Since opening in 2023, Teeth & Things founders Dr. Daniel Rosales and Dr. Jacqueline Magallanes have built a reputation for making dentistry approachable, lighthearted, and grounded in genuine relationships. Now, with Dr. Yvette Valencia joining them as a partner and a recent expansion in River Forest, that mission is growing stronger.
For Dr. Valencia, it all feels a bit like coming home. “I love the proximity to my hometown,” she says. “These are the people I grew up with.”
Born and raised in Berwyn, Dr. Valencia attended public schools before beginning her undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois Chicago, where she initially pursued architecture.
“I always considered myself creative, handy, and crafty,” she says. “But I discovered architecture is a lot of time spent alone behind a computer.”
And then on one fateful day, while working at an ice cream shop, a local dental office offered her a receptionist position. What began as an unexpected job quickly became a calling.
“My favorite part of architecture was always building the small, detailed models,” she says. “In dentistry, you’re working on something small and detailed, but you’re making a person’s life different.”
Today, she jokingly refers to placing crowns as “arts and crafts time.”
Her discovery of dentistry and creative spirit eventually led her back to UIC’s dental school, where she met Drs. Rosales and Magallanes. The three formed relationships long before they became business partners. Dr. Valencia served as Dr. Magallanes’ assistant during her board exams, while Dr. Rosales was her clinic mentor.
She officially joined Teeth & Things in late 2023, initially one day a week, but her intentions were always clear. “I came in letting them know exactly what I wanted,” she says. “I was looking for a partnership. I was ready for something that felt like mine.”
That vision has become a reality.
When Dr. Valencia talks about dentistry, she talks about the people first. She talks about neighbors she’s known for decades, about children whose schools she recognizes by name, and about patients who live just a few blocks from her now-home in Riverside.
“Everything is so local and familiar,” she says.
As a bilingual dentist — a skill that’s still relatively uncommon — she’s also helps make the practice more accessible to Spanish-speaking families. “I love having that skill and being able to connect on that end,” she says.
Her sense of community connection was perhaps best illustrated last October while preparing to be induced to welcome her second child. Dr. Valencia personally called patients to reschedule their appointments. One patient not only understood but later brought her homemade sourdough bread and a starter to celebrate the new baby.
“It’s a great community,” she says.
That community is now expanding.
Earlier this year, Teeth & Things acquired a second office in River Forest. The opportunity came after the longtime owner, who had cared for patients for three decades, decided to sell while battling cancer.
“He wanted his patients to be taken over by people he could trust,” says Dr. Valencia.
The transition, completed at the end of March, has also brought new team members into the fold, including a hygienist from the River Forest office.
For a practice built on trust and relationships, it feels like a natural next chapter.
And if you’ve ever visited Teeth & Things, you know those relationships extend to even the smallest details: the sugar-free suckers waiting at the front desk, the treasure chest that young patients excitedly dig through after appointments, and the laughter that makes a trip to the dentist feel like seeing friends.
“We really do work with our friends,” says Dr. Valencia. “And now I take our staff out for ice cream, so that has also come full circle,” she laughs. Her favorite nearby spot? Brown Cow.
As Teeth & Things continues to grow, one thing remains unchanged: the belief that exceptional dental care starts with making people feel at home.
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