The doctors of Ocean Pediatric Dental Associates are highly trained pediatric and orthodontic specialists to best serve your family.
Dr. Elisa Velazquez (Dr. Lisa) graduated from the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey in 1999 and completed her pediatric residency program as chief resident in 2001. In 2002, she received a Master of Science in oral biology. Dr. Elisa earned her board certification in pediatric dentistry and is a Diplomate of the AAPD. She is a member of the American Dental Association
Dr. Elisa Velazquez (Dr. Lisa) graduated from the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey in 1999 and completed her pediatric residency program as chief resident in 2001. In 2002, she received a Master of Science in oral biology. Dr. Elisa earned her board certification in pediatric dentistry and is a Diplomate of the AAPD. She is a member of the American Dental Association (ADA), American Academy of Pediatric Dentists (AAPD), and New Jersey Dental Association (NJDA). She is past president of the Monmouth-Ocean County Dental Association (MOCDS) and serves as state trustee. She also serves as president of the NJ Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (NJAPD).
Dr. Velazquez is the chair of Governmental and Public Affairs for the NJ Dental Association. She is the staff dentist for Children’s Specialized Hospital in Toms River and works very closely with organizations for families with children with autism. Dr. Velazquez is on the surgery staff at St. Barnabas Community Medical Center and Monmouth Medical Center. She holds a specialty permit to perform conscious sedation in the office. Dr. Elisa Velazquez has been named “TOP DENTIST” by her peers for (NJ Monthly magazine).
Dr. Matt earned his B.S. with honors from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He obtained his Doctorate in Dental Medicine from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, where he graduated with honors and distinction in clinical practice and pharmacology and therapeutics ...
Dr. Matt earned his B.S. with honors from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He obtained his Doctorate in Dental Medicine from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, where he graduated with honors and distinction in clinical practice and pharmacology and therapeutics. Dr. Matt completed a general practice residency at Monmouth Medical Center and Dr. Elisa served as one of his clinical instructors in pediatric dentistry.
He always had a true passion for working with children and went on to complete his residency in pediatric dental medicine at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, where he was chief resident. He is a member of the American Dental Association, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), and New Jersey Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (NJAPD), and he serves as a member on the board of trustees of the Monmouth-Ocean County Dental Society (M-OCDS).
Dr. Matt is an attending at Jersey Shore University Medical Center and also holds a specialty permit to perform conscious sedation in the office. Dr. Matt has been recognized as one of the top dentists in America by the Consumer’s Research Council of America each year beginning in 2013, and has been named a “TOP DENTIST” by his peers for NJ Monthly magazine.
Dr. Roeder was born and raised in Campbell Hall, a small town in Orange County, New York. She is the fourth oldest of ten children. Dr. Roeder graduated from SUNY Buffalo School of Dental Medicine in May 1993. After completing a one-year advanced education in general dentistry residency with the United States Air Force at Wright Patterson AFB in Ohio, she served two years as a captain at the dental clinic on McGuire AFB in New Jersey ...
Dr. Roeder was born and raised in Campbell Hall, a small town in Orange County, New York. She is the fourth oldest of ten children. Dr. Roeder graduated from SUNY Buffalo School of Dental Medicine in May 1993. After completing a one-year advanced education in general dentistry residency with the United States Air Force at Wright Patterson AFB in Ohio, she served two years as a captain at the dental clinic on McGuire AFB in New Jersey. In 1996, she returned to upstate New York, where she became the chief resident during a two-year pediatric dentistry residency at Children’s Hospital in Buffalo. She worked as an associate in a pediatric dental practice and served as the staff dentist at Children’s Specialized Hospital in Toms River for ten years before opening Growing Smiles, now part of Ocean Pediatric Dental Associates.
Dr. Roeder truly enjoys her profession and feels blessed to be able to care for children by providing a service that can make such a large impact on a child’s growth and development. She lives in Cream Ridge with her husband Arthur and their rescue dogs. When she’s not at her office, she enjoys spending time with family, gardening, and flying with her husband.
Dr. Akriti Gupta was raised in Monmouth/Ocean County, and spent most of her youth in Toms River. She earned her B.S. in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, then returned to her home state to complete her education at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine (UMDNJ) ...
Dr. Akriti Gupta was raised in Monmouth/Ocean County, and spent most of her youth in Toms River. She earned her B.S. in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, then returned to her home state to complete her education at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine (UMDNJ). There, through her active outreach efforts at local Newark elementary schools, she realized she had a passion for working with children. She went on to specialize in pediatric dentistry at Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center in Brooklyn. Dr. Gupta is a board-certified pediatric dentist and a member of the American Dental Association, New Jersey Dental Association (NJDA), American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), and New Jersey Association of Pediatric Dentistry (NJAPD). When she isn’t in the office, she enjoys painting, cooking, and practicing yoga!
Knowing from a young age that she wanted to become a dentist, Dr. Raha attended the University of Pennsylvania to pursue the seven-year Accelerated BioDental Program, and completed a bachelor’s in biology and the Benjamin Franklin Honors Program. She graduated from Penn Dental in 2010 and was inducted into the Omiron Kappa Upsilon Honor Society ...
Knowing from a young age that she wanted to become a dentist, Dr. Raha attended the University of Pennsylvania to pursue the seven-year Accelerated BioDental Program, and completed a bachelor’s in biology and the Benjamin Franklin Honors Program. She graduated from Penn Dental in 2010 and was inducted into the Omiron Kappa Upsilon Honor Society. While in dental school, Dr. Raha also pursued a master’s in education and soon realized that her passions for dentistry, education, and helping others could all be satisfied through a career in pediatric dentistry. She furthered her training at the pediatric dental residency program at Yale-New Haven Hospital.
Dr. Raha obtained her board certification and received the Richard C. Pugh Achievement Award for scoring in the top three percent of candidates on the written portion of the board examination. She is a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, and NJ Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.
Dr. Raha is most excited about getting to know her patients and their families and helping build a positive dental experience from a young age.
Dr. Justin Dinowitz, DMD graduated from Rutgers University-New Brunswick for his undergraduate studies. He then went on to attend the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine for his dental degree, where he graduated with a distinction in treating special needs patients. He continued his education at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine where he received his postgraduate certificate in Pediatric Dentistry...
Dr. Justin Dinowitz, DMD graduated from Rutgers University-New Brunswick for his undergraduate studies. He then went on to attend the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine for his dental degree, where he graduated with a distinction in treating special needs patients. He continued his education at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine where he received his postgraduate certificate in Pediatric Dentistry. In his second year of residency, he served as Chief Resident and received the Resident of the Year Award from the New Jersey Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. Dinowitz is a strong believer that a child’s first dental visit should be a positive one, as these initial visits set the child’s tone for the dentist for life. He is also very active with the New Jersey Dental Association, where he makes yearly visits down to Washington D.C. to advocate on behalf of children’s dental care. He is an active member of the American Dental Association (ADA), New Jersey Dental Association (NJDA), American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), and the New Jersey Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (NJAPD) In his free time. Dr. Dinowitz enjoys trying fun new restaurants with different themes and cuisines. He also enjoys rooting for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in both Football and Basketball.
Miriam T. Furlong, D.M.D., has been in practice since 1998, after completing her orthodontic residency at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. Prior to that, she attended New Jersey Dental School (now Rutgers) in Newark for her doctorate (D.M.D.). She obtained her Bachelor of Science from Georgian Court University in Lakewood ...
Miriam T. Furlong, D.M.D., has been in practice since 1998, after completing her orthodontic residency at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. Prior to that, she attended New Jersey Dental School (now Rutgers) in Newark for her doctorate (D.M.D.). She obtained her Bachelor of Science from Georgian Court University in Lakewood. In addition to practicing orthodontics, Dr. Furlong is a leader in her professional community. She is a past president of the Monmouth-Ocean County Dental Society, and serves on the board of trustees of the New Jersey Dental Association, the board of trustees of the New Jersey Association of Orthodontists, and the Governmental Affairs Committee of the Mid-Atlantic Society of Orthodontists. She is active in community outreach and provides pro bono treatment to people in need. Her honors and awards include Top NJ Dentists from NJ Monthly magazine and Top Dentists in Ocean County/Asbury Park Press Readers’ Choice poll.
Dr. Heather Albert completed her specialty training in Orthodontics at the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Dental Medicine, where she also attended dental school as a Dean's Scholar and honors graduate. She received her Bachelor of Science in both physics and chemistry from the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Albert is a certified Diplomate ...
Dr. Heather Albert completed her specialty training in Orthodontics at the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Dental Medicine, where she also attended dental school as a Dean's Scholar and honors graduate. She received her Bachelor of Science in both physics and chemistry from the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Albert is a certified Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, and she is passionate about working with patients to help them achieve radiant, confident smiles.
Dr. Albert is from New Jersey, where much of her family still resides. During her free time, she enjoys reading, trying new foods, and spending time with family and friends. Her husband, Anthony, is an orthodontist as well, and they love playing with their Havanese puppy named Cannoli!