Dr. Carlson was born and raised in Escondido, where he went to Calvin Christian School from grade K-12. After high school, Dr. Carlson majored in Economics and Spanish at Vanderbilt University where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1998. He then spent several years in the business world before deciding to pursue a career in dentistry.

In 2008, Dr. Carlson graduated from the University of Illinois-Chicago College of Dentistry and moved with his wife and kids to Montana to work with the Indian Health Services (“IHS”). With the nearest dental specialists nearly 100 miles away, Dr. Carlson had the unique opportunity to undertake complex surgical cases as a general dentist and to treat children of all ages. Though he had to frequently dig his car out of 3 feet of snow, he found his time with IHS to be extremely rewarding and instructive.

Once his two-year IHS commitment was complete, Dr. Carlson brought his family home to Southern California in the summer of 2010 where he joined his father and brother at Carlson Family Dentistry in Escondido. There, Dr. Carlson was able to draw from the over 50 years of combined dental experience shared by his father and brother. This allowed him to further develop his confidence and skill in both cosmetic and complex restorative procedures.

In 2011, Dr. Carlson fulfilled his dream and opened his own start-up practice, Valley Center Smiles. Through the years, Dr. Carlson and his team have worked hard to stand out as an exceptional dental office, and as a result the practice continues to thrive and grow. In 2016, Dr. Carlson furthered his dental education by completing an intensive year-long course, training in the placement and restoration of dental implants at the Loma Linda School of Dentistry. He is a member of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID) and continues to place and restores implants in his practice.

Dr. Carlson lives in Valley Center and likes to stay involved in the Valley Center community, having served as President of both the Valley Center Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Valley Center. He and his family are members of Valley Center Community Church. When he is not caring for his patients, Dr. Carlson enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids, surfing, and taking walks with his Wirehaired Pointing Griffon and Treeing Walker Coonhound.