Dr. Matt Bruner – DDS, MS
“Great orthodontics isn’t just about creating smiles. It’s about building people, building teams, and building systems that allow extraordinary care to happen every single day. When those three things work together, everyone wins.”
Dr. Matt Bruner
Dr. Matt Bruner is a board-certified orthodontist, educator, and practice leader with more than two decades of experience helping patients, teams, and practices reach their full potential. Throughout his career, he has remained committed to one simple mission: delivering world-class orthodontic care while building practices where patients love their experience, teams love coming to work, and doctors love practicing orthodontics.
Background & Training
A graduate of Loma Linda University School of Dentistry, Dr. Bruner served in the U.S. Army Dental Corps as both a general dentist and flight surgeon with the 25th Infantry Division before completing his orthodontic residency and Master of Science degree at the University of Louisville. He later served as Chief of Orthodontics at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu.
In 2007, Dr. Bruner returned home to Washington and purchased the orthodontic practice of his childhood orthodontist. Over the next 17 years, he helped grow that single-office practice from just over 100 new patient starts annually to more than 1,100 starts each year while continually improving clinical quality, treatment efficiency, customer service, and practice culture. During that time, he completed more than 12,000 orthodontic cases and built one of the Pacific Northwest’s most respected orthodontic practices.
Recognitions
Under Dr. Bruner’s leadership, the practice was honored as 425 Magazine’s Best Orthodontist 12 times, and he was selected as a Seattle Top Dentist 17 times. In recognition of his commitment to serving patients and the local community, Dr. Bruner was also named 425 Magazine’s Citizen of the Year in 2014.
While these recognitions are deeply appreciated, Dr. Bruner considers his greatest accomplishments to be the relationships built with thousands of patients, families, teammates, and referring doctors throughout his career.
Educator & Philosophy
As an educator, Dr. Bruner has taught in accredited orthodontic residency programs and has lectured nationally on topics including clinical excellence, treatment efficiency, practice growth, leadership, team development, customer service, and creating high-performing orthodontic practices. His presentations blend practical systems, clinical pearls, leadership principles, and real-world lessons learned from building and leading thriving orthodontic practices.
Today, Dr. Bruner practices at Smile Studio Northwest alongside his longtime friend and colleague, Dr. Lindsey Helgen. Together, they continue to pursue the same vision that has defined his career: delivering exceptional orthodontic care through clinical excellence, meaningful relationships, operational efficiency, servant leadership, and an unwavering commitment to continuous improvement.
A Broader Perspective
Dr. Bruner’s career has spanned military service, academic teaching, private practice ownership, and associate practice, giving him a unique perspective on clinical excellence, leadership, and the business of orthodontics.
Whether speaking from the stage, mentoring colleagues, or caring for patients, Dr. Bruner believes orthodontics is one of the greatest professions in healthcare because it changes lives every single day. His passion is helping orthodontists create practices that are clinically outstanding, financially healthy, operationally efficient, and deeply fulfilling—for doctors, team members, and the patients they serve.