Meet Dr. Shelhamer
A second generation dentist, Dr. Shelhamer received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree with honors in 1996 from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio, Texas. After accepting a commission from the U.S. Navy, he attended an Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency program at the Naval Dental Center in San Diego, where he developed his growing interest in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. After spending three years at the Naval Hospital in Sigonella, Italy, Dr. Shelhamer completed the four-year residency program in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego in 2004. He served as the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon aboard the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier and was subsequently selected as the department chairman for Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at the Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton. There he spent much of his time reconstructing extensive facial injuries sustained by active-duty personnel serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Dr. Shelhamer left the Navy as a Commander after twelve years of service. He is an active member of the American Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons, the California Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons, the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology, the American Dental Association, The California Dental Association, and the San Diego County Dental Society. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery and the National Dental Board of Anesthesiology. He frequently lectures to general dentists and oral & maxillofacial surgeons on topics ranging from management of facial trauma to esthetic facial surgery. Dr. Shelhamer is on staff at Scripps Memorial Hospital in Encinitas, TriCity Medical Center in Oceanside, and the Center for Surgery in Encinitas.
Dr. Shelhamer enjoys practicing the full scope of contemporary Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, with a particular interest in facial reconstruction after trauma or pathology, as well as orthognathic surgery. He frequently volunteers his time traveling to Mexico with a local non-profit organization providing surgery for children who have cleft lip and/or palate. Out of the office, Dr. Shelhamer enjoys spending time with his wife Gina and his children Amelia, Gracie, and Aiden. His hobbies include playing the piano, sailing, camping, and surfing.