About Lani Yap-Encomienda, DDS
Dr. Lani Yap-Encomienda began with our practice family in July 2017. She excelled at University of Maryland, College Park and was named a College Park Scholar and a Maryland Distinguished Scholar. She graduated from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry ranking high in her class, after completing more in-depth training with both Pediatric and Oral Maxillofacial Surgery Clerkships. She earned several awards, most notably the Nathan David Gold Memorial Award for conscientious and enthusiastic dedication to clinical practice. She was accepted to and completed the prestigious Johns Hopkins Hospital General Practice Residency program in Baltimore under the Department of Otolaryngology's Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dentistry. During residency, she gained more extensive training in hospital-based dentistry, comprehensive treatment planning, and emergency oral care. As one of three dental residents for the hospital, she treated dental trauma cases, cardiac and transplant patients prior to surgery, and head and neck cancer patients preparing for radiation-oncology treatment. She was also exposed to pediatric dentistry and oral and maxillofacial surgeries for medically compromised patients requiring general anesthesia in an operating room setting. Further, she treated outpatients in the dental clinic, gaining additional experience with fixed and removable prosthodontics, rotary endodontics, and oral surgery, including dental implant placement. She is a wonderful addition to our dental practice with her hospital-based dental background. Dr. Yap is an Ellicott City native, attended Notre Dame Prep, did ballet for 18 years and volunteers at Our Daily Bread. While attending the University of Maryland, she shadowed at our office and that is when she fell in love with dentistry. She and her husband Steve, who is an auditor for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, reside in Elkridge. Her father is a physician, friend of Dr. Baronas and her mother is a computer systems analyst for IBM. They are parishioners at Church of the Resurrection in Ellicott City.