After earning one of the top scores in the nation on the Dental School Entrance Exam (DAT), Dr. Ryan Shepherd attended the Harvard School of Dental Medicine in Boston, MA, where he also spent two years as a Harvard Medical student. Graduating from Harvard Cum Laude, Dr. Shepherd earned his Doctor of Medical Dentistry (DMD) degree, receiving the school’s award for Excellence in Esthetic Dentistry.
Raised right here in Albuquerque, NM, Dr. Shepherd graduated from Sandia High School in 1992 before attending Brigham Young University in Provo, UT on a full scholarship to study musical theatre. Before attending dental school, he spent several years as a professional actor on Broadway and in the National Tours of the Broadway hits West Side Story, Beauty and the Beast, and CATS alongside his talented wife, Tamera, before deciding to settle down and start a family.
Why he chose to be a dentist
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I've always wanted to work in a field where I could have a great interaction with patients and have personal relationships that span more than a 20, 30 minute interaction, so I really was looking forward to a career where I could develop relationships longterm with people. I happen to be one of those people who actually just really likes teeth, and that's a very weird thing I realize, but it's an important thing if you're going to be a dentist. I love teeth, and I love making a difference in people's lives, so if I can help with their smile and in turn use that to help them in their life, then I'm happy. Love the relationship that I've built with my patients that way.
After 17 years away from the Land of Enchantment, Dr. Shepherd returned to Albuquerque in 2008, where he founded Uptown Dental Associates. Since opening his practice, he has maintained a clear vision of what he wants his practice to be.
Unlike other dentists, Dr. Shepherd takes the time to get to know each patient. Because everyone has unique dental needs and goals, he provides a variety of treatments and will discuss your options with you before getting to work on improving your smile. And because Dr. Shepherd doesn’t want financial stress to keep you from getting the dental care you need, he also accepts several convenient payment options.
Each year, Dr. Shepherd completes extensive continuing education to stay up-to-date on the most current dental trends and techniques. He is a certified clinician for Lumineers®, Invisalign, and the Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique, and has received advanced training in a variety of dental services, including:
Why he chose to practice in Albuquerque
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I graduated in 2008 from dental school, and there was a dentist here locally that was getting ready to retire. I took over his practice, from there started building it into what ideally I wanted the practice to be, so I've been practicing here in Albuquerque for about nine years, and our team has grown significantly since I very first started practicing. When I first started, we were a team of seven, and now we're a team of 22, so it's a much larger practice than what we originally started as, but that has allowed us to take care of many, many, many more patients than what I was originally capable of doing. And I grew up here in Albuquerque. The home that I grew up in is about a mile from where my practice is currently, and I honestly never anticipated that this was where I would practice dentistry or where I would return as an adult, but as fate would have it, this is where we ended up, family in the area, and so came back to Albuquerque. And it's been a wonderful ... It's been a great blessing to be able to practice in Albuquerque.
- Cosmetic dentistry
- Dental implants
- TMJ Therapy
- Botox and Facial Fillers
- Oral surgery
As a strong advocate of conservative and comprehensive dental care, Dr. Shepherd has been featured as a Top Dentist in Albuquerque, as voted by his fellow dentists in Albuquerque the Magazine on five separate occasions.
Continuing Education
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Straight out of school, I did an extensive program for placing and restoring implants. Then, in that same time, I did an extensive program that was on periodontal surgery. That was something that I enjoyed in dental school and got a fairly good taste of. It is a hard part of practice, so I did a series of weekends, learning different periodontal procedures. Then, I've done a fair amount with Invisalign and with Lumineers, with DenMat, then just recently with the Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique for lifting gum tissue for recession.
Dentistry is changing so quickly right now, and when we look at the dentists who are practicing now that came out of school 20 years ago, if they have not done a significant amount of continuing education, they're completely behind the times. So much is being developed and so many advancements are being made in the way that we treat different cases, that you have to be doing continuing education. If you're not, then you're left in the dust. If you haven't learned those new procedures, then what you're recommending to your patients is simply not sufficient. There's something better that they could get somewhere else. Try to stay ahead of the curve and learn everything new that comes out.
Dr. Shepherd and his beautiful wife, Tamera, have been married for over 20 years and have two daughters, Lucy and Sophie. You may occasionally catch him onstage locally, where he enjoys performing in musical theatre productions with his family. He is an avid traveler, trying desperately to visit every nook and cranny of this beautiful planet. And he spends a great deal of time serving in his church. When not taking care of patients, traveling the globe, performing onstage or helping out at church, you may find Dr. Shepherd reading in his hammock, cooking, creating artwork, watching movies or enjoying “Friday Family Fun Nights” with his family. He also has an insatiable sweet tooth.