About Greg Carlson, DDS
Dr. Carlson was born and raised in Escondido where he participated in activities such as 4-H and is still proud to say that his lamb, Erma, took second place in the County Fair. After high school, Dr. Carlson studied Economics and Spanish at Vanderbilt University where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1998. He then spent several years in the business world before deciding to pursue a career in dentistry. In 2008, Dr. Carlson graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Dentistry and moved with his wife and kids to Montana to work with the Indian Health Services (“IHS”). With the nearest dental specialists nearly 100 miles away, Dr. Carlson had the unique opportunity while working in Browning, Montana to undertake complex surgical cases as a general dentist and to treat children of all ages. Though he had to sometimes dig his car out of three feet of snow, he found his time with IHS to be extremely rewarding and instructive. Once his two year commitment was complete, Dr. Carlson brought his family home to Southern California in the summer of 2010 where he joined his father and brother at Carlson Family Dentistry in Escondido. There, Dr. Carlson was able to draw from the over 50 years of combined dental experience shared by his father and brother. This allowed him to further develop his confidence and skill in both cosmetic and complex restorative dentistry. In 2011, Dr. Carlson fulfilled his dream and opened his own practice, Valley Center Smiles in Valley Center, California. Today, Dr. Carlson is busy helping the people of Valley Center maintain good oral health, involved in Valley Center's Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club, raising three kids with his wife and taking his yellow lab on long walks in the warm sun.