Welcome to the Los Gatos, CA dental office of Nicole Pagonis DDS, where every patient can feel at home. With continued communication and education, our goal is to empower our patients to achieve a lifetime of superior oral health and bring them into our dental family one smile at a time.
We focus on individualized care in our dental office using digital radiology and other technologies, along with intense patient education. All of our patients are well equipped to take good care of their oral health at home.
Dr. Pagonis believes strongly in:
- Serving patients of all ages, including children
- Emphasizing preventive care as the foundation for good oral health
- Communicating clearly with all patients
- Educating patients on how to best take care of their oral health
Continue reading to learn more about your dentist in Los Gatos, CA.
We look forward to meeting you and giving you the care that you expect—and deserve.
Nicole Pagonis, DDS
Hello; I am Dr. P and I look forward to meeting you!
I am a native to the South Bay, born and raised and now currently living in Saratoga with my husband and two daughters.
It has always been a dream of mine to give back to my community. After graduating from Saratoga High School, I went on to Cal Poly SLO and then to University of the Pacific Dental School in San Francisco. I have always had a love for people and interpersonal interactions along with a true intrigue for science and the human body. I have a constant desire to learn and an innate yearning to help others. I consider myself fortunate to have found a career in dentistry, which lets me mesh all of my true passions into something tangible.
Our practice philosophy is based on a commitment to listening to our patients and doing our best to deliver nothing but the highest quality of care and thoroughness to every individual young or old. We look forward to meeting you and giving you the care that you deserve.
Mandy
RDA, RDH, BS - Team Success Coordinator
Mandy is the Team Success Coordinator at Nicole E. Pagonis DDS. She is both a Registered Dental Assistant and a Registered Dental Hygienist, and she has worked in clinical dentistry for 27 years. She has assisted chairside in orthodontics, oral surgery, and every area of general dentistry, and she has worked alongside Dr. P since 2008.
She is the main point of contact for new and existing patients and coordinates the schedule for both Dr. P and the hygienist. She manages new patient intake and ongoing care as patients move through implant treatment. Behind the scenes, she oversees HIPAA, OSHA, and state compliance and leads team training and meetings. She also reviews the office’s financial goals and collections and presents data to Dr. P so the team can adjust workflows when needed.
Her favorite part of the job is giving patients personalized care in a friendly, positive way, in a clean and safe environment. She wants patients to trust that the team has their best interest at heart and to feel our follow-through as we help them reach their dental goals. She loves that her role uses all of her education and training, from clinical care to conflict negotiation and management.
Education: BS in Sociology with a minor in Psychology, Southern Utah University; Dental Hygiene program, Foothill College (Los Altos, CA); Certificate in Human Resource Management, BYU-Idaho.
She began her career in social work and moved into dentistry because she has always loved people and working with her hands. Outside the office, she loves to draw and paint, and she runs a small art and illustration business where she teaches children, hosts small workshops, sells original art, and creates illustrations for product design. She also gardens and grows vegetables, hosts a book club, cooks, bikes, and camps in her trailer while exploring California. Fun fact: she has an identical twin sister who is a professional artist.
Javier
Registered Dental Assistant
A graduate of Bryman College, Javier and Dr. Nicole E. Pagonis DDS having been working together since 2008. He cites the high points of his job as educating patients, building a rapport with people, working with kids on developing and maintaining great dental habits, learning about and providing high-end dentistry, and working with experienced and skilled team members.
When he’s not working, Javier enjoys running, shooting hoops, hiking, swimming, watching sports, traveling to San Francisco and San Diego, and doing crossword puzzles. He also cherishes family time and has been married to his wife Mimi for 20 years. Javier is the proud father of three children and six grandchildren.
DA Ben
Dental Assistant
Dr. P and her team welcomed Ben to the practice in 2023. Ben is a graduate of Foothill Colleges Dental Assisting Program. He has worked as a dental assistant at UCSF and in private practice. Outside of dentistry, Ben has served as a wrestling instructor and referee at Milpitas High. He has also served on the board for the Vietnamese Student Association. In his spare time Ben enjoys computers and gaming. Dr. P and her team are lucky to have Ben!
Lili
RDA, BSDH-Registered Dental Hygienist
Lili joined Dr. P's team in 2022! However, she started her journey in the dental field in 2010 when she completed the ROP (Regional Occupational Program) as a dental assistant in Gilroy California. She was inspired to further her education and become a dental hygienist. Eventually, she earned a Bachelor of Science in dental hygiene from Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California. She considers herself to be a compassionate clinician, putting her patients at ease and ensuring a positive dental experience. She loves her career as a dental hygienist and treats all her patients like family. Her parents always taught her that education is the key to succeed in life. Lili was born and raised in Mexico City and has overcome the challenges and struggles of moving to a different country. Learning a new language and adapting to a new environment have helped Lili succeed in all that she does. Her academic achievements, work experience and her community service have helped her to achieve her goals. Lili’s hobbies include community service at her local church, long walks with her puppy named Coco and spending quality time with her husband and family. Lili loves traveling, getting to know different cultures, languages and eating new foods. She also enjoys watching Netflix! The moment Lili came to the office we felt her kindness, compassion and strong work ethic. We are so excited to have Lili in the office of Nicole E. Pagonis DDS.
Michelle
Patient Account Lead
Michelle Buchan is the Patient Account Lead at Nicole Pagonis DDS. She helps patients understand the financial side of their care and supports the front desk team every day. She coordinates insurance benefits, prepares treatment estimates, follows up on claims, and answers questions about patient accounts. She also walks patients through their payment options.
Michelle’s goal is to make insurance and billing easier to understand, so patients feel informed and comfortable asking questions. “A little patience and a clear explanation can make someone’s day easier,” she says. She also helps with scheduling, patient communication, and appointment reminders. Behind the scenes, she keeps details organized and helps the team solve billing and administrative issues so the day runs smoothly.
Michelle has more than 20 years of experience in medical billing and patient account management, which she began building in 2005. She has worked in workers’ compensation, pain management, and rehabilitation, where she gained a strong foundation in insurance processes and claims resolution. She earned a medical coding certification in 2020. After years of interest in dentistry, Michelle joined our practice in May 2026 to bring that experience into a dental setting. Since then, she has built her knowledge of dental insurance, treatment estimates, and front desk operations.
What Michelle loves most about her work is being of service. She enjoys digging into the details, figuring out why something isn’t adding up, and turning a confusing situation into a clear one. Whether she’s explaining a balance to a patient, catching a detail that prevents confusion, or helping a coworker find an answer, she wants everyone to know they can count on her.
Outside the office, Michelle is a self-described nerd at heart. She loves music (especially rock, punk, and metal), film, reading, art, and discovering good food. She enjoys video games with rich stories and memorable characters, as well as board games and tabletop role-playing games that bring creativity and strategy together. She also writes short stories of her own, because she loves getting invested in a world, whether she’s exploring someone else’s or creating one herself. Her favorite way to spend an afternoon is an immersive, longer board game like Eldritch Horror, where imagination, problem-solving, and a little friendly chaos come together around the table. Fun fact: in her early twenties, Michelle photographed bands, which combined her love of music and visual art.
Dr. P is no nonsense and will give you the truth and lay out all your options for you. She never pushes anything on you, just gives you facts and let's you make your own decisions. She's done all my dental work and I couldn't be happier. I'm not a huge fan of having work done on my mouth, but she always has me in the chair cracking up.