Hello and welcome to Wilsonville Orthodontics! Dr. Elisa Herrman here – orthodontist and owner of Wilsonville Orthodontics. I thought the best way to start this blog was by introducing myself, sharing a little about our practice, and explaining why I’m excited to have a place where we can talk all things smiles, bites, braces, Invisalign, and orthodontics.
Why I Became an Orthodontist
I’ve always loved the power of a smile. I knew this from a young age – my first email address was something along the lines of “smiley88@gmail.com.”
I realized early on that something as simple as a smile could make a difference in life. As a kid, smiling at someone on the playground could help you make a new friend, and sharing a smile could make someone else feel included. As an adult, feeling comfortable and confident in your smile can affect so many of life’s big moments, from interviewing for a new job, to feeling your best on your wedding day, to smiling without hesitation in family photos.
Our smiles are one of the big ways we connect with the people around us. A smile is something that you can share with the world to make it a better place – every smile shared inspires joy and happiness in the receiving person.
That is a big part of why I chose to become an orthodontist. I have the opportunity to apply science and problem-solving skills to help people feel confident about their smiles. I love knowing that the smiles we create in our office will be shared with other people for years to come, inspiring joy in many others.
Finding My Home at Wilsonville Orthodontics
During my journey to become an orthodontist, I realized that the kind of orthodontist I wanted to be was closely tied to the kind of practice I wanted to work in.
I wanted to practice in a small, privately owned office where I could provide excellent care while actually getting to know my patients and their families.
Wilsonville Orthodontics was founded by Dr. Joseph Restic in 1991 with a focus on serving the local community with excellence and integrity. I joined Wilsonville Orthodontics in January 2025, and I’m incredibly excited to continue the tradition Dr. Restic built while making Wilsonville Orthodontics my professional home for the long term.
Today, we provide orthodontic care for children, teens, and adults from Wilsonville, Tualatin, Canby, Aurora, West Linn, Sherwood, and other nearby communities in the South Portland metro area. Our Wilsonville office is conveniently located for families throughout the area looking for personalized orthodontic care close to home.
Whether we’re monitoring a child’s growth and development, treating a middle schooler or teenager with braces, or helping an adult achieve the smile they’ve always wanted with Invisalign clear aligners, our goal is to find the right approach for each individual patient.
Orthodontics Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All
One of my favorite parts of being an orthodontist is that every patient is different. That’s why one of my priorities is understanding what matters to you. I want to understand what your goals for orthodontic treatment are and what kind of treatment would best fit your lifestyle.
From there, we can build a treatment plan together. My team and I will take the time to explain what we’re seeing, talk through your options, answer your questions, and help you feel comfortable with the decision you make.
To me, great orthodontic care means creating an individualized treatment plan that takes into account not only your teeth and bite, but also your goals and what matters most to you.
Making Orthodontics Fun
Ultimately, my goal at Wilsonville Orthodontics is to improve our patients’ quality of life by creating healthy, beautiful smiles that they can feel confident sharing with the world.
It’s also important to me that the process of getting there is a fun and positive experience – for our patients, their families, and our team.
Orthodontic treatment takes time, which means we have the privilege of getting to know our patients along the way. We love hearing about school, sports, vacations, graduations, new jobs, birthdays, and everything else happening in our patients’ lives.
We want you to look forward to seeing us, have fun while you’re here, and celebrate the progress you’re making toward your new smile.
So, Why an Orthodontic Blog?
One of the things I love most about my job is helping patients understand their teeth and bite – not just telling them what treatment I recommend.
I enjoy explaining why a bite looks the way it does, how teeth move, why the timing of orthodontic treatment can matter, and the different ways we can approach an orthodontic problem. I believe that understanding the “why” behind your treatment is an important part of making decisions about your care.
My goal for this blog is to answer the questions I hear every day from patients and parents and explain orthodontics in a way that’s useful, straightforward, and easy to understand.
Thanks for stopping by and getting to know a little more about me and Wilsonville Orthodontics. I’m excited to use this blog as another way to help families in Wilsonville and our surrounding communities better understand orthodontics and make informed decisions about their care.
If there’s an orthodontic question you’ve always wanted answered, let me know. It just might become my next post!
Dr. Elisa Herrman
Orthodontist & Owner
Wilsonville Orthodontics