Meet The Team

AHPRA Registered

Dr Celso Cardona is the skilled and passionate Lead Dentist at Maven Dental Burwood and Maven Dental Avalon Beach. Originally from Brazil, Dr Cardona graduated from UFRGS (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul) in 2006 with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery and later in 2008 obtained his Masters in Pain and Palliative Medicine.

Dr Cardona discovered his love for dentistry at a young age, with both his dad and brother working as dentists. After receiving his qualifications he spent time working alongside them in Brazil until 2008 before moving to Australia the following year. He worked as a clinical educator at Sydney University in 2009 and then went on to work at two other dental surgeries before joining Maven Dental Group.

Within his role, Dr Cardona is passionate about helping his patients achieve a better understanding of dental health and providing them with exceptional dental care. Holding over 15 years' experience, he has gained extensive knowledge in all aspects of general dentistry with a keen interest in root canals, full mouth reconstruction and teeth alignment. Due to his expertise with complex dental cases, he also receives referrals from other dentists.

Committed to his professional development, Dr Cardona has completed the curriculum of additional education at the Pankey Institute for Advanced Dentistry in Miami. Currently, Dr Cardona is furthering his studies at the Kois Center in Seattle.

Away from the practice, Dr Cardona enjoys meditating, rock climbing, playing video games and travelling. He also has a love for yoga and practices every day of the week and is also a qualified yoga teacher.

AHPRA Registered

Dr Colin Sar was born in Sydney and moved to Brisbane to study dentistry in 2014. After graduating with a Bachelor of Dental Science (Honours) from the University of Queensland in 2018, he was admitted into the HCF Graduate Program in Sydney. The program provided Dr Colin with invaluable, structured, and hands-on mentoring with various dental specialists.

Since then, Dr Colin has practised as a general dentist in Western Sydney, Sydney CBD locations and has joined Dr Celso at Maven Dental Burwood and Maven Dental Avalon Beach.

Dr Colin has a clinical interest in preventative dentistry. He believes that by educating his patients on the effects of diet on their oral health, he can help them make changes to keep their teeth for life. A primary goal for him is to transform patients who visit the dentist often for treatment into patients who only need to attend preventative routine check-ups and clean appointments.

Dr Colin also enjoys the sense of mastery and craftsmanship of creating beautiful smiles for his patients using crowns and veneers and seeing them smile freely and confidently once treatment is complete.

Passionate about helping those with dental anxieties, Dr Colin works to build rapport and trust with his patients. He has found that, in turn, this helps to alleviate their fear of the dentist.

Dr Colin participates in various hobbies outside of work, including hiking, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Basketball, and he loves to hang out at the park with his beloved Golden Retriever x Poodle, Charlie. Dr Colin is an avid fan of movies and books and loves to read about and keep up with all the latest technologies.

AHPRA Registered

Suzanne (Suzie) Zerafa was welcomed to the Maven Dental Inner West Sydney practice as an experienced Dental Hygienist and Oral Health Therapist. Suzie holds a Bachelor of Oral Health Therapy, Diploma of Dental Therapy and Diploma of Reflexology having attended Westmead Dental in 2004 and Melbourne University in 2005.

Beginning her dental career at the age of 16, Suzie worked as a dental nurse for a number of years. At 21 she left Australia to travel and gain experience working in London, where she discovered her love for dental hygiene. Upon her return to Sydney, she studied dental therapy at the Westmead Hospital and after graduating completed her dental hygienist studies at Melbourne University. She now offers 30 years' experience in the dental industry, 15 of which have been as a dental hygienist/therapist.

Within the practice, Suzie is passionate about developing strong relationships with her patients and loves being able to have a positive impact on their lives in regards to great oral health. While enjoying all aspects of her role, she holds clinical interests in treating periodontal disease, peri-implantitis, diet and nutrition issues of the mouth, sleep disorders and growth guidance issues in children.

Suzie is a member of the Dental Hygienist Association Australia and Australian Dental and Oral Health Therapist Association.

Away from the practice, Suzie loves spending quality time with family and friends and is often kept busy getting her daughter everywhere she needs to be. She also enjoys baking, entertaining, getting outdoors and riding motorbikes (currently doing offroad and motocross). When she finds the time, Suzie also loves taking part in Bikram yoga.

Practice Manager, Lindel Aquino, was welcomed to the caring and compassionate Maven Dental Avalon Beach team in September 2013. Lindel completed her Certificate III in Dental Assisting in 2014 through TAFE New South Wales. Prior to discovering her love for dental, she gained valuable experience working as an airfare and ticketing specialist for a wholesale travel company - holding a Diploma in Travel and Tourism (2004). 

Within her roles, Lindel is passionate about working with an amazing team to provide patients with high-quality dental care and treatment. She loves being able to meet new people on a daily basis and enjoys the opportunity to continuously learn new skills and responsibilities.

In her spare time, Lindel enjoys spending quality time with family, going to the beach, heading out with friends and travelling.

Carly O’Neill is your Treatment Coordinator at Maven Dental Avalon Beach and brings a vibrant energy to the practice! Carly loves all things teeth and has been working within the dental industry for three years, but also has an extensive background in other customer services. As an extrovert, Carly thoroughly enjoys the social side of her job. Getting to know and building relationships with her patients is of utmost importance to her, as this in turn will ensure they feel comfortable from the moment they step foot into the dental practice.

Carly is an advocate for good dental hygiene and loves joining her patients on their journey to a healthy, happy smile. As well as working chairside with our dental professionals, you’ll find Carly working with a big smile behind the reception desk, ticking admin tasks off her list and keeping all our lovely patients updated on our Instagram page!

Carly has spent the last 10 years living in the Northern Beaches. She makes use of every spare second outside of the practice playing netball, roller skating, playing the piano and soaking up the sunshine at the beach. She is also a youth leader at her local church!  

Growing up on the beautiful Northern Beaches, Elizabeth Howard began her career in dental assisting in 2005 and has joined the Maven team at our Avalon Beaches practice. With over 15 years of experience in the dental industry, Elizabeth brings a wealth of knowledge and loves taking a more hands-on approach with her patients and clinicians. Elizabeth is well known within the practice for her big, beautiful smile and can-do attitude and thoroughly enjoys working alongside her incredible team. Elizabeth is clinically passionate about cosmetic and surgical dentistry and has a soft, hands-on approach with her patients, who often request for her to be in the room during their procedures.

In her spare time, Elizabeth enjoys getting amongst nature, reading, drawing and spending quality time with her friends and family.