About Southland Smiles, Ltd.

Stephanie is a recent graduate of Prairie State College. She graduated summa cum laude, and also received the “Outstanding Dental Hygiene Student” award in 2017. Stephanie also held memberships with Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society and Sigma Phi Alpha National Dental Hygiene Honor Society. Stephanie was drawn to Southland Smiles’ caring staff, and found their personalized attention to each patient impressive. For her, it is a joy to come to work every day and make a difference in people’s lives. While not at work, Stephanie enjoys spending time with family, her two dogs, and her friends. If it’s a beautiful day, you’ll be sure to find Stephanie outside enjoying it! She tries to go hiking any chance she can get, and will never say no to adventure.

Sharon graduated with an associate’s degree in Dental Hygiene from Prairie State College in 2016. She joined the Southland Smiles team in December of 2016. Prior to studying dental hygiene, Sharon earned a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management and an associate’s degree in Health and Wellness from Purdue University. One of the reasons she enjoys being a dental hygienist is because she knows she is making a positive impact on the world one person at a time. Every day she feels like she is making a difference by helping to improve each patient’s overall quality of life. In her free time, Sharon enjoys bowling and has accomplished the ultimate goal of a perfect 300 game. She also enjoys going to concerts, crafting, and spending time with her family and friends as much as possible. Sharon and her husband, Kevin, were married in July 2021 and are enjoying the newlywed life! They enjoy watching Cubs games, golfing, and hanging out with their dog, Boomer. 

Lynn has been a Registered Dental Hygienist for over 35 years. She is a graduate of Prairie State College. Clinical dental hygiene is a passion of hers and improving patient health drives her. Lynn had the pleasure of working with Dr. Mantoan for 11 years at the start of her career and has come full circle as she rejoins the team. She enjoys spending free time with her husband and two grown children. She also enjoys Interior design, hiking and baking.

 Raegan joined Southland Smiles in 2020. Helping others has always been at the core of her passion for dentistry, and She hopes to go on several dental mission trips throughout her career. She has always strived to put a smile on her patients face and to help them feel at ease. Each day is an adventure full of possibilities. In her spare time, she enjoys to travel, exercise/yoga, and spend time with her loved ones. 

Karen has been with Southland Smiles for many years. Graduating from Prairie State Dental Assisting School, she has worked for many years as a Dental Assistant. She is now working in the business aspect of the practice as an insurance coordinator. She loves her role at Southland Smiles, helping patients with insurance get the maximum allowable benefit. Karen has been happily married for over 45 years to Dr. Richard Mantoan and loves being with her three children, their spouses, and grandchildren. Her hobbies are walking and reading good books. Most important to her is her faith, family, and friends.

Kimberly started working for her family dentist at the front desk and has grown to love helping patients so much that she has been in the dental field for 20+ years. She joined the Southland Smiles team in November of 2016 as part of our Insurance Department. She is now part of the Management Team, overseeing Human Resources and Marketing. She enjoys reading, traveling, crafting, enjoying life with family & friends and spoiling her two Papillion dogs Peanut & Parker.

Maria became part of the Southland Smiles in July of 2015 but has been in the dental field for over 30+ years. As the Office Manager, she oversees the  day-to-day operations of the practice and ensures patients have a wonderful experience when they visit our office. Maria loves talking with patients and helping them achieve their dream smile. Maria and her husband have 3 beautiful daughters, 1 son and 7 grandchildren. Maria enjoys gardening and spending lots of time with her growing family.

Ana joined Southland Smiles Team October 2017. She joined the office assisting the front desk team with her 17 years of dental experience. She enjoys interacting with all of our wonderful patients making sure they had a wow experience, as that is our goal at Southland Smiles. She is the mother of three daughters. Ana enjoys going on walks with her husband and watching her youngest daughter play soccer. Her favorite season is the summer when she has the opportunity to enjoy her favorite hobbies gardening her flowerbeds, herbs, vegetables, and bike riding.

Briana joined the Southland Smiles team in January 2018. She is the bright smiling face you see when you walk into the office. Briana enjoys showing our patients around our office, and gathering as much insurance information as possible to help patients maximize their benefits at our office. Briana enjoys running, reading, and spending time with her family.

Yesenia is another friendly face you will see at Southland Smiles. She joined our office in 2021. She has worked in the dental field for over 9 yrs. She enjoys informing patients about the financial part of their treatment and likes making sure her patients understand their insurance to maximize their benefits. She has a loving husband and 2 cats and 3 dogs. She enjoys listening to music, painting and crafting. 

Yesenia aka Yesi went to Bloom High School in Chicago Heights and has been a dental assistant for 13 years.  Yesi has been Dr. DiBenedetto’s assistant for over 8 years, 5 of which have been at Southland Smiles.  Yesi loves working with Dr. D and their patients.  She feels all of their patients are special and unique in their own way and she loves talking and connecting with all of them.  Yesi and her wonderful husband of Mike, are the proud parents of a son and a daughter.  Yesi’s favorite hobby is spending time with her family.

Katie has been an assistant since 2001. She loves helping people and making them feel at ease. Katie also loves fixing equipment and keeping our office adequately supplied. She is always willing to lend a hand wherever it is needed. Some of Katie’s favorite hobbies include fishing, disc golf, and rounding up donations for homeless veterans.

Esperanza which means “Hope” has been a Dental Assistant since 1995. She attended South Suburban College and has been Part of the Southland Smiles Staff since 2017. Hope loves the atmosphere and good vibe of the office. She feels that working here is like working with family. Hope and her husband of 20+ years have 3 wonderful children; Adrian, Andrea and Annalee. Her family bring her great joy and “Life is Good”.

Marilyn joined the Southland Smiles Dental Assistant Team in September of 2019. Marilyn has been a dental assistant for several years. Before coming to Southland Smiles, she worked at an Endodontist office, specializing in root canals. She is now ready to master general dentistry! When she is not working, she is enjoying her time with her beautiful 1-year-son Angelo! 

Monica joined the Southland Smiles team in 2021.  She is currently studying Biomedical Sciences, with a Pre-Dental emphasis and Spanish minor at Grand Valley State University.  She loves working as a dental assistant while she is home from school because it provides her with hands-on experience that will support her dream of becoming a dentist.  In her free time, she enjoys exercising, live music, and appreciating all of God’s gifts!

Serenity joined Southland Smiles team at the beginning of February 2020 as an Assistant. She likes to make sure her patients are comfortable and leave the office happy. Serenity is 1 out of 8 children and has plenty of nieces and nephews. She loves helping others and is always willing to go above and beyond. In her spare time, she loves making people feel good about themselves by doing their eyebrows and eyelashes most importantly she loves spending time with her family.