Spain Orthodontics, Building Healthier Smiles in Shoreline
A great smile can build confidence, but at
Spain Orthodontics, the focus goes well beyond appearances. For the past 10 years, Dr. Spain has been providing personalized orthodontic care in Shoreline, offering braces, clear aligners, early treatment, airway-focused orthodontics, retainers, and more. With an emphasis on education rather than sales, the small, community-focused practice aims to make orthodontic care approachable, personal, and accessible for kids, teens, and adults.
Q & A with Spain Orthodontics
Q: How long have you been in business?
A: 10 years
Q: What inspired you to start your business?
A: I had a part-time job with my family dentist as a teenager, and I got to watch, over and over, how much a healthy smile changed the way someone carried themselves. Somebody actually listened to people in that office, and that stuck with me. I loved science and math (and music), so it all came together. I chose orthodontics specifically because it makes teeth healthier by working with the natural tooth instead of grinding down healthy tooth structure. Opening my own small practice let me do it the way I believe in — treating the whole person, at their pace.
Q: What service does your business provide for our community?
A: Metal and clear braces, Invisalign (clear aligners) for kids, teens, and adults, and early treatment for little ones (we like to see kids around age 7 for a first look). We also do airway-focused orthodontics, retainers, and nightguards. Everything starts with a free, no-pressure consultation where we take a tour of your mouth together to see how we can help. We never want cost to stand in the way of getting you the care you need so we offer easy no interest financing and flexible monthly payments to make it affordable for any budget.
Q: What do you love the most about Shoreline?
A: Honestly, it's that Shoreline feels like a small town wearing a big city's coat. You've got Seattle right there, but here people still wave, still know their neighbors, still run into each other at the grocery store. I'm a Pacific Northwest kid at heart — I grew up in small-town Idaho — so the trees, the water down at Richmond Beach, the easygoing pace, all of it feels like home. And the people are genuinely warm.
Q: Why is your business based in Shoreline?
A: I've been straightening smiles here for over a decade, and I stayed because this is exactly the kind of community I wanted to build a life in. Orthodontics is a long relationship — I might see a kid from age 7 all the way through their teens — so you want to plant roots somewhere you can watch people grow up. Shoreline sits right in the middle of the families I care for in Lake Forest Park, Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood, and Kenmore, and it's got that neighborly feel that fits how I like to practice: small, personal, and unhurried.
Q: What’s one thing you wish your customers knew about you but never ask?
A: That orthodontics is really a health service, not just a cosmetic one. People come in thinking "straight teeth for the photos," and that's great — but straight teeth are also easier to keep clean, a good bite means less wear and fewer headaches down the road, and how you breathe and sleep is connected to all of it. I wish more folks knew that's how we think about it here as a health improvement service.
Q: What’s inspires you each day?
A: My patients are my purpose. There's a moment when the braces come off and a kid who used to cover their mouth just beams, and it never gets old. I'm also genuinely optimistic about young people; getting to spend my days around that energy is a gift. And the relationships — knowing families by name, hearing how school and soccer are going before we ever talk teeth — that's the part that gets me in the door every morning.
Q: How do you approach customer service, and what sets you apart?
A: My whole approach is to educate, not sell. We take a tour of your mouth together and co-discover what's going on, and I'll tell you the real trade-offs, including when a treatment isn't worth it. No pressure, no "this offer expires today," no upselling or pushing someone into a yes they'd later regret. You also see me at every visit, not a different face each time, because we're small and personal on purpose.
Q: How does your business support or give back to the local community?
A: I believe access is a form of giving back, so we try to lower the everyday barriers: free consultations, transparent pricing, flexible financing, and bilingual care so Spanish-speaking families feel just as at home. Beyond that, we love getting out in the community for science fairs at local schools to showcase some of our technology, and participating in trunk or treats to get some tooth brushes in the kids' candy haul.
Q: At what age should my child first see an orthodontist?
A: Around age 7. Most kids that age don't need anything yet, but it's the perfect time to catch the few things that are much easier to guide early — and the visit is free.
Q: Do braces and Invisalign cost the same?
A: At our office, yes. We price them the same on purpose so money never decides your treatment — you choose what actually fits your teeth and your life.
Q: Does treatment hurt?
A: More like a sore muscle after a workout than a toothache — a little pressure for a day or two after each adjustment, and then it settles. It shouldn't keep you up at night.
Q: Do you speak Spanish?
A: Yes — Dr. Spain and several of his staff are pretty fluent so Spanish-speaking families can talk through everything in their own language.
Q: Is orthodontics just cosmetic?
A: Not at all. Straighter teeth are easier to clean, a balanced bite is healthier, and it can even connect to how you breathe and sleep. While the smiles are pretty, we treat it as a health service.
Connect with Spain Orthodontics
19929 Ballinger Way NE #201
Shoreline, WA 98155
206-693-3123
www.spainortho.com
braceyourself@spainortho.com
Instagram: @spainortho
Facebook:
Spain Orthodontics 
Family Day is Coming to the Lake Forest Park Farmers Market!
Sunday, August 23, from 10am – 2pm
and we will be giving out free ice cream sandwiches + selling some movie snacks! 
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