Meet the Doctors

Ron Ronco, DMD

Dr. Ronco is a Colorado native who grew up in Canon City. He received his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Brigham Young University, and went on to work as a Systems Engineer on space launch vehicles in Utah, California, and Florida.

After five years in the aerospace industry, Dr. Ronco returned to school to earn his DMD from the University of Louisville (KY). He then traveled to Belize for a dental mission trip where hundreds of residents of rural villages received much needed dental care at no cost. After completing his dental education, Dr. Ronco returned to his home state and worked as an associate for two Colorado Springs practices before becoming the owner of Meridian Dental.

Dr. Ronco enjoys spending time with his wife and five children, taking them fishing, camping, and four wheeling. He loves photography, astronomy, basketball, fossil digging, hiking, and anything outdoors.

Christina Kukura, DDS

Dr. Kukura was born and raised in the Washington DC metro area. She attended Rice University in Houston, TX for her undergraduate studies and the University of Maryland Dental School, earning her DDS in 2007. Dr. Kukura completed her General Practice Residency program at Baltimore Veterans Affairs Hospital in Baltimore, MD where she received advanced training in oral surgery, implants, crown/bridge, gum surgery, dentures, and cosmetic procedures.

Dr. Kukura is a member of the Academy of General Dentistry and the American Dental Association. She has been on numerous dental mission trips with Operation Smile, where she has treated thousands of underprivileged children.

Dr. Kukura's interests include hiking, biking, tennis, watching independent films, visiting art galleries, and discovering the great state of Colorado. She also speaks German fluently and has dabbled in other languages as varied as French and Slovak.

David Baer, DDS

Dr. Baer is a general dentist who was born and raised in Littleton,CO where he worked painting houses since he was 12 years old. Eventually, he owned and operated his own painting company until he matriculated into dental school. He finished high school in Littleton and continued on to study Neuroscience at Brigham Young University. Dr. Baer then went on to attend the University of Colorado School of Dentistry where he obtained his Doctor of Dental Surgery. When he completed dental school, he went on to Ohio for just over a year as a teaching intern in the Department of Oral Surgery. It was here that Dr. Baer refined his dental surgery and sedation techniques. This interest in dental surgery began in dental school, and since then he has published multiple papers on implants in The Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and helped to publish a book called The Sinus Bone Graft.

Being a native of Colorado, Dr. Baer puts his home state to use. He loves skiing, mountain biking, and cycling avidly. He enjoys the occasional wakeboarding, snowboarding, rock climbing, and kayaking adventures as well. His greatest passion, however, came to him in December 2009 - his beautiful daughter, Delaney.

Geoff Judi, DMD

Dr. Judi was born and raised in the great state of Utah. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science in Zoology. He then went on to receive his DMD from the University of Louisville (KY). Following dental school, Dr. Judi completed one year Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency with the United States Army, where he furthered his knowledge in many different aspects of dentistry. For the next three years, Dr. Judi worked as a general dentist at Ft. Wainwright, Alaska. During this time, Dr. Judi deployed to Iraq for 15 months to treat his fellow servicemen. He seperated from the Army in 2009 and currently works full-time as a federal dentist at Ft. Carson.

Aside from his job, Dr. Judi loves all outdoor activities - his favorites being golf, hiking, and tennis. However, when he has spare time, you will most likely find him at home, working or playing with his five children. Dr. Judi loves Colorado and looks forward to exploring as much of it as he can.

Jeremy Hood, DMD

Dr. Hood was born and raised in Lousiville, KY, home of the Kentucky Derby. Dr. Hood has been involved in dentistry since 1996 - as a general dental assistant for two years and an oral surgery assistant for four years, prior to his beginning dental school in 2003. He attended the University of Louisville for his undergraduate degree in Biology as well as his DMD, graduating in 2007. Thereafter, Dr. Hood completed a one year fellowship program in Developmental Dentistry, caring for the severely handicapped and mentally disabled.

Dr. Hood enjoys working with the disabled, as well as our men and women in uniform. He currently works at Ft. Carson, and has worked at one other Colorado Springs practice for a year prior to proudly joining his former classmate, Dr. Ronco, and the team at Meridian Dental.

Dr. Hood has always dreamed of living in Colorado, and he loves the outdoors tremendously. His hobbies include running, cycling, backpacking, skiing, snowboarding, and attending an annual concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater. His main focus outside of dentistry, though, is caring for his 11-month old son, David Alexander - the joy of his life.