Dr. Sascha Zandevakili, DDS, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon in San Diego

Dr. Otabor Okundaye is the restorative dentist and prosthodontist at Nuvia Dental Implant Center in San Diego, CA. He completed his undergraduate studies at Xavier University in New Orleans and earned his dental degree from Meharry Medical College. He went on to complete a hospital dentistry residency at UCLA and his prosthodontics training at the West LA VA, and brings more than two decades of experience to the team.

Across his career, Dr. Okundaye has treated patients dealing with years of pain, infection, and complex dental issues. What draws him to full arch care is the chance to help patients turn the page—not just restoring teeth, but watching people come into their own and start a new chapter of life.

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Why Nuvia

Dr. Okundaye joined Nuvia because of the concept of permanent teeth in 24 hours. After decades of working with dental implants and temporaries that could fracture or drag treatment out over months, he sees delivering the final restoration the very next day as the direction the whole industry should be moving in. It’s a game-changing model, and one he wanted to be part of.

For patients who are nervous, his advice is simple: take the first step. Once patients meet the team and feel the family presence at the clinic, the rest of the process starts to feel less intimidating. He and the team walk each patient through it step by step, working toward the end result they came in hoping for.

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Outside of the Office

Outside of work, Dr. Okundaye loves fitness. Weight training and hiking are two of his favorite activities, and on weekends you’re likely to find him out on a trail, going for a run, or hitting the gym.

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Dr. Mary Lou Murtha was inspired to pursue dentistry by her mother, who was also a dentist. Growing up in the Philippines, Dr. Murtha has fond memories of patients visiting their family home for treatment—and always leaving with a smile. That early experience shaped her deep passion for patient care and set her on the path to becoming a dentist herself.

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Why Nuvia

Dr. Murtha had looked into many other dental offices but it wasn’t until she came across Nuvia in San Diego that she felt she had found somewhere that had core values that aligned with her own. 

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As someone who is incredibly patient focused, Dr. Murtha loves that she can provide patients with their permanent teeth in 24 hours, a starkly different method to traditional methods that have patients waiting for what could be up to 10+ months for their permanent teeth.

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Outside of the Office

Dr. Murtha loves spending time with her husband and two daughters. Together they love going on hikes, visiting waterfalls, or cooking.

Dr. Ailar Bagherdaei is a restorative dentist at Nuvia Dental Implant Center in San Diego, CA. She grew up in Southern California and completed her undergraduate studies at UC Irvine. She earned her dental degree from the University of Michigan and then went on to complete her prosthodontic residency and fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh.

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Dr. Bagherdaei has been practicing for about 10 years, including time in Denver where she treated a wide range of complex cases.

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She chose dentistry because she liked how quickly she could help patients. Sitting chairside, she could see changes happen in real time. That led her into prosthodontics, where she works on full-mouth rehabilitation and rebuilding smiles from the ground up.

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Why Nuvia

Dr. Bagherdaei joined Nuvia because the process helps patients get their smiles back very efficiently. Patients don’t go through months of temporary teeth or repeated visits. With teeth in 24 hours, they leave with a fixed, permanent teeth the very next morning after surgery. 

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She also appreciates how the team is structured at Nuvia. Each person has a role, from lab to surgery to restoration, and everything is coordinated ahead of time. That helps cases stay on track and keeps the experience smooth for patients.

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Lastly, she has worked with many materials over the years and prefers zirconia (which is what Nuvia uses) for full mouth restoration cases. It holds up better and doesn’t run into the same issues as temporary dentures during healing.

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Outside of the Office

Outside of work, Dr. Bagherdaei spends most of her time with her family. She has two young children and enjoys cooking, watching movies, and being outdoors with them.