Alyssa Hedstrom

Alyssa grew up in Grand Marais and graduated from Cook County High School. After receiving her Doctorate of Dental Surgery from the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry in 2004, she joined her father, Dr. Rolf, in practicing dentistry, then took over the practice in 2008. Dentistry is always evolving, and she enjoys expanding her knowledge and available services through continuing education. She is a member of the ADA, MDA, NEDDS and AOS.

Alyssa and her husband, Jonathan, have three daughters; their family loves sailing, swimming, traveling and adventures of all sorts. Alyssa also enjoys astrology, fashion, knitting, and sewing her own clothes. She is thankful everyday for the opportunity to live and work in a community she loves.

Pat Pawlowski

Dr. Pat Pawlowski grew up in the Chicagoland area and is proud to be a fourth-generation dentist. He attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI, and graduated in 2017 from Marquette University School of Dentistry, where he was inducted into Omicron Kappa Upsilon, the National Dental Honors Society. After spending many summers working in Minnesota’s beautiful lakes country he broke with tradition and left Chicago to join Grand Marais Family Dentistry in 2017. He enjoys serving the community by helping people achieve their oral health goals.

Reilly Backstrom

Reilly grew up in Grand Marais and first joined Grand Marais Family Dentistry as a dental assistant before continuing her education. She earned both her Bachelor’s degree in Dental Hygiene (2025) and her Master’s degree in Dental Therapy (2026) from the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. She is happy to return to the practice and serve her hometown community. She enjoys running, biking, and exploring the outdoors with her husband and their dog, Miley.

Bonnie Dalin

Bonnie has been practicing dental hygiene since 2003. She moved from the Twin Cities to Grand Marais in 2016. She splits her time between Grand Marais Family Dentistry as a hygienist and as the Education Coordinator for the Oral Health Task Force. She loves spending time with her four wonderful children Sean, Aaliyah, Alonzo, and Eva. She also enjoys the outdoors, spending time with her horse, and just being around the Big Lake.

Dan DeNucci

Dan grew up in Chanhassen, MN and went on to dental school at the University of Michigan. After graduating in 2013, he practiced at a federally qualified health center in Grand Rapids, MI for 5 years before moving back to practice in Minneapolis. In 2025, Dan was introduced to Pat and Alyssa and has since been working part-time at Grand Marais Family Dentistry. He now balances his time working at a community clinic in the metro area and GMFD. He really enjoys spending time up north and experiencing all Grand Marais has to offer, more recently getting into hiking, biking, and trail running.

MacKenzie Olson

MacKenzie is originally from Grand Forks, ND and lived in Duluth for seven years before making the move north to Grand Marais. MacKenzie graduated from Lake Superior College and became a Registered Dental Hygienist in 2025. She enjoys going on hikes with her dog, Winnie, and reading a good book.

Victoria Marguitova

Victoria has been living in Minnesota since 2012. She joined the Grand Marais Family Dentistry in 2018 and worked as a dental assistant for a year. She decided to continue her education and in 2020 she became a registered dental hygienist. She enjoys spending her free time snowshoeing and cross country skiing in the winter and hiking and gardening in the summer. She also enjoys reading books and is an aspiring knitter.

Elunia Steckelberg

Elunia grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, migrated north to La Crosse, WI for Grad school, and eventually settled in Grand Marais with her husband in 2015. She has her Doctorate in Physical Therapy and continues to practice PT independently through her private practice. She is excited to diversify her medical knowledge with this opportunity to work part time at the dental office.

Elunia loves to spend time on the water, hike and camp in the woods, downhill ski, garden, and play with her dog. She also enjoys singing, playing the piano, painting and crafting. She is grateful to call Grand Marais home.

Elunia is also the owner of Superior Movement: superior-movement.com

Abby Van Dusen

Abby grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan, and came to Grand Marais by way of Minneapolis. She started her career in farming, and brings to the dental office more than a decade of experience as a care worker, supporting babies, children, new families and elders. Abby is an accomplished textile artist, and always has a knitting and/or weaving project in the works. She is excited to be a part of Grand Marais Family Dentistry!

Carrie Hagen

Carrie graduated from South Central College with a degree in Dental Assisting- after graduation she worked in an office in North Mankato for 24 years. Recently she made the move to Grand Marais and joined our team Sept. 2022. She and her husband Shane have two adult children and two 4-legged children named Beau and Daisy. When not at the office she love gardening, crafts, laughing with friends, and spending time with family.

Nicole Tibbetts

Nicole graduated from Southeast Technical College with her degree in dental assisting. She then made her move back to the North Shore and joined the team in July of 2024. When not at work you’ll find her spending time with her Fiancé Nic and dog Drax, or engaging in activities like golfing, fishing, baking, or reading a good book.