The minute you walk into Macdonald Orthodontics you can’t help but smile. You instantly feel like you’ve just walked into a sleek, yet laid back beachside guest house. The relaxed, SoCal vibe is a long way from clinical. 'UCLA is where I did my residency,” explains Dr. Keith, “One of my co-residents was a friend of mine, and when I got there, said, hey I’m going to start surfing, you want to surf with me? And I said yeah, absolutely. So I started surfing and ended up surfing all over the world.' While Dr. Keith and his younger brother Dr. Robert have a love for the beach, Dr. Robert prefers a snowboard over a surfboard. Both agree this relaxed, 'surf’s up' atmosphere puts patients of all ages at ease - from seven-year-olds getting their first check-up to adults looking for a smile redesign. “This is a great, calm place,” Dr. Robert emphasizes. “I tell kids, we do things that might be annoying, but nothing that will hurt you.' For more than 55 years, the Macdonald family has been a staple of the East Valley community. What began as a local practice founded by their father in Tempe in 1970, has evolved into a multi-location legacy. Both doctors now serve patients with the same mission: “Live life smiling”. Today, they blend high-tech orthodontic solutions and traditional braces with a deeply personal touch that only a family-run practice can provide. “I think that's why I didn't want to go corporate,” Dr. Keith says, “so that we had the autonomy to treat cases the way that I would want my kids to be treated, not the way some corporation wants me to treat it.” Dr. Robert reflects on a little girl’s recent, tough Invisalign case. 'Her starting picture is her very scared and crying, and her final picture is just this beaming girl of confidence, and that was a great visible case.' He continues, 'We care. We try hard, we hold our reputation that my dad started very seriously.'
The Macdonald legacy is set to reach a new milestone as a third generation is ready to get on board. Dr. Keith’s son, Dr. Alex, will be joining the practice this summer. 'He’s going to be living in the Queen Creek community, so he'll raise his kids here, be a part of this community. And then we both work here, the proud father says. Alex will be carrying forward a family commitment to community care started by his grandfather. 'We spend part of our advertising dollars on local sports teams and schools. So we're happy to be down here. We're happy to be in this community.”
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