Anissa Ottley, a general/family dentist, and owner of, Avalon Dental, P.L. shares, “The best part of my job is watching my patients grow up and return with their kids! I have many multigenerational families in my practice, and it is just the best. We offer general dentistry, crowns completed in one day and for funsies Botox and filler to lips and lower face. Our motto is “A Healthy Smile Changes Everything” and it really does. When your mouth is healthy you feel good and have a beautiful smile…and there is no simpler, truer form of communication than a sincere smile!”

Ottley believes that her business success wouldn’t be possible without the support of her team. “The ladies I work with are incredible and most of them have been with me for over a decade. We have grown up together and really “done life” alongside one another. It feels great to work with women that you admire and really know, and that have your back.” Her hygienist, Hailey Nevels, even did Ottley’s makeup for the Bella fashion shoot.

While Ottley wears a conservative suit or scrubs for her workdays, she says, “Loving fashion and style runs in my family. I still remember great outfits and shoes my grandmother wore when I was little. As a first-generation American girl, the quinceañera years were especially important for Ottley and her family. Latinas are celebrated on their 15^th birthday with a quinceañera or ‘coming of age’ party which she compares to an American wedding reception. She explains, “There were lots and lots of formal parties. It was very common for my sister and I to imagine a dress, pick out a fabric at the fabric store downtown, then have our seamstress, Magaly, make us a dress. “ 

“The shopping gene runs strong in my family as well. My mom instilled love of shopping very young in me and she loved to take me and my little sister to the mall on Thursdays after school. My mom, sister, two daughters and two God daughters have no problem making a day of it when I visit them in Miami. My sister and I have very similar tastes and it is not uncommon for us to have the same item in our closets that we did not purchase together.” says Ottley.

When asked to define her personal style, Ottley replied, “I tend to like clothes with special details, beautiful fabrics. I love to shop online for brands like WHBM, Banana Republic, Anthropologie, and Athleta and I enjoy shopping locally at boutiques like Bluetique and Scout.”

Read the full  article: March Bella Magazine :: Pages 34 – 38

Fashion credits:
Kristen Peden, Ulta, Hair Stylist
Hailey Nevels, Makeup
SanTan By Amber, Spray Tan