Dr. Vest grew up in Oak Hill, West Virginia and will always be a proud Mountaineer! He received his Orthodontic Specialty training at Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland, Oregon after receiving his Doctor of Dental Surgery from West Virginia University. In addition to working in the clinic full time, Dr. Vest also performed research in fulfillment of a Master of Science degree, which supplements his Orthodontic Specialty Certificate.
Although his formal education is complete, Dr. Vest is always working to stay current with evolving orthodontic methods and technologies. Dr. Vest has a passion for mentoring or coaching individuals and he approaches the orthodontist-patient relationship with this same passion. His many awards and recognitions include the WVU School of Dentistry award, the Dr. William S. Kramer Award in the OKU Dental Honor Society, the Basic Sciences Award in the OKU Dental Honor Society, the American Association of Orthodontists Award, the Annual American Association for Dental Research Award, the William Butler Scholar Research Award, the American Association of Oral Biologists Award, the Patrick J. Farace Dental Anatomy Award, the Horace Wells Anesthesiology Award, and the American Academy of Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology Award. He is a member of many dental organizations and societies, including the American Association of Orthodontists, American Dental Association, and the New Mexico Dental Association.
Dr. Vest and his wife, Angela, were attracted to Northern New Mexico after enjoying the scenery, the weather, and the wonderful people in the area. The one thing that Dr. Vest and his family thought was missing in northern New Mexico was Hawaiian Shave Ice. So, Dr. Vest started a small food truck business and now owns and operates an authentic Hawaiian Shave Ice food truck during the summers, where many of Dr. Vest's current and former patients are employed for summer jobs. In addition to business adventure, Dr. Vest also enjoys mentoring, coaching, exercising, sports, traveling and spending time with his family. Dr. Vest is very proud of his four children, Kyra, Ian, Sadie & Jayla, and he treats every patient as if he or she were his own child.
Dr. Ryan Gardiner grew up in southern California and fell in love with outdoor activities through camping and scouting as a kid. He has always found great fulfillment in helping others. While earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology at Brigham Young University (BYU), he worked for four years at a home for men with special needs. During this time he began shadowing a variety of health care providers including an orthodontist. He loved the idea of empowering a person with confidence both through a beautiful smile as well as through a caring relationship. He pursued this path at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where he graduated with honors and earned his Doctorate in Dental Medicine. He then went on to receive orthodontic specialty training and a Masters of Science in Dentistry degree from the Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics program at Louisiana State University.
Dr. Gardiner is an active member of the American Association of Orthodontists, the American Dental Association and all of their constituent societies. He loves orthodontics and treats every patient the way he would treat a member of his own family. Fun facts about Dr. Gardiner: Dr. Gardiner knows Spanish and lived for two years in Chile. He has been married to his wonderful wife, Stephanie for nineyears. They have two boys - Luke (4) and Levi (2).He enjoys cheesy dad jokes, please share one with him!He loves tennis, reading, fishing, learning new things, cars, and snowboarding, but his favorite thing is playing with his two boys.We are delighted to welcome Dr. Gardiner to the practice and to our community.
Dr. Klingler was raised in Mesa, Arizona and is an avid sports fan, an Eagle Scout, and a musical theatre enthusiast. He developed an interest in orthodontics at a very young age, shadowing dentists and orthodontists in his community.
Dr. Klingler completed is Bachelor of Science degree at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where he studied business management and completed his prerequisites for dental school. He attended UNLV School of Dental Medicine for his dental school training. While there, he was inducted into Omicron Kappa Upsilon, was inducted into the E. Steven Smith Student Honorary Dental Society, and received the American Association of Orthodontists Outstanding Predoctoral Student Award. Immediately following dental school, Dr. Klingler was accepted into the prestigious orthodontic residency program at UNLV. His training emphasized using the most up-to-date treatments and technology in the field of orthodontics. There he received his certificate in Orthodontics and a Master of Science in Oral Biology. He also published two peer reviewed articles on oral biology and taught part-time in the local dental hygiene program.
After graduating from orthodontic residency, Dr. Klingler practiced with a top 1% Invisalign practice in Kansas City area treating hundreds of patients with both Invisalign clear aligners and traditional braces. After nearly 2 years in the Midwest, Dr. Klingler and his family are thrilled to return to the southwest. They are in love with the beauty of New Mexico and are thrilled to be planting roots where they can enjoy the benefits of contributing to such an amazing community.
In their free time, his wife Aubrey and daughter Ellie love to get outside and explore with their Italian greyhound Duke. They also are chocolate chip cookie connoisseurs. We are so excited to have Dr. Klingler join us at Rio Grande Orthodontics. With his academic background and compassionate demeanor, we assure you that Dr. Klingler will provide you with the outstanding orthodontic care you deserve and help you reach your smile goals.
Dr. Kellam hada lot more hair when he graduated from Cibola High School in Albuquerque. He then attended UNM where he studied engineering for enough years to realize that maybe being an engineer wasnt for him 'That math was really hard'. Jokes Dr. K, 'I had to drop out and go to dental school'. Well, Dr. K found his passion in dentistry, graduating at the very top of his class at Oregon Health Sciences University. He then went on to his orthodontic residency at Baylor College of Dentistry where he used his mediocre engineering skills to develop a computer model simulating how braces move teeth. The American Association of Orthodontists must have been impressed because they awarded him one of the top two awards in the nation for his residency. 'Of course, back then the computers were bigger than my couch!'
When Dr. K is not creating beautiful smiles, raising 3 kids keeps him very busy. He spends his free time wishing he had his kids at a younger age so he can keep up with his teen boys on their skiis, bikes and on the basketball court. His daughter delights in bouncing Dr. Kellams 50-year old body all over the trampoline.