For nearly 15 years so far, Dr. Fitzgerald has been devoted to helping patients feel more confident about their smiles while also boosting their overall health and sense of self-esteem. She loves getting to know each new arrival so well over time – she wants everyone to feel like they are valued and a true member of the Sweet Smiles Dental Design family! If you’re interested in learning more about her personality and history as a Castle Rock dentist, just keep reading below.
While in undergraduate school doing pre-med training, Dr. Fitzgerald was part of a research team in Anesthesiology. The head anesthesiologist had her do all of the surgeries during this time because she had a very steady hand, as he told her. While he recommended neurosurgery as a possible future career, she eventually chose dentistry instead because she liked having the ability to do very detailed work while constantly learning new things. Many years later, she still feels very happy that she made that decision because she always looks forward to helping patients achieve their dental-related goals!
After attending both the University of Arizona and the University of California, Davis for her undergraduate degree, Dr. Fitzgerald achieved her dental doctorate at the Creighton School of Dentistry. From there, she opened a start-up dental office in Castle Rock, which grew so fast that she realized there was still a lot she needed to learn about the dental field! To that end, she sought out the best world-renowned teaching centers, attending advanced courses with Partners in Synergy, the Kois Center, Progressive Orthodontics, and the American Orthodontic Society.
In particular, the Kois Center allowed Dr. Fitzgerald to learn a great deal about planning and executing complex cases with not only a high success rate, but a good long-term prognosis. She also came to realize how essential facial harmony was for the stability of natural teeth and new restorations. This led her down the path of pursuing orthodontic training and eventually airway/breathing treatment. She has attended courses to treat sleep apnea and sleep-disordered breathing, both in children and adults.
A Tucson native, Dr. Fitzgerald came back to this area from Colorado to be closer to family, and she’s thrilled to be serving the dental needs of her childhood community today. Her oldest son Trevor is attending college in Colorado at the moment, while her youngest son Gavin is in high school and really wants a career in baseball. As for personal hobbies, she spends her free time doing lots of outdoor activities like skiing, kayaking, hiking, and gardening. Exercise in general is very important to her! Other interests include cooking, baking, painting, fixing things around the house, and learning new things in whatever ways she can.