Robert Kelleher, D.D.S., found his passion for orthodontics while still a child, after all three of his older sisters got braces.

“I put paper clips over my teeth so I could be like them,” Kelleher admits. As a young boy, he loved working with his hands, spending his spare time constructing tree houses and boxcars, and later, drawing and sculpting. Soon, he translated his love of building things into a career – building healthy smiles for Folsom residents.   

Throughout his profession, Kelleher has been drawn to opportunities that allow him to help children in need. He’s worked at both Stanford University’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and the Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland, performing life-altering oral surgeries on children suffering from cleft palates and other disfiguring birth defects. He now has a thriving orthodontic practice in Folsom, but continues to provide low-cost dental care for low-income families whenever possible. Every year, Kelleher participates in Smiles for Kids, a Sacramento District Dental Society program that provides free dental care to underprivileged children. “I think I have an obligation to give back to the community,” Kelleher explains. “It’s a kind of ethical obligation to share yourself with the world and make it a better place.”