part of her role is to educate patients about products that will enhance their oral hygiene and prevent gum disease. Theresa loves building relationships with patients and draws upon her decade of experience in the hospitality industry to build trust and provide excellent customer service.
She volunteers her time at local community service events, like Care Harbor, to administer dental care to those in need.
On the weekends, Theresa can be found wine tasting in Napa and Amador counties, eating at new restaurants, or hanging out poolside with family and friends. She recently became a certified scuba diver and looks forward to exploring the ocean floor around the globe.
Jackie
Registered Dental Assistant
Jackie Ledesma Is a Registered Dental Assistant with 19 years of experience in the dental field. She believes that as in life, the same goes in dentistry, no matter how much experience you have, there is always much more to learn.
Jackie enjoys expanding her skills through continued education and the advanced technologies at Midtown Dental. She strives to build relationships with her patients and finds their trust very important and rewarding.
Sara
Registered Dental Assistant in Extended Functions II
Sara Corona joined the Midtown Dental team in September of 2016 and has continued to learn throughout her time here at Midtown Dental.
As a Dental Assistant, Sara helps complete fillings, permanently cement crowns, and takes scans for implant crowns and seat implant crowns. What she enjoys most about working at Midtown Dental is the technology she gets to utilize in the office and giving patients the confidence to smile again through restorative and cosmetic dental procedures.
Sara began her dental career after watching a commercial for Western Career College and is very thankful she did. Sara is a graduate of the Western Career College-RDA and FADE Institute-RDAEF2 and has been in the field of dentistry since 2008.
Sara is happily married and enjoys spending time with her three children.
Amanda
Registered Dental Assistant
Amanda Allman knew she wanted to work for a dental office using the latest and most effective technology. She joined Midtown Dental as the Sterile Tech in August 2020, which was within three months of obtaining her RDA license.
As the Sterile Tech, Amanda oversees sterilization, hygiene assistance, equipment maintenance, and minor office details that directly improve her teammates’ workday.
Previously, Amanda provided respite services in the healthcare industry, providing short-term relief for primary patient caregivers. To provide the best level of care to people with disabilities and individuals on the autism spectrum, she completed multiple courses in Applied Behavior Analysis. She uses these skills to provide Midtown Dental patients with the highest level of comfort.
She started her journey into dentistry with a dental assisting course from Carrington College, where the school recognized her 4.0 GPA with a spot on the institution’s President’s List.
She loves to read, travel, and throw axes when she’s not monitoring appointment overflow and assisting her Midtown Dental team members. Amanda explores her diversity of hobbies with her large family.
Ashleigh
Registered Dental Assistant
Ashleigh Abucay is an RDA at Midtown Dental with a knack for restoring smiles alongside our excellent Sacramento dentists.
Ashleigh digitally designs and fabricates porcelain and zirconia crowns for patients. An RDA with nearly 10 years of experience, she sits chairside to assist our dentists and educate patients about Midtown Dental’s innovative use of CEREC Crowns, a dental crown with a two-hour total procedure, and 5-to15-year durability.
Ashleigh ensures that patients’ crowns match their teeth’ natural look, including painting and glazing each crown with the unique tooth characteristics of the patients’ teeth.
What she loves most about her role at Midtown Dental is her ability to serve the Sacramento community, advocating for the practice’s patients, and creating beautiful smiles.
Outside of the office, she is a proud wife and mother of two children with love for travel.
Ireli
Registered Dental Assistant
Ireli Melano offers comfort and reassurance to patients as she assists our dentists chairside during procedures large and small.
She prepares each treatment room to the dentist’s standards and resets the space according to Midtown Dental and OSHA standards. Ireli does her best to make them feel as comfortable as possible, from small gestures like holding their hand during the administration of anesthesia to starting their favorite Netflix show.
Her favorite job duty is being a part of each patient’s journey to a life-changing smile.
Ireli received her Dental Assistant certification from San Joaquin Valley College in 2015. After completing her certification, she worked for a local Fresno dentist, where she learned the ropes of the industry before joining the Midtown Dental team.
She is certified in infection control, California Dental Practice Law and Ethics, HIPPA, California Radiology Safety, and CPR. She speaks English, Spanish, and the Oaxaca dialect of Mexico.
Ireli married her high school sweetheart, and the couple owns two poodles, named Koda and Dino.
Stephanie
Registered Dental Assistant
When a patient needs to straighten their smile, Stephanie Gutierrez will be there to help.
Stephanie obtained her RDA in 2016 from Lake Tahoe Community College, where she learned Invisalign techniques, cosmetic dentistry, and same-day CEREC Crowns.
Our dentists at Midtown Dental are preferred Invisalign providers, allowing our teen and adult patients to avoid the hassle of metal braces. Invisalign uses removable, clear teeth aligners to straighten teeth, fix overbites/underbites, and repair overcrowding or irregular spacing.
Stephanie enjoys working with patients, helping them make the right decision for their smile – from a maintenance plan to cosmetic dentistry.
Stephanie is proud to work alongside Midtown Dental’s dynamic team in a practice that promotes continuous learning, growth, and the deployment of the newest technologies in dentistry.
Tatiana
Registered Dental Assistant
Tatiana Galvez is one of our Registered Dental Assistants with 19 years of experience that come from general and pediatric dentistry. She joined Midtown Dental in June 2021 and loves that the office comes equipped with the latest technology, such as CEREC crown.
With her years of experience, Tatiana can explain and clarify treatment plans with patients from every age group when they feel overwhelmed from past bad dental experiences.
What she loves most about her role is learning from the dentists at Midtown Dental and her fellow RDAs, applying a custom solution for each patient.
In addition to providing dental services, she helps her community by trapping feral female cats and their kittens to help curb the feral cat population and find forever homes for the litters.
In her spare time, Tatiana enjoys spending her day doing family friendly activities with her 8-year-old daughter, Samantha.
Brianna
Dental Assistant
Brianna is one of the newest member of the Midtown Dental family. As a dental assistant, she is driven by a strong desire to help every patient maintain and achieve a beautiful, healthy smile. Brianna is focused on continuing her education to continually improve her skills as a dental assistant.
While new to Sacramento area, Brianna is Santa Cruz native and is bilingual and currently working to being trilingual. Prior to her career as a dental assistant, she studied film in San Francisco.
Away from the office, Brianna likes to bake, cuddling on the couch and reading a book, being outdoors, and attending concerts.
Betsa
Hygiene Coordinator &
Social Media Content Creator
Have you seen Midtown Dental’s social media posts? Betsa Patron-Beal is responsible for creating those eye-catching updates reminding our followers about the importance of brushing your teeth twice a day.
In addition to social media outreach, Betsa takes care of each patient’s need, from greeting them when they walk through the door to presenting treatment plans to ensuring they leave having experienced a great appointment.
She leverages her training from customer service courses, knowledge gleaned from her undergraduate studies in Business Management, and her experience in the service industry to create a unique experience for patients in-office and online.
Betsa began her 8-year-long career in the dental field as a front office receptionist. She then went on to become a certified dental assistant. Along the way, she found her passion lay with vital front-office services, such as treatment planning, and ensuring patients feel like family.
Betsa is fluent in English, Spanish, and American Sign Language, allowing her to communicate effectively with patients in their preferred language.
She and her wife have been married for 7 years, and the couple owns four dogs, three pit bulls, and one Chihuahua.
When Betsa isn’t working on her undergraduate coursework, she is spending time with her wife and with her dogs or kayaking at Lake Natoma.
June
Front Office &
Patient Coordinator
June Chen joined the Midtown Dental team in February 2021 as the patient coordinator for the front office.
If you’ve called the office, she is most likely the one who’s picked up the phone to answer your questions. She enjoys fielding questions from new and existing patients, dealing with their concerns, and scheduling appointments.
When June isn’t at the office, she enjoys trying out new recipes, traveling with her husband, and spending time with family and friends. She has two dogs, Marlow and Austin.