Justina Pham (maiden name Sullivan) was born at Cottage Hospital, and grew up in Goleta. She went to El Camino and La Patera Elementary Schools, then to Goleta Valley Junior High and Dos Pueblos High like her parents. During high school she had orthodontic treatment and was fascinated by the process. By the end of her treatment, she had decided she wanted to go into dentistry. While attending Pomona College, she explored other career options but always returned to dentistry.

After getting her bachelor’s degree in chemistry, she began dental school at the University of California, San Francisco in the fall of 1997. She graduated in 2001 and practiced in the Bay Area before moving back to Santa Barbara in 2007 to date one of her best friends from high school, Binh Pham. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and master’s degree in statistics, both from UCSB. He spent almost eight years teaching math and coaching tennis at Bishop Garcia Diego High School, and currently teaches math and statistics at UCSB. The two married in December of 2008 and have two sons, Dax and Ty.

In 2018 Dr. Pham began specialized training in restoring TMJ health, and is able to treat many patients non-surgically and non-pharmaceutically. She is a lifelong learner, never satisfied that she has learned enough, and her goal in practice is to have a great time with people and do beautiful work. Her friendly and comforting manner puts patients at ease. They often remark that they truly enjoyed their visit, and look forward to returning. How often do you hear that about a dental visit?