Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Jeffery Schaefer.
Dr. Schaefer, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story of becoming a board-certified orthodontist was a lot like braces. It took time and dedication to get things lined up. Born and raised in Texas, I joke that I peaked in high school because I was a wide receiver on a state championship football team. I went on to attend Texas A&M earning a degree in Industrial Engineering. During college, I spent one year as an intern at Walt Disney World. Upon graduation, I spent six months in New Zealand living in a van and two tents, working on vineyards, along with eight friends from high school. It was not until I turned 25 that I came full circle on my high school dream to become an orthodontist. I dropped everything and moved to Houston to attend the University of Texas School of Dentistry. During my dental school and orthodontic residency years, I met my wife and now business partner, Diana Schaefer.
My experiences in Florida and New Zealand led me to Encinitas. I’m a coastal person and have always loved California. It is with great enthusiasm that I can say I did not peak in high school. With my wife and two babies standing by my side, I’m happy to say the opening of our very own orthodontics practice in Encinitas is our high point. But, we believe the peak is years from now and we cannot wait to support our city as our office grows.
I am committed to leading our team in the pursuit of perfection, and I invest time on a weekly basis expanding my orthodontic education. I am a member of local study groups as well as the national, state, and local dental societies. I will be there every appointment from the initial diagnosis and treatment until the very last retainer check to ensure treatment expectations are exceeded and retained. I stand by my work and the work of my team and I hope to see a lot of beaming smiles while out and about around San Diego the next 25 years!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My career path was a winding road with potholes dotting the way. I walked across my high school graduation stage wanting to become an orthodontist. However, as a sophomore in college, I walked away from that dream to avoid six years of extra school I believe that decision blessed me in that it led me to spend 6 months in New Zealand with my best friends after college, but it also presented a groundbreaking moment in my life. At the age of 25, after working for one year as an engineer, I could not sleep one night. By 3 am that night, I was researching the requirements to get into dental school. My teenage dream had never truly disappeared, and by now it had roared back with a passion. I was so driven to fulfill that dream that I quit my engineering job within a month of that sleepless night.
On a Friday, June 3, 2005, I left my job with a great salary and comfortable life; the following Monday, I was enrolled in community college taking Intro to Chemistry with students that had just graduated from high school. At 25, I sat in that chemistry classroom knowing that I would not become an orthodontist until age 32. But, I persevered, and I made it into dental school within 18 months. It took living on a friend’s couch and even moving in with my girlfriend’s parents for a year to make it happen, but I knew I had to make sacrifices to realize my dream. During my 6 years in dental and orthodontics school, I had to see both my parents through grueling battles with cancer. They both fought courageously and are still with us today, but it was hard to envision that in March 2011 when both were in separate hospitals 200 miles apart. Life struggles give us a chance to show grit and to rise up and become better people.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Beam Orthodontics – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Beam Orthodontics is a start-up by a young professional and his wife. We specialize in orthodontics to patients of all ages. We aim to deliver outstanding orthodontic work and we offer a variety of services to create healthy and beaming smiles. We embrace the latest technological advances in orthodontics and we see all our patients at a single location, in a brand new office. Designed exclusively for orthodontics, patient comfort, and fun.
We are only a week old, opening our doors on April 24, 2018. But, I am committed to ensuring we become known for delivering amazing results and for personally getting to know each patient and their family. We aim to be known as an orthodontic practice that does everything it can to support schools, organizations, and communities nearby us. We were so eager to support Cardiff that my wife and I sponsored a soccer team 9 months before we were open for business. We stand by the orthodontic work we provide, which is one reason we built the office within one mile of our house. We want to see our patients around town and to be there for them whenever they need us.
We invested in the latest and greatest technology orthodontics has to offer. We have an intraoral scanner so that we do not have to take those impressions that most people despise. We are all digitial with online forms that patients can fill out in the comfort of their homes. The brackets that we use have little gates that hold the wire, so we do not have to use the rubber ties that were previously required with older braces. Of course, if kids want colors, we still provide that – but our braces are an excellent option for adults craving a cleaner, more hygienic look.
We are proud that we built our office entirely from scratch. With our architect friend, we designed it down to the finest detail. We believe our office is uniquely laid out to increase patients’ comfort at the office. We believe the time I spend with our patients, our technology, and our friendliness sets us apart from others. We purposefully designed the office to only see a certain amount of patients per day, because we are committed to attention to detail, patient comfort, and results. I am a board-certified orthodontist, something only 1 in 3 orthodontists achieves. I hold that distinction dear to my heart, and I want my patients to feel that different from start to finish of treatment. We are young, new, and fun!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Beam Orthodontics plans to deliver excellent orthodontic care to Encinitas and surrounding communities for the next 25 years and beyond. We are looking forward to growing our practice and our Beam Team. Currently, our practice is comprised of myself (the owner and orthodontist), my wife Diana our treatment coordinator, and Luna, our incredibly talented and outgoing dental assistant. We are working hard to survive as a start-up practice, and we relish the day in which our practice is full of patients and a team of about 8 friendly and skilled people.
We are looking forward to creating a lot of beautiful and beaming smiles. We will strive to be known to our community as a place that gives back to the community through sponsorship and community events. We want our brand name Beam to be associated with friendliness, the pursuit of clinical perfection, attention to detail, and an appreciation for gratitude.
Contact Info:
- Address: Beam Orthodontics
355 Santa Fe Drive
Suite 100
Encinitas, CA 92024 - Website: smilesbeam.com
- Phone: 760-390-6000
- Email: drschaefer@smilesbeam.com
Image Credit:
Pierre-olivier
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