Dr. Andrew Nickel grew up surfing and fishing on the beaches of Southern California. Working every summer as Newport Beach Ocean Lifeguard and Junior Lifeguard Instructor, he taught kids ocean safety and found his passion for working with children.
Dr. Nickel earned his Bachelors in Environmental Studies from the University of California Santa Barbara in 2013, while also taking time to study abroad in Argentina. Following his undergraduate work, he moved to San Francisco to enroll at the prestigious University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, where he received his Doctorate in Dental Surgery in 2017. While in San Francisco he was encouraged by his faculty to pursue Pediatric Dentistry and was awarded the Charles Sweet Pediatric Dentistry Award. He also became a member of the distinguished Tau Kappa Omega Honor Society. While at dental school, Dr. Nickel also met his beautiful wife, Dr. Zoey.
Following dental school, Dr. Nickel was accepted to the world-renowned University of Southern California’s Pediatric Dental Residency Program in Los Angeles. For two years, Dr. Nickel worked closely with three major children’s hospitals: Long Beach Millers Children’s, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, and Children’s Hospital of Orange County. During his time in residency he gained a wealth of experience with all facets of Pediatric Dentistry, including treating children with medically complex backgrounds and children with special needs. He is also highly trained in sedation dentistry.
After residency at USC, Dr. Nickel served children in the vulnerable Medicaid population of Los Angeles while his wife finished Orthodontic Residency at USC. He then followed Dr. Zoey Gutierrez- Nickel, a Vero Beach native, back to her hometown and has never been happier. Dr. Nickel worked in a Private Pediatric Dental Practice for a few years on the Treasure Coast before opening Nickel Pediatric Dentistry. He has followed his passion as a lifelong learner and maintains his Board Certified Diplomate status at the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.
