Meet Our Team

Butch Connelly Artisan Ceramist aspen co

Butch Connelly
Artisan Ceramist

Butch Connelly has been making restorative crown and bridge work for over 30 years, and has focused heavily on cosmetic dentistry for the past 15 years. He believes that oral design mimics architecture, and he takes an artistic approach to crafting smiles that are based on naturally occuring beautiful esthetics. He has also studied under some of the greats in the dental ceramist community, including Klaus Muterthies and Naoki Aiba, among others.

Belem
Hygienist

Belem received her degree in dental hygiene from Colorado Northwestern Community College in Rangely in 2017, where she graduated at the top of her class and was given the Western Society of Periodontology Award for clinical excellence. In addition to her hygienist training, Belem graduated from dental school in Peru in 2008, has attained specialized advanced training with dental lasers, and is extremely dedicated to providing the highest level of service with the latest technologies available.

Belem was born and raised in Peru. She is fluent in Spanish, English, and French. In 2009, she did an exchange program in Vail, Colo., and quickly decided to call the mountains her home. When not at the office, Belem spends time with her son, Joaquin, along with their Goldendoodle, Buddy. Outside of dentistry, her passions include hiking, running, crossfit, yoga, and training for the occasional endurance event.

Belem Villalovos Hygienist aspen co
Matt Sandin Hygienist

Matt
Hygienist

Matt was born and raised in the Bay Area of California. He has lived in Colorado since 2006 where his life has been a mutual pursuit of outdoor adventure and bettering humanity. He believes that practicing dental hygiene in Aspen is the perfect way to pursue his passions. Matt loves dental hygiene because it creates a platform to focus on the individual’s needs and desires. Earning his degree in Dental Hygiene from Colorado Northwestern Community College, Matt served as the class president, graduated top of his class, and received several prestigious awards including Rising Star and the Crest/Colgate Award for patient care. When he is not bettering the oral health of the Roaring Fork Valley through individualized care, Matt can be found immersed in the mountains and the culture of Aspen.

Elena
Lead Dental Assistant

Elena is from the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. There she enjoyed being part of a family restaurant and never got tired of going to the beach! During High School she moved to South Florida and in her 20’s she became certified as a Dental Assistant. Over the next 19 years Elena worked with an exceptional dentist who mentored her and deepened her passion for dentistry. Together they participated in many leading-edge continuing education seminars. 

Elena has lived in Colorado since 2011. She spent 6 years in Summit County, and the last 3 years in the Roaring Fork Valley, appreciating the opportunity to work with Dr. Turchin. She has been blessed with 2 children: Daniel and Liani, and most recently her first grandchild, OliverElena‘s interests and activities include mediation, yoga, and mindfulness; paddle boarding, camping, and hiking – loving the awesome beauty of Colorado. When possible she enjoys visits to Florida to play with her grandson, or Puerto Rico to enjoy the pristine beaches and her extended family.

Elena Velez Lead Dental Assistant aspen co

Gabriela
Dental Assistant

Gabriela moved to the Rocky Mountains from Mexico in 2017. With a background in Nursing, Business, Entrepreneurship, and Women’s Empowerment and Human Rights she strives to serve her community through the nonprofit Aspen Strong where she is a member of the board. Gabriela has called Aspen home for the past year after she moved from the Vail valley. When not on the slopes or in the office, Gabriela can be found hiking, or sewing, designing and creating in her fashion studio.

Allison
Office Manager

Coming from the great white north of Western New York, Allison’s childhood goal was to live in Aspen, Colorado to enjoy the slopes. After graduating from Niagara University, she moved west with a degree in Travel and Tourism. Allison feels Aspen has been very good to her for the last 33 years! She has bought a place in Basalt and enjoyed all the seasons of the year as well as life! Her career in Tourism was amazing and she is thankful for all the incredible people she met and worked with, as well as the travel opportunities it presented. Last year, she decided she wanted something different. Dr. Turchin and his world class staff welcomed her with open arms.  

Allison loves to ski in the winter, 4 wheel in the summer, spend time with her dog Wylie and to experience as much as life can offer!

Bryan Pardo Dental Assistant aspen co

Bryan
Dental Assistant

Bryan is a dentist who graduated from Antonio Nariño University in Bogotá, Colombia. He moved to the Roaring Fork Valley just a few years ago. Bryan enjoys the high standards of aesthetics and techniques in the office, and loves helping to create harmonious and natural smiles, which encourages him to continue working with this great profession.

Bryan has a new baby daughter named Amelia and a wonderful wife, Juliana, who is a teacher at Basalt Elementary School. In his free time Bryan enjoys snowboarding, rafting, motorcycling and music.

This gentleman desired a brighter smile, but wanted a natural look to suit his face. New veneers were handcrafted to look completely natural, and his smile was designed to better support his face.

A long time Aspenite didn’t like her two front teeth. After proper analysis and a Smile Test DriveTM we determined it was a more complex problem than just two teeth. Her bite had destroyed her teeth and smile, and aged her face. So we fixed her bite and smile using our Ageless Smile algorithm, which turned back the clock.

This 40 something Aspen and Sydney resident presented looking for a better smile. Because after 2 rounds of Invisalign and plenty of whitening, he was still left wanting. With almost no preparation of his teeth we were able to add the length, prominence, broadness on sides and the shade his smile was wanting for resulting in a more youthful attractive smile and fuller lips. He is ecstatic about his new smile! The Ageless Smile Algorithm nailed it again.

This hospital exec traveled for a couple of hours in search of the smile of her dreams. Her lack of tooth display was due to a skeletal issue known as an impacted and retrognathic maxilla, which means her upper jaw was too far up and back causing her smile to show less tooth volume and less lip support than ideal. We designed a new smile to correct that deficiency by making her teeth longer and building them out for more tooth support. Now she shows a more attractive and youthful amount of tooth display that is in harmony with her lower lip. She loves her new smile which gives her renewed confidence every day.

Unhappy with the size of her smile and her local dentist’s attempt to bond a little more length, this Florida woman came to Aspen to receive The

Ageless SmileTM. Traditional dentistry would have referred her for Jaw Surgery in order to bring her upper jaw down and forward to show more teeth. Although this was discussed, the patient chose the non-surgical route which gave a near surgical result for her esthetics and bite. Tooth display at smile and at rest are some of the main determinants in guessing ones age. She now shows a more youthful amount of tooth, which takes years off of her look.

Our favorite Miami Housewives star, interior designer, and hotelier was just back in our office for his new smile. Exactly like the temporaries but the brighter shade he chose. In fact, this is our very brightest shade that he saw on his dear friend and fell in love with, and why he came to us to begin with. He has been looking for a decade for someone who could give him a super bright smile that still looked natural. It’s all in the natural tooth form, texture, and translucency. He loves his new smile and commented after each visit that he was amazed that he felt like he had no work done after each appointment as he had no pain or sensitivity. Another great Ageless Smile!