Our Team

Dr Rouel Vergara

Principal Dentist

DMD, Gen. Dent. Cert., P.G. Dip. Digital Orthodontics, FPFA, FICD, FICCDE, FADI

Rouel is the Principal Dentist of New Leaf Dentists in Erina, Central Coast, NSW. Rouel is a gentle and compassionate dentist whose primary focus is to provide patient-centred dental care. He spends time getting to know his patients and involving them in understanding their oral health and treatment plans. He is someone who truly enjoys being a dentist and helping people enjoy the experience too.

Rouel obtained his Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) from the University of the East in 1998 and attained his General Dentist Certificate from the Australian Dental Council (ADC) in Melbourne. He holds a Certificate in Training and Assessment from Macquarie College in Sydney. In 2021, Rouel completed his Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Orthodontics.

Rouel's fields of interest in dentistry are endodontics, prosthodontics and minimally invasive dentistry. He regularly attends continuing education courses locally and internationally to keep up-to-date with the latest developments in techniques, best practice and technology, and enhance his skills in various areas of dentistry (e.g. adult orthodontics, laser applications, implant dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, etc). Apart from this, he also provides Continuing Professional Development (CPD) lectures and workshops for various dental schools, groups, societies and organisations in Australia, Philippines and New Zealand.

He is a member of the Australian Dental Association (ADA NSW and ADA), Australian Asian Association of Dentists, American Dental Association, Australian Society of Endodontology, and the Australian Prosthodontic Society. In addition to his professional memberships, he is also an active member of the Rotary Club International where he served as the 2019/2020 President of the Rotary Club of Umina Beach. 

In 2022, Rouel became a founding member and Vice President of the Filipino Australian Dental Association, and is now the 2024-2026 President. On the 1st of January 2024, Rouel became a Fellow of the Pierre Fauchard Academy. He also became a Fellow of the International College of Continuing Dental Education (FICCDE) which was awarded in Taiwan, as well as a Fellow of the International College of Dentists (FICD) with the induction taking place in Christchurch, New Zealand in August 2024. In 2025, he was recognised as a Fellow of the Academy of Dentistry International.

"To me, dentistry is not just a profession. This is my passion and calling."

Those who know Rouel know this statement to be true. His passion for optimum oral health coupled with his genuine care for his patients are the key elements to his success. From the moment you enter his dental practice, he has a way to make you feel at ease and comfortable to trust him to do his best for you. And he will.

Pamela Vergara

General Manager

B COMM, CPA

Pamela is the General Manager of The Coast Dentists Pty Ltd. She has a Bachelor of Commerce degree (Accounting and Law) and is a member of CPA Australia. Prior to New Leaf Dentists, she spent the previous 15 years of her career in the corporate finance and tax world, working across various industries ranging from travel, retail, telecommunications, energy, banking and engineering.

"If you can't beat them, join them!"

Surrounded by all things dental in the past 15 years as the wife of a dentist, there was no escaping that one day, she would join the dental industry. There was a time in her childhood when she thought of becoming an orthodontist, but found she is better suited to be on the other side of business. Nevertheless, she is passionate about helping people to achieve and maintain a healthy mouth and a beautiful smile. She welcomes this challenge to run a successful dental practice and endeavours to make this place the dental surgery to be!

Her other interests include singing, reading, doing creative activities, photography, interior design, getting to know people and of course, enjoying family time.

Fun Facts:  Pam is also a qualified Interior Designer, mum of 3 children (one is now an adult), a cute Groodle called Theodore, and a house full of books.

Shereen Borthwick

Practice Manager

Shereen is the Practice Manager and showrunner of New Leaf Dentists.

Shereen has worked in the dental industry for over 25 years, beginning her career as a dental assistant for the legendary Dr Phillip Palmer (the founder of Prime Practice) and progressing to various clinical, administration, and management roles before finding her way back to New Leaf Dentists. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team and our patients. Those who have been coming here for years know that she genuinely cares about them and their overall dental experience. Shereen is passionate about delivering exceptional service and she does this with a big smile on her face. Behind the scenes, she looks after our team and keeps us all in line, while also being a great wife, mum to her two beautiful daughters and the family dog, Diesel.

Fun Trivia: Shereen was employee #1, our very first dental assistant that we interviewed at a cafe while the practice was being built.  She believed in us and accepted the role despite NLD being a brand new, not even built, dental clinic back in 2015!