Michael D Scherer, DMD, MS, APC & Melissa D Shotell, DMD, MS

Michael D Scherer, DMD, MS, APC & Melissa D Shotell, DMD, MS - General dentist in Sonora, CA
800 Delnero Dr, Sonora, CA 95370
Open
Closes at 5:00pm
SundayClosed
Monday8:00am - 5:00pm
Tuesday8:00am - 5:00pm
Wednesday8:00am - 5:00pm
Thursday8:00am - 5:00pm
Friday8:00am - 5:00pm
SaturdayClosed

I grew up in Florida, Colorado, and North Carolina and spent many years exploring the outdoors and developed a great love of nature including scuba diving, hiking, and skiing. While I am new to Sonora, I have already fallen in love with the stunning beauty that is in Tuolumne County! My wife and I have purchased a home in Sonora and are committed to being part of the community for many years.

Prior to moving to Sonora, I was a full-time dental school professor at two universities: Loma Linda University and the University of Nevada Dental School. During the past two years, I helped publish over 20 articles related to implant dentistry and have given formal presentations to thousands of dentists. Additionally, I currently teach nationally and internationally in various educational courses teaching dentists how to replace teeth with dental implants and how to use dental implants to anchor loose dentures.

Education is my passion, so much in fact, I met my wife Melissa while in dental school. After graduating from dental school, I have practiced as a general dentist, graduated from a 3 year advanced dental specialty program in Prosthodontics, and have practiced as specialist for several years. As part of my formal advanced training in Prosthodontics, I learned how to perfect treating the most difficult cases in dentistry. I am also board-certified, an honor that I share with only 800 people worldwide.

I am passionate about technology and strive to bring technology and dentistry closer together. I feel that the latest in technology allows me to provide better, more efficient and comfortable dental care. Even though I am a Prosthodontist, however, I feel strongly that dental costs are very high and strive to provide specialist-level dental care that is affordable for my patients. By focusing on prevention, accurate diagnosis, and high quality restorations, our goal is to get you healthy and have you looking your best while maintaining a lifetime of dental health.

In our free time my wife Melissa and I enjoy spending time with friends and family, traveling, and exploring the outdoors with our two dogs Pumpkin and Flower. Our puppies keep so busy, they always manage to find their way into mischief! We are very excited to call Sonora our new home, Pumpkin and Flower cant wait to meet you.

Dr. Shotell has always believed that education is her true passion, so much in fact she has lived throughout the country to study at multiple universities to bring a broad set of experiences to clinical practice. Dr. Shotell studied dentistry at Nova Southeastern University in Florida where she met her husband, a fellow dentist. After completing her dental degree she studied hospital based dentistry at The Ohio State University and earned a General Practice Residency Certificate. Following her training at Ohio State, she worked as a private practiced dentist providing comprehensive dental treatment in Columbus, Ohio. After years in clinical practice Dr. Shotell realized that Orthodontics was her professional calling and returned to school at Loma Linda University to receive a Masters Degree in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics.

Dr. Shotell enjoys teaching continuing educations courses on orthodontics and ergonomics. Dr. Shotell has traveled as far away as India to teach and enjoys having the opportunity to share ideas and collaborate with other doctors throughout the world. Dr. Shotell also writes articles on orthodontic techniques for publication.

In her free time Dr. Shotell and her husband enjoy spending time with our friends and family, traveling, and exploring the local area. They enjoy cooking and consider themselves true foodies always looking for new recipes and great local food. Their two dogs Pumpkin and Flower are always looking for mischief, and manage to keep them very busy.

As my patient, you can expect to receive a custom tailored treatment plan to achieve your desired goals for your smile design. We will work together to help create a beautiful smile you will enjoy for life!

I get the question, What is a Prosthodontist? quite often. A Prosthodontist is a dentist that specializes in how to best maintain teeth or replace teeth to have the best function and cosmetics for the patient. To become a Prosthodontist takes three years of formal advanced dental training after the completion of dental school. Prosthodontists learn how to fix complicated bites, fit difficult dentures to look and feel as natural as possible, and know how to work with dental implants. Prosthodontists are the Pros of fixing teeth! Extensive training and experience provide Prosthodontists a special understanding of the dynamics of a smile, the preservation of a healthy mouth, and the creation of tooth replacements with state-of-the-art techniques and procedures.

Michael D Scherer, DMD, MS, APC & Melissa D Shotell, DMD, MS - General dentist in Sonora, CA

Orthodontists are the experts in providing healthy, beautiful smiles for patients of all ages. Orthodontists receive two-to-three years of additional education at an accredited orthodontic residency program after graduating from dental school. Only those with this level of formal education are entitled to call themselves orthodontists, and only orthodontists are accepted for membership in the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO).

AAO members are gifted and highly educated specialists who diagnose, prevent and treat dental and facial irregularities to correctly align teeth and jaws. Whether you are considering clear aligners or traditional braces, orthodontists have the training, the experience and the treatment options to make sure you get your best smile. Proper orthodontic treatment can contribute to lifelong dental health and well as provide an enhanced appearance.

Todays patients are taking advantage of the technological innovations and simplified patient experience that distinguishes todays care by the uniquely qualified orthodontic specialists. The specialty of orthodontics was founded in 1900. Only doctors who graduate from dental school and who go on to successfully complete the rigorous course of study in orthodontics an accredited orthodontic residency program are accepted for membership in the American Association of Orthodontists and can call themselves Orthodontists.

Michael D Scherer, DMD, MS, APC & Melissa D Shotell, DMD, MS - General dentist in Sonora, CA

There is a saying in medicine that there can be many different treatments for a given problem but there can only be one correct diagnosis. One of the challenges facing all medical professionals is to keep ourselves up to date on the latest diagnostic tests in order to make accurate diagnosis, but the more difficult challenge comes in matching diagnosis with appropriate treatment. Dental school education is excellent in the United States, but even the top students (we both graduated in the top 10%) have much to learn after graduation. A commitment to lifetime learning is paramount in order to maintain excellent care.

With the rapid changes in materials and technology in dentistry, it is important that we keep up to date with the changes, but most new advances reach the market with minimal research about effectiveness and with grand claims of benefit. Unfortunately, much of the continuing education provided to dentists (particularly the easiest and cheapest to attend) is financed and produced by companies promoting their products, and consequently truly great continuing education is surprisingly difficult to find. The California dental board only requires 50 hrs of education every 2 years. We consider this wholly inadequate and average about 4 times this amount. We would like to highlight some of ourtraining, both past and present in the list below.

Reviews

Rating 4.9 out of 5 based on 89 reviews

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Rob Callahan
2 years ago
Doc Amanda and staff were great. They actually care about patient. Willing to work with me . doc Amanda highly recommend. Amanda is awesome thanks


Gina Allen
2 years ago
Dr Shotell is AMAZING!!! She is so nice and easy to talk to as well. I always look forward to our appointments! She has my teeth looking so beautiful! Dr Shotell says she will take a look after I've worn my retainers for a bit longer and see if she wants to make and refining adjustments. I don't know how she could possibly make my teeth look any better than she already made them tho because they are perfect I'm so in love with my smile. I used to be so embarrassed to smile. I felt like my teeth looked soo derpy!! Dr Shotell took all the derp away from my smile. Sometimes I forget my teeth are better and automatically still hide my teeth when smile but then I remember the derp is gone!! Also, she is so patient and understanding! I broke my retainer twice now and she got me in right away to get me new ones! So many more amazing things I could tell you about Dr Shotell! Thank you so much for fixing my teeth and my self esteem!! I'm like a new better more confident version of myself now!!


ImINit4the Money
2 years ago
What a great orthodontist!!!!!! My son was referred to Dr. melissa Shotell after a trip to his dentist. She is such a gem!!!! Very informative and my son just loves her!!! Even though she is an orthodontist she was worried about his nasal passages and his breathing. Such a caring orthodontist just can't say enough good things!!!!


chris alvarez
2 years ago
Would fully recommend Dr. Shotell to anyone looking for an orthodontist. Always an enjoyable visit thanks to the friendly environment and staff! I went with a clear aligner treatment and can't stress enough how easy the process was and how great my teeth look


Salena Klaut
2 years ago
Melissa Shotell is an amazing, outstanding orthodontist. She's a very kind woman and I enjoyed my visit! The office is at an easy location and inside is beautiful! 100% recommended.


Brianna Borgen
3 years ago
I started out as a patient of Dr. Scherer after I recently moved to Sonora and had popped off a crown while flossing and needed someone ASAP that could fit me in! Thankfully Dr. Scherer and his staff were able to fit me in right away! The whole experience was so awesome I decided to see him for my regular dental exams and cleanings. After my first appointment Dr. Scherer mentioned they were offering free orthodontist consultations at the time. It was actually something I had always thought about doing, so I decided to jump on it! So glad I did. I just finished almost a year of invisalign and couldn't be more in love with my teeth! Having invisalign as an adult made me a little apprehensive but I could not have asked for a better experience and don't know why it took me so long to get started! Dr. Shotell took such pride in the work she did for me and truly cared about giving me the absolute best results possible. I also was able to experience the digital dental monitoring that Dr. Shotell does sometimes and as someone who moved away from Sonora shortly after I had started treatment, this was a life saver for me! I literally can not say enough great things about this dental practice! Dr. Scherer and Dr. Shotell are not only great at their jobs but they are genuinely great people. I feel lucky to have found them!


Denice Mckenzie
3 years ago
Why there isn't a " Best Dentist Ever!!" sign on the outside of this office is a travesty! Dr. Scherer and his crew of wonderfully skilled peeps are the absolute best in the business!! Never have I been nervous or afraid of any treatment I have had with them. The atmosphere in the office is welcoming and warm, like you've known them all forever, like family. Highly skilled in all aspects of dentistry, with all the latest and up to date methods. I highly recommend anyone to this office where you can trust and be comfortable with the care you'll receive. I love this place! And I love my Dentist!!!


ImINit4the Money
3 years ago
What a great orthodontist!!!!!! My son was referred to Dr. melissa Shotell after a trip to his dentist. She is such a gem!!!! Very informative and my son just loves her!!! Even though she is an orthodontist she was worried about his nasal passages and his breathing. Such a caring orthodontist just can't say enough good things!!!!


chris alvarez
3 years ago
Would fully recommend Dr. Shotell to anyone looking for an orthodontist. Always an enjoyable visit thanks to the friendly environment and staff! I went with a clear aligner treatment and can't stress enough how easy the process was and how great my teeth look


Salena Klaut
3 years ago
Melissa Shotell is an amazing, outstanding orthodontist. She's a very kind woman and I enjoyed my visit! The office is at an easy location and inside is beautiful! 100% recommended.


Julianna Canavan
3 years ago
I feel so fortunate, or blessed, truly to have found Dr. Shotell right here in Tuolumne county! I started looking into tray-based tooth alignment when I lived in Portland OR, and it seemed like the team I encountered there was using me as an experiment to see if they were capable of using the technology. Completely different experience with Dr. Shotell! It's not just that she's a scientist first and foremost, who keeps up on all the latest technology - she's also supremely skilled with her hands, and she has the mind of an artist when it comes to dental aesthetics. She has always taken the time to explain the processes to me in detail, and I'm so pleased with the results - I don't have any self-consciousness about flashing my teeth when I smile anymore, and I can feel that my bite has been corrected to the extent that I don't worry about erosion, marionette lines etc. I always look forward to seeing Dr. Shotell and her incredible assistant Suzanne! It's wonderful to meet a team that is so professional and effective, yet with such great 'bedside' manner. Their office staff are great too! I highly recommend this practice; I dreamed of even teeth for so long and they made my dream come true and beyond!


Jim Davis
3 years ago
Some reviews are hard, but this one is easy. There aren't enough stars to do justice to a practice that excels in every way. I'm 71 yrs old an over my life I'm been a patient of some talented dentists but Dr. Scherer is in a class of his own. He'd be a huge success in NYC or L.A. or any major city. And the support staff is amazing truly empathic and friendly. I remember Siskel and Ebert and I'll say the same. Two thumbs up, way up. Because of a med that I was taking I lost 5 or 6 teeth and both jawbones were infected. But the repairs are nearly complete now. I believe that good health requires good teeth. It's a mystery to me how Tuolumne County attracted a world class dentist. It's probably the lifestyle here and natural beauty of Sonora. There's Yosemite, the High Sierras, fishing, skiing and mountaineering plus the proximity to Cities like San Jose and San Francisco. That's what drew me when I moved here. I've never given ten stars because there's no 11. I'll give 5 stars, but I'd like to give 9 out of ten. JIM D. Sonora, CA


Jen Horner
3 years ago
I have been going to Dr scherer for 2 and a half years. I came to him terrified and with major problems. He has calmed me and made me feel very important as a patient which is huge for me. I walked out of the office with a new smile and feeling much better about myself. The whole office is very kind and willing to work around my crazy schedule. I have had absolute torture situations go on with other dentists so I came to them completely scared and they comforted me and have restored my faith in dentists. I would recommend them to any one. I love them and im very pleased to have found them Jenny horner


Taylor Hendricks
3 years ago
I'm so happy with my smile after getting my braces off. It's everything I was hoping for, and it's all thanks to Dr. Shotell and her incredible staff. Dr. Shotell's assistant Suzanne was especially a pleasure to be around and really went out of her way to make me as comfortable as possible during each and every visit. If you're looking for orthodontic treatment, this is definitely the place to go! You'll look forward to every appointment.


Sascha Corcoran
3 years ago
Our daughter just got her braces off. She ended up with a perfect 10 smile in 18 months. Dr. Shotell is phenominal. She and her husband have the cleanest, most up to date office in the county! The office staff are friendly and very professional. By far the best Orthodontist ever!! Their office is state of the art. Dr. shotell uses all digital imaging- no gross alginate for her impressions. She made my daughter's retainers onsite in their lab. I can't say enough good things about this office!


Brianna Borgen
3 years ago
I started out as a patient of Dr. Scherer after I recently moved to Sonora and had popped off a crown while flossing and needed someone ASAP that could fit me in! Thankfully Dr. Scherer and his staff were able to fit me in right away! The whole experience was so awesome I decided to see him for my regular dental exams and cleanings. After my first appointment Dr. Scherer mentioned they were offering free orthodontist consultations at the time. It was actually something I had always thought about doing, so I decided to jump on it! So glad I did. I just finished almost a year of invisalign and couldn't be more in love with my teeth! Having invisalign as an adult made me a little apprehensive but I could not have asked for a better experience and don't know why it took me so long to get started! Dr. Shotell took such pride in the work she did for me and truly cared about giving me the absolute best results possible. I also was able to experience the digital dental monitoring that Dr. Shotell does sometimes and as someone who moved away from Sonora shortly after I had started treatment, this was a life saver for me! I literally can not say enough great things about this dental practice! Dr. Scherer and Dr. Shotell are not only great at their jobs but they are genuinely great people. I feel lucky to have found them!


test testing
3 years ago
I finally wore out my old "all on 4 implant", by eating almonds on a daily basis. That will happen. But I'm in luck, because Dr. Scherer, the greatest dentist in North America has a solution. A solid titanium one piece mold of all my great old teeth preserved in Dr. Scherer's computer, reconstructed as a solid piece of titanium and enough room for each tooth to be caped with a super hard porcelain replica of my old great teeth. Wow! Per Dr. Scherer, your new implant is like "bullet proof", so you can go back to eating almonds every day. All I can say is "FANTASTIC"


Denice Mckenzie
3 years ago
Why there isn't a " Best Dentist Ever!!" sign on the outside of this office is a travesty! Dr. Scherer and his crew of wonderfully skilled peeps are the absolute best in the business!! Never have I been nervous or afraid of any treatment I have had with them. The atmosphere in the office is welcoming and warm, like you've known them all forever, like family. Highly skilled in all aspects of dentistry, with all the latest and up to date methods. I highly recommend anyone to this office where you can trust and be comfortable with the care you'll receive. I love this place! And I love my Dentist!!!


Steve Gray
4 years ago
After going thru 60+ years of dentistry I finally found the true Picasso of dental hygiene. I've had great dentists in the past but the service I received from Mike & his quality staff goes beyond my expectations. He employs a expert in partial replacement/repair & did a excellent job in restructuring my upper partial that now fits like a glove. Their cordial staff goes overboard in making your wait as comfortable as anyone can. You receive quality hot drinks at your request to pass the few moments while you wait. He uses the most updated technology & his x ray equipment is beyond belief. If you have "gag" issues like my wife has they have a machine that does a 360deg scan where you never have any film loaded in your mouth! What a relief for my wife who nearly threw up from taking films in the past. All in all he's the most complete dental institution I've been to. Did I mention he's Dental Board Certified? Like a driver's license once you've completed your exam/drive test you get a license lol. So how many horrible drivers are on the roads? Board Certification means he's a approved dentist by the board of dentistry(he's the only dentist approved in the Sonora area) & you will see once you enter his office as to why. To end my review I just wish to thank Mike & his staff for a job well done. They told me my issues, made multiple recommendations & allowed me to choose my poison. You seldom find any dentist who LISTENS! Again thanks to Dr. Scherer & his staff for a job well done!


Tori P
4 years ago
Dr. Shotell did a great job. She listened to my problem and rushed the order as she could tell I was in horrible pain. The staff was very helpful and attentive. I would definitely recommend.


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