Meet Our Dental Team

Nikki is originally from Chilliwack and has been a resident of the Okanagan for most of her life. She became a Certified Dental Assistant in 2004 and graduated as a Registered Dental Hygienist in 2012 from the University of Fraser Valley.

Nikki’s favourite part of her job is seeing positive changes in her patients. She feels blessed to work with the awesome Pleasant Valley team each day.

When she is away from the office, Nikki enjoys many outdoor pursuits, including snowboarding, hiking, mountain biking, skiing, and paddling. She spends most of her spare time with her husband and two sons.

Sasha was born and raised on Georgian Bay in Ontario, until moving to the greater Toronto area to pursue her post-secondary studies. She earned her Registered Dental Hygienist Certification from Toronto College of Dental Hygiene and Auxiliaries in 2007. In 2022, Sasha received honours upon completion of her Bachelor of Science – Oral Health Promotion from O’Hehir University.

Sasha has been an active member of the dental hygiene community in the Okanagan Valley since 2008. She takes pride in helping the Pleasant Valley Dental patients with establishing and maintaining favourable oral health, knowing it can help improve their well-being.

Sasha is a proud Mama to Oliver and Annika. When not at the dental clinic you can find her chasing her four-legged family members on the trails, playing on the lake or skiing Silver Star Mountain in winter.

Stephanie was born and raised in Kelowna. She spent two years completing the university transfer science program at the College of New Caledonia in Prince George before moving to Winnipeg to attend the University of Manitoba, where she received her diploma in dental hygiene in 2003.

Stephanie dedicated her first four years to practicing dental hygiene in Alberta before coming back home to the Okanogan in 2007.

What Stephanie loves best about her role as a dental hygienist is the great relationships she develops with her patients, striving to make each of their visits comfortable while helping them achieve optimal health.

In her free time, Stephanie is busy with her three daughters. You will often find them camping or enjoying beach days in the summer, or curled up enjoying each other's company while staying warm in the winter.

Tonya was born and raised in the Caribou Mountain region. After college, she spent her twenties moving between Central Alberta and the Okanagan, eventually settling in Vernon with her now husband and daughter Mya.

She is a big animal lover and proud fur Mom to a number of critters. She enjoys spending time with friends and family, travel, and adventure; anything outdoors such as hiking, paddling, skiing, and camping.

Tonya loves the truly caring, family feeling of being a member of Pleasant Valley Dental. She has a passion for welcoming patients into our extended dental family and providing care that aims to help improve their overall well-being as well as their oral health.

Vadym was born and raised in a small village near Odesa, Ukraine. He graduated from College in 2011 as a lab technician and spent 11 years working in Odesa making dentures and crowns. Vadym moved to Canada in April 2022.

He joined the team at Pleasant Valley Dental in June 2022, where he now dedicates his skills behind the scenes, diligently crafting models, nightguards, crowns, and dental prosthetics.

As lab tech, Vadym loves manufacturing crowns and helping people to smile! Beyond the lab, he enjoys exploring and discovering beautiful new trails with his wife and dog, fishing, and playing computer games.

Leah is a certified MDR technician (medical device reprocessing) on the sterilization team at Pleasant Valley Dental. Leah completed the MDR program at Okanagan College in 2019 and from there she began her career at Vernon Jubilee Hospital.

After 3 years in a hospital setting, Leah decided to take her career to a private healthcare facility where her skills could be utilized. She then chose to venture into the world of dentistry which led her here to our dental office in Vernon, BC!

Ashley joined our Pleasant Valley Dental team in January 2023. She grew up in Abbotsford, lived in Kelowna for several years, and then moved to Vernon where she is living with her boyfriend and two dogs, Lenny and Sadie.

She attended MTI College and completed her Certified Dental Assistant diploma with honors in 2013. Ashley’s favourite area of dentistry is surgery, and she relishes the opportunity to connect with her patients and exchange life stories in the ops.

In her free time, Ashley is passionate about playing competitive sports including fastball which she started playing at the age of 4. She was a catcher and clean-up hitter and her team went on to place 3rd in the British County Summer Games in 2003. During high school, Ashley participated in the baseball academy, receiving an athletic fastball scholarship to play in Kansas. She also enjoys playing curling and golf, going camping, floating down the river with friends, and taking her dogs for walks or out to the dog park.

Tiffany was born and raised in Armstrong. She graduated from College of New Caledonia in Prince George for Certified Dental Assisting in 2004 and joined the Pleasant Valley Dental team in 2007.

Tiffany completed her orthodontic module to better assist our doctors with more procedures and enjoys being part of the amazing Pleasant Valley Team. She also loves getting to know our patients and helping them achieve the best overall dental health possible.

In her free time, Tiffany enjoys baseball, hiking, camping, paddleboarding and spending time with family and friends. She and her husband have two boys, Finlay and Nixon, and now that they are getting older she looks forward to getting out and exploring the Okanagan more with the family. They also have a sweet boxer cross named Luna who enjoys sharing their adventures.

Krystal was born in Vernon, grew up in Edmonton and has also lived in Calgary and Pemberton before returning to Vernon. She has had a passion for dentistry since she was a small child, eventually graduating from the Dental Assistant Program at Okanagan University College Kelowna, in 2004.

Krystal joined the Pleasant Valley Dental team in 2008. She has completed her prosthodontics module to better assist our doctors with more duties and procedures. Her favorite part of her job is helping people and seeing their lives change for the better through improved dental health. She says, “I have been Dr. Bicknell’s assistant for the past 10 years, absolutely love all of the people at the office and look forward to many more years!”

Krystal has been married for 12 years, has a beautiful daughter and fantastic pets. She loves the outdoors, dancing in the kitchen, spending time with friends and family and “escaping reality” by participating in Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) medieval reenactment events.

Faith was born and raised in Vernon, BC. From a young age, Faith has always loved visiting the dentist, leading her into her dental career. She graduated from the Certified Dental Assistant Program in 2019.

In her free time, Faith loves to downhill mountain bike and snowboard at Silverstar Mountain Resort, as well as hike, swim and of course dance! Faith's favourite part of her job is interacting with her hometown community and working to create a comfortable environment for all.

Born and raised in Calgary Alberta, Caley joined our team in June 2020. 

She attended Columbia College and received her Certified Dental Assistant Degree in 2019. She recently decided to move to BC to be closer to her family and to enjoy the Okanagan life…Alberta’s loss is definitely our gain!

Caley enjoys many sports but especially likes Volleyball and golf.

Emily’s journey involved moving from Victoria to Vernon, where she pursued her goal of becoming a Certified Dental Assistant at Camosun College.

Here at Pleasant Valley Dental, she enjoys being able to connect with patients and help them along their journey to a more confident smile.

Outside of work, Emily enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and dog, and she also loves camping and hiking.

Born and raised in Prince George, BC, Tanisha completed her Certified Dental Assistant program at Langara College and graduated in 2018.  Before moving to Vernon in June 2022, she lived in Langley for 11 years and started at Pleasant Valley Dental in August 2022.

As a Dental Assistant, she enjoys getting to know each patient and helping them achieve their dental goals.

In her spare time, Tanisha enjoys crocheting, baking, reading, kayaking, and spending time with family and friends.

Mandy was born and raised in Abbotsford, BC. She moved to the Okanagan in 2007 and obtained her CDA certificate in 2014 at Okanagan College.

Outside of work, Mandy and her two kids enjoy camping trips, fishing and biking along the Okanagan Rail Trail.

Sarah grew up all over the Okanagan. She has a large extended family in and around Vernon. Her favorite part of working at Pleasant Valley Dental is interacting with so many different people throughout each day – she’s a people person.

In her spare time, Sarah enjoys hiking, going to the beach, spending time with her family and friends and planning her upcoming wedding. She is the proud mom of one daughter, Graycen.

Kim grew up on a small horse farm near Maple Ridge, B.C. She has lived in Vernon since 2003. She attended the University of Calgary and later transferred to the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business. She has worked in the finance industry for many years. Her favorite part of her job at Pleasant Valley Dental is helping our patients make informed decisions about their financial and insurance needs.

Kim loves “pretty much any outdoor activity!” That includes skiing, mountain biking, running, camping and spending time at the lake. She and her partner, Ricardo, have three children: Sawyer, Taylor and Ella. They all love spending time together outdoors as a family.

Atarah moved to Vernon from her hometown, Grande Prairie AB in Oct 2018. In addition to over 12 years of dental experience, She has an exceptionally friendly attitude that is essential to our team.

Atarah loves going for walks with her two cats, Princess Buttercup and Bootsie. She also enjoys soaking up the beautiful Okanagan sun and spending time outdoors.

Shelby feels very blessed to be working with our team and even more blessed to be interacting with so many wonderful patients every day.

Shelby enjoys going for runs in the forest, lying on the beach and spending time with her boyfriend Landon and her big, fluffy, orange kitty – Chicken Nugget.

Wendy was born in Toronto. She spent her high school years in Kelowna and then moved back east to be closer to family. The Valley was always calling for her to return. She has been living back in the Okanagan for over 5 years now with her hubby Rob, daughter Bronwyn and their 2 yr old pup Boots. She’s very happy to call Vernon home.

Wendy graduated from Dental Assisting at George Brown College in Toronto, She later obtained a certificate in dental office management from the University of Toronto. It was when she was filling in a receptionist’s role she discovered administration was her jam!

She is really grateful to have joined the Pleasant Valley Dental family. "We focus on caring for our patients and each other. Just love this vibe!"

In her spare time Wendy likes to ski, cycle, camp, take dog walks in Kal Park and is looking forward to trying paddle boarding this summer!

Shannon grew up in Edmonton and worked at WestJet for more than 15 years. She then moved to Vernon where she decided to switch careers and become a dental administrator here at Pleasant Valley Dental. Shannon’s favourite part about her job is working with our team and interacting with the patients.

When she is not in the office, she loves spending time with her family, reading books, getting coffee, running, and being out and about in the sunny Okanagan.

Monique is originally from Langley, BC, where she worked at Smiletown Pediatric Dental office for two and a half years. She then moved to Armstrong, BC in 2021, and bought a hobby farm.

Monique joined the Pleasant Valley Dental team in March 2021 and enjoys working with our team of professionals, who feel like family to her.

When she is not in the office, she enjoys riding her horses, walking with her dogs, taking care of all her animals, and spending time with family and friends.