Dr. Beth Yamashiro, DDS, MBA
Orthodontic specialist. Big Island native. Nevada license #S3-238. Practising orthodontics exclusively in the Las Vegas Valley since 2012.
An island upbringing, and what it left behind
Dr. Beth grew up on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. She is direct about what she carried over from that: aloha in the islands is not a greeting, it is a standard for how you treat people who walk through your door. Patients here tend to notice it before they notice anything clinical.
In practice it shows up as unhurried appointments, questions answered mid-sentence rather than deferred, and a willingness to say a treatment is not worth doing. That last one costs money in the short term. It is also the thing families remember and repeat.
She left for California in 2004, spent five years training in San Francisco, and came to Las Vegas in 2009 — closer to family, and considerably closer to sun. She has been here ever since.
Twelve years of education before she straightened a single tooth
Dr. Beth attended the University of the Pacific from 2004, and in 2009 earned her Doctorate of Dental Surgery from the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco, graduating with high honors.
That qualified her as a dentist. It did not qualify her as an orthodontist — and the distinction matters more than most patients realise. She then completed three further years of accredited orthodontic residency at Roseman University of Health Sciences here in southern Nevada, earning her orthodontic degree alongside a Master of Business Administration.
She finished that residency in 2012 and has practised orthodontics exclusively since. No general dentistry, no cosmetic sideline. Tooth movement, jaw growth and bite correction, every day, for fourteen years.
- Doctorate of Dental Surgery, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific — high honors, 2009
- Three-year orthodontic specialty residency, Roseman University of Health Sciences
- Master of Business Administration, Roseman University of Health Sciences
- Licensed Nevada orthodontist, license #S3-238
- Member, American Association of Orthodontists
- Practising orthodontics exclusively since 2012
Credentials & licensure
Why “orthodontist” is not a synonym for “dentist who does braces”
Any licensed dentist may legally offer aligners. Only an orthodontist has completed a residency devoted entirely to moving teeth.
| General dentist | Orthodontist | |
|---|---|---|
| Dental school | Four years | Four years |
| Orthodontic residency | None required | Two to three additional years |
| Scope of practice | Broad — fillings, crowns, extractions, sometimes aligners | Tooth movement, jaw growth and bite correction only |
| Complex bite correction | Usually referred out | Core of the training |
| Growth-guidance in children | Rarely covered in depth | A substantial part of residency |
This is not a knock on general dentists. A good one is essential, and Dr. Beth works alongside yours throughout treatment — keep your six-month cleanings. The point is narrower: for a straightforward case the difference may not matter much, and for a complex bite it matters a great deal. Ask any provider offering you aligners which category they fall into. It is a fair question and a good one will answer it plainly.
Cases Dr. Beth handles
Crowding & spacing
The most common reason patients come in. Overlapping teeth are harder to clean and collect more plaque; gaps affect both appearance and how force distributes across the bite.
Overbite & underbite
Where the upper and lower jaws do not meet as they should. In children this is often partly a growth question, which is why the timing of treatment matters.
Crossbite & open bite
Teeth meeting inside one another, or not meeting at all. Crossbites in particular are worth catching early, since they can drive asymmetric jaw growth.
Growth guidance in children
Palatal expansion, space maintenance and habit correction while the jaw is still developing. Most children need none of it — Dr. Beth will tell you which.
Adult treatment & relapse
Roughly one in four of her patients is an adult. Relapse after teenage braces is the most common presentation and often resolves faster than the original course.
Pre-restorative alignment
Positioning teeth so implants, bridges and crowns can sit correctly. Frequently done in coordination with a general dentist or prosthodontist.
Four things you can expect
You see the scan, not a summary of it
Every case is imaged with our iCAT FLX in three dimensions before planning begins. Dr. Beth turns the screen around and walks you through your own anatomy rather than describing it from memory.
You get a number and a timeline in writing
Before you leave the free consultation you have the exact fee for your case and a projected duration — derived from your scan, not from an average. Nothing is decided that day unless you want it to be.
She will tell you when not to treat
For children evaluated around age seven, “not yet, come back in eighteen months” is the most common outcome here. If aligners are wrong for your bite, she will say braces instead even when that is not what you hoped to hear.
She is the one at every appointment
Beth’s Braces is a single practice with one orthodontist. The person who plans your treatment adjusts it, monitors it and takes the braces off. There is no associate you have not met.
Three practices, one family
Dentistry runs in Dr. Beth’s family in a way that is slightly unusual. Her father still runs his own dental practice in Hawai‘i, and her twin sister operates an orthodontic practice in Boulder, Colorado. Family dinners are, by all accounts, very specific.
Outside the office she is a genuinely accomplished pickleball player. She also swims, runs, hosts game nights, and spends most remaining hours with her two young boys — which is a fair part of why she is patient with a nervous seven-year-old. She has sat on the other side of that chair.
About Dr. Beth
Is Dr. Beth a licensed orthodontist in Nevada?
Yes. She holds Nevada orthodontic license #S3-238 and is a member of the American Association of Orthodontists. Her licence status is verifiable through the Nevada State Board of Dental Examiners.
Where did Dr. Beth train?
She earned her Doctorate of Dental Surgery from the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry at the University of the Pacific in San Francisco in 2009, graduating with high honors. She then completed a three-year orthodontic specialty residency at Roseman University of Health Sciences in southern Nevada, along with an MBA.
How long has she been practising orthodontics?
She has practised orthodontics exclusively since completing her residency in 2012 — fourteen years — and has been in dentistry since 2009. All of it in the Las Vegas Valley.
Is she an orthodontist or a dentist who offers braces?
An orthodontist. She completed three years of accredited residency after dental school devoted entirely to tooth movement, jaw growth and bite correction, and practises no general dentistry at all.
Will Dr. Beth personally handle my treatment?
Yes, at every appointment. Beth’s Braces is a single practice with one orthodontist rather than a group with rotating providers. She plans your case, adjusts it, and removes the appliances at the end.
Does she treat adults as well as children?
Both, at any age. Roughly one in four of her patients is an adult. There is no upper age limit on orthodontic treatment — what matters is the health of your gums and supporting bone, which she assesses at the free consultation.
Can I book a consultation directly with her?
Yes. No referral is required in Nevada, and the first consultation is free — photos, a 3D iCAT scan, her exam and a written plan with fees. Book online or call (702) 706-2468.
Meet her before you decide anything.
An hour with Dr. Beth, a 3D scan, and a written plan with real numbers. No pressure to book, and nothing owed if you pass. Mahalo for considering us.