[re]Think Dentistry

Dr. Chris Helley grew up in Issaquah, WA, which at the time, was a small town in the foothills of the Cascade mountain range east of Seattle Washington. After graduating from Bellevue High School in 1998, he attended Washington State University. During college, he would work summers as a fly-fishing guide in Alaska and dreamt of one day owning his own fishing lodge. He reveled in his clients sheer joy and mile-wide smiles as he helped them catch monster fish. Chris has always enjoyed working with his hands to create things. Under his uncle's supervision he was taught the skill of cabinet making. Eventually, Chris' eye for industrial design attracted him to metal welding where he began to develop his art portfolio of metal sculptures and furniture designs. After an unfortunate incident involving a front tooth being knocked out, he was able to observe how teeth are made, while being introduced to the trade of a dental lab technician. It was at this time that Chris became interested in dentistry, as he felt it combined all the things he loved to do: creating and designing intricate things with his hands to give his patients the best reasons to smile. In 2008, Chris graduated from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. His drive to understand, not just ‘how’ dentistry works, but ‘why’ things are done the way they are, led him to spend the next 5 years completing a Prosthodontic residency at the University of Washington in Seattle. There, he earned his certificate in Prosthodontics in 2012, and a Master of Science degree in Material Science and Mechanical Engineering in 2013. That same year, Chris moved to Montana and eventually settled in Bozeman. In February of 2014, he opened his practice: [re]Think Dentistry. His goal is to challenge the status-quo in order to create better systems and greater results. Bozeman is now home for Chris, and dentistry is his passion. His appreciation for craftsmanship, his background in sculpture, and extensive training have enabled him to create the perfect blend of art and science, which has become the foundation of [re]Think Dentistry.