Meet Dr. Christina Hansen

Meet Dr. Christina Hansen, the self-professed “Teeth Nerd”

Dr. Hansen’s passion for veterinary dentistry began at the University of Illinois – Urbana/Champaign’s College of Veterinary Medicine, where she completed multiple dentistry electives and a dentistry rotation under the highly respected veterinary dentistry pioneer, Dr. Sandra Manfra-Marretta, DVM, DACVS, DAVDC. Dr. Hansen was awarded her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2007, but continued her education in veterinary dentistry following graduation with countless continuing education courses and dentistry conferences, including annual trips to the Veterinary Dental Forum, our nation’s largest veterinary dental conference. After repeatedly experiencing, first hand, how dramatically she could improve the comfort, health, and happiness of her patients when their dental pain and disease were appropriately treated, in 2019, Dr. Hansen chose to focus her every day practice exclusively on dental care and oral surgery. When asked why she loves veterinary dentistry so much, she said “When I see how happy my patients are after they’ve healed and their mouths are no longer painful, I feel like an absolute hero. I get to go to work every day and make the world a little bit better place. How lucky am I?!?” Dr. Hansen opened Pet Smiles General Veterinary Dentistry in her own home town of Gilbert in 2023 as a tool to continue that life’s mission. She is grateful every day for the opportunity to help our four-legged friends, and the people who love them.

After enduring one too many Chicago winters, Dr. Hansen picked Arizona to raise her family in 2013, a choice which satisfied her requirement of no longer needing any wool, down, or shovels. She said it was one of the best decisions she’s made, as they couldn’t be happier in the Valley of the Sun. The Hansens share their home with an elderly toothless rescue Pug, Hall, an energetic young German Shepherd named Sigge, and an aquarium full of assorted aquatic creatures. For the record, she’s loved and cared for almost every critter under the sun, and considers herself a recovering crazy cat lady, having at one point, 6 cats. She is a loyal supporter of ALECA (Arizona Law Enforcement Canine Association) and has a strong interest in, and love for, Military Working Dogs. In the very near future, plans are in the works to adopt a retiring MWD.

Outside of work, Dr. Hansen enjoys traveling to exotic locations with her son, CrossFit, rowing, shooting, volunteering for Feed My Starving Children, and fundraising for a variety of veteran’s charities.