Our practice at Big Sky Pediatric Dentistry is lead by Dr. Gabe Dawson. Dr. Gabe is a 4th generation Kalispell, Montana native. After graduating from Flathead High School, he went on to receive his bachelors degree in Neuroscience at Montana State University, and dental school at the University of Washington in Seattle. In Seattle Dr. Gabe discovered his passion for treating children and made the decision to specialize in pediatrics. He attended pediatric residency at Nationwide Children's Hospital, ranked #7 in the country for Pediatric Hospitals overall and, #5 in the country for pediatric cancer.
During his residency, he worked alongside the programs world-renowned faculty and received extensive training in emergency care and trauma, orthodontics, dental sedation, general anesthesia, and care for children with special needs. Specifically, children with cancer, and advanced heart conditions.
Dr. Gabe is a board-certified pediatric dentist and diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. He is a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the Montana Dental Association, and the American Dental Association. Gabe also serves as the pediatric dentist treating children for the Montana Cleft Clinic. He worked as the pediatric dentist at Nationwide Children's Hospital's 22q Center, which treats children with craniofacial anomalies including cleft lip and palate.
Dr. Kim was born and raised in Spokane, WA and her love of the mountains lured her to the Flathead Valley. She received her B.S. in Biology from the University of Washington and completed her Doctorate of Dental Surgery in 2017 from the University of Washington School of Dentistry.
Since graduation, Dr. Kim has practiced general dentistry in the Flathead Valley, having worked at CSKT Tribal Health in St. Ignatius and at The Flathead Community Health Clinic here in Kalispell. She volunteers her dental skills at Shepherds Hands, Sealants for Smiles, and is an Affiliate Faculty member for University of Washington.
With Dr. Kims affinity for people, she strives to serve her patients with the utmost of compassion, integrity, and clinical experience. She seeks to bridge the gap that occurs as a child ages and transitions from a pediatric to an adult dentist. She focuses on working with teens to make this process smooth and less intimidating.
When Dr. Kim is not in the dental office, you will most likely find her on the ski slopes or floating a river. She has a passion for the outdoors and loves to ski, raft, bike, and hike. She's an active member of several soccer and hockey leagues. She has also been a previous ski instructor at Whitefish Mountain. The love of her family and friends brings her great joy and gives balance to her busy dental career.
Dr. Ryan was born and raised in the mining city of Butte, MT. He received his bachelors degree in Chemistry from Montana Tech of the University of Montana, and attended The Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health to complete his dental school training.
After dental school, he moved to Yakima, Washington, to further pursue training to become a pediatric dentist. During his training he gained experience in non-pharmacological behavior guidance, oral sedation/hospital dentistry, management of children with special health care needs, trauma, growth and development, and comprehensive restorative dentistry.
After completing residency Dr. Ryan stayed on at the residency as a dental attending. He taught courses in dental trauma and behavioral guidance, and over-saw the residents in the clinical setting. He continued to work in the clinical setting as well to further his skill set. After two years as a dental attending Dr. Ryan decided to venture to the east coast where he worked at a private office in New Jersey. He continued to further his training and completed multiple CE training courses in laser dentistry, focusing on lip/tongue tie releases.
Dr. Ryan is excited to be back in Montana and serving the children and families of the Flathead Valley. He is here with his beautiful wife Tori and 5 children (Grier, Mazzi, Rhett, Wynne, and Taye). When Dr. Ryan is not in the dental office he loves spending time with his family outdoors.
At Big Sky Pediatric Dentistry, we believe that the dedication, helpfulness and professionalism of our staff are what truly set us apart from other practices. Our team is fully dedicated to our mission of providing thoughtful, hospitable care to our patients and their families - making a trip to the dentist something that can be fun, easy and informative for everyone involved. We have worked hard to develop a strong culture that puts patients first, and have the highest standards at every step of the process in recruiting, hiring and training new team members.
We are a team of professionals who love the Flathead Valley and take pride in caring for our neighbors, friends (old and new) and even a few relatives as they come through the doors of our offices each day. We look forward to getting to know you and your family better, and we hope you always let us know if there is anything we can do to do an even better job of taking care of you.
