About Dr. Derek

My name is Derek Potts and I’m a new dentist in Camarillo. I was born and raised in Camarillo by my wonderful parents who are also in the field of dentistry. I’ve wanted to be a dentist since chidhood.

Initially, my interest was to be like my father, but as I grew older, the attributes of the profession became the main appeal. I love to help people, I love the personal interactions and relationship development, and I love working with both my hands and mind in creation of something new.

Ever since I can remember I’ve been working with my hands making things. As a child my hobbies ranged from model cars and rockets, inventing things in the garage, to miscellaneous arts and crafts in a local boys and girls church club.

As a teenager, I worked in custom car stereo installation. Taking a car apart and putting it back together is a challenging puzzle and taught me how to use tools. And as an adult, I’ve recently found an interest in photography, construction and woodworking. I actually just finished my first piece of oak furniture. All these things have led me to a great appreciation of art and craftsmanship, which is a large part of dentistry.

After high school, I received my BS in Biology from La Sierra University and a semester in Australia. I then went on to Loma Linda University School of Dentistry for my DDS. During the break between schools, I spent a month in Cambodia doing biological research in the field. And while in dental school I went to Brazil and Peru on mission trips to help those that don’t have dentists readily available. Visiting these poverty stricken countries was a wake up call to say the least. It’s amazing how much we have compared to the rest of the world. I am very interested in going again in the future. It was a rare and wonderful opportunity to directly help people that have no other way of attaining it.

I believe I will be a valuable asset to the profession. Meeting and working with people to achieve their goals of a beautiful, healthy smile is very rewarding to me. I know going to the dentist can be terrifying for some. Personal experiences shape the world into something different for everyone. What’s amazing to me is how such personal and trusting relationships can be grown from an introduction of fear. I became very close to my patients and was excited to hear of what was happening in their lives each time we met. I’m excited to meet you and share in some amazing experiences.