Dr. Mark D. Carlson grew up in Central Washington. He attended Washington State University earning both a Bachelors and Masters degree in Zoology. Dr. Carlson then attended the University of Washington where he earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS). Following Dental School, Dr. Carlson completed a hospital residency at the University of Mississippi where he was a restorative dentistry faculty. He followed that with a four year Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery residency at Oregon Health Sciences School of Dentistry and Medicine.

Dr. Carlson’s academic achievements are numerous including faculty appointments at University of Washington and University of Mississippi. He published research in dental materials early on in his career and contributed to a number of studies on the Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ). Dr. Carlson held position on the state insurance commission panel on TMJ disorders. He was the president of the Washington State Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons from 1990 to 1991.