Staff

At the core of our dental practice is a friendly team of professionals that are dedicated to your utmost comfort and optimal oral health. We view each patient as a unique individual, and tailor each treatment to your specific needs. As part of our commitment to providing close, personalized attention to every patient, we want to encourage patient communication. Please know that we are here to provide outstanding patient care, and that we value the trust you have placed in us.


Dr. Jacob A. Wood

Dentist, D.D.S.

Meet Dr. Wood

 Dr. Jacob Wood grew up in Atascadero, California. His childhood was spent playing sports and devoting time to his family and friends. After high school he spent 2 years serving as a full time service missionary in Southern Italy. Upon returning stateside, Jacob moved to Salt Lake City to attend The University of Utah. In college he became interested in the complexity of health and the human body. He graduated with a degree in Exercise Physiology and Human Anatomy.

  

Professional Philosophy

 Jacob applied for, and was accepted into a competitive 4-year dental program at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). Throughout dental school, he had many opportunities for volunteer work to help those in need, gain experience and improve his skills.

 

Education & Training

 With a desire to gain further knowledge and skill in providing multidisciplinary comprehensive dentistry, Dr. Wood applied for and was accepted into an Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency program at UAB and Veteran's medical center in Birmingham, Alabama. The program is designed to expand the depth and scope of the dentists' knowledge and skills to enable them to provide comprehensive oral health care to a diverse range of population groups, with an emphasis on the medically compromised. The program offered training in a series of clinical disciplines that included, operative, oral diagnosis, periodontics, prosthodontics, and oral surgery. Much of the training received was in the surgical placement of dental implants, advanced bone grafting techniques including site preservations and sinus lifts, complex tooth extraction including wisdom teeth removal, and periodontal surgical procedures.

 

Personal Interests

 Dr. Wood enjoys playing sports and devoting

time to his family and friends. Most importantly,

Jacob is a dedicated husband and father to 3

beautiful little girls.


Dr. Edith M. Pallencaoe

Dentist, D.D.S.

Dr. Edith Pallencaoe grew up in San Diego and graduated from UCLA School of Dentistry in 2000.  She completed an elective, one year General Practice Residency at the San Diego VA Medical Center in 2001 and practiced general dentistry in San Diego for 2 years before moving up to Paso Robles in 2003 to be with her husband, Dr. Douglas J. Harrington, who is an orthodontist and pediatric dentist here in town.


Dr. William Shipley

Dentist D.M.D

William Shipley grew up in the Sacramento area and attended Cal Poly State University San Luis Obispo for undergraduate studies in Biochemistry. He stayed in San Luis Obispo and went on to complete a Master’s degree in Nutrition at Cal Poly before being accepted to Tufts University in Boston to attend dental school. He graduated in 2024 and has happily returned to the place he calls home on the central coast to practice dentistry. Dr. Shipley is excited to provide quality dental care colored by compassion and with attention to detail to the residents of San Luis Obispo County.

 

He and his wife Emily reside in Atascadero where they are raising twins. At home, Dr. Shipley enjoys spending time with his son, Isaac and his daughter, Anya.

 

In his down time, he enjoys playing basketball and training in the weight room. He has hopes to improve his golf game at some point now that he is back in the land of rolling green hills and perfect weather. 


Gena

Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH)

Gena was trained and worked as a dental assistant for five years before pursuing her passion in dental hygiene. She graduated from Northern Arizona University Dental Hygiene Program in 1998 and has been a practicing hygienist ever since. Gena has been with Gateway Dental Practice since 2005.


Chelsey

Dental Assistant (DA)

Chelsey completed her dental assistant certification at Galen College in 2000. She has had advanced assistant training in Oral and Maxillofacial surgery. Chelsey has been with Gateway Dental Practice as a dental assistant since 2006.


Carey

Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) & Administrative

Bio coming soon!


Meagan

Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH)

Meagan graduated with a BA in Sociology from San Jose State University in 2007 and continued her schooling at Carrington College for the Dental Hygiene Program.  Meagan received her Registered Dental Hygiene license in 2009 and has been practicing in the Central Coast since.  We welcomed her to our dental family in 2019.


Jodi

Registered Dental Assistant (RDA)

Jodi grew up in Southern California where she earned her RDA in 1989 and has been in the dental field since. She moved to the central coast in 1995 with her husband. She has two grown sons who live in the area.  When not working, she enjoys writing and showing her paint horses.


Kirsten

Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH)

Kirsten graduated dental hygiene school in 2011 from Taft College and has been practicing on the Central Coast ever since. Kirsten grew up locally on the Central Coast and enjoys spending time with her two young kids and family. Kirsten’s favorite part about her job is building meaningful relationships with her patients! Some of the most important things a hygienist can give are their compassion, knowledge and gentle care so the patient has confidence in their smile and oral health.


Raina

Administrative

Raina started working in the dental field in 2010. She was highly interested in the administrative aspect of dentistry that she completed a degree in Health Care Administration through LA College International in 2011. Raina has been a part of our dental team since April 2013.


Adriana Dominguez

Registered Dental Assistant (RDA)

My name is Adriana. I started as an internship student here in 2021 and after I graduated high school in 2022, they decided to hire me. I am a sterilization technician training to become dental assistant and hopefully reaching my goal of becoming a dental hygienist ! Hablo español :)


Shawna

Registered Dental Assistant (RDA)

Shawna joined our team in the Spring of 2024, her bio will be coming soon