Dr. Saoly Benson

Board-certified orthodontist Dr. Saoly Benson is the proud creator of The Art of Braces in Las Vegas, NV. With 10 years of training and experience, Dr. Benson built The Art of Braces to celebrate her two passions: orthodontics and photography, blending them together in a beautiful celebration of art. The practice features Dr. Benson’s philosophy that orthodontics is esthetic art first and a science second. Dr. Benson also enjoys sharing her fine art photography throughout her practice and taking portraits of all of her patients after their orthodontic treatment.

Dr. Benson married her wonderful husband Benjamin on a snowy mountain top and skiied down the mountain in her wedding dress! In her free time, Dr. Benson enjoys adventuring with her husband, whether it be rock climbing, camping, or skiing. She and her husband are also proud parents to two wonderful British Shorthair kittens.

As an orthodontist, Dr. Benson offers several options for improving the alignment and appearance of her patients' smiles. Dr. Benson has completed 2 years of additional training beyond her orthodontic residency in the Pitts21 Masters Continuum and is well versed in not only obtaining a stable, and funtional occlusion, but also in optimizing smile design for beautiful aesthetics.  When formulating your treatment plan, Dr. Benson considers not only your teeth but also your face, your current age, and how your face and smile will change as you age.  She uses the Smile Arc Protection technique to precisely place brackets on each tooth such that the teeth form a beautiful, wide curve framed by the lips. In addition to braces, Dr. Benson offers her own brand of custom clear aligners, The Art of Aligners, which are all fabricated onsite in the 3D digital lab at The Art of Braces. To help her patients with both their smiles and confidence in their overall appearance, Dr. Benson performs injectable wrinkle treatments with relaxers, like Botox, Jeuveau, and Xeomin, plus dermal fillers like Juvederm and Voluma.

Dr. Benson is a native of the evergreen Washington state, where she earned her first degree, an Associate of Science in Chemistry at Tacoma Community College, while she was also earning her high school diploma. Chasing sunnier days, she moved to Stockton, CA and earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of the Pacific. She then moved to the University of the Pacific's Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco, where she earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS). While in dental school, Dr. Benson worked on cleft lip and palate research in the craniofacial genetics laboratory and has presented internationally on the topic. One of her favorite memories during dental school was being in Barcelona to present her research when Spain won the World Cup in 2010. She also fondly remembers her time serving on a dental mission in Peru and then backpacking the 26-mile Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.

Following her childhood dream to become an orthodontist, she completed a one-year orthodontic fellowship at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) School of Dental Medicine. She then completed a 30-month residency in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics at UNLV, where she was chief resident and earned the “Outstanding Orthodontic Resident” award. There, she conducted research on 3D imaging and concomitantly earned a Master of Science in Oral Biology. Following 11 long years of intensive higher education, Dr. Benson took the extra step of becoming a board-certified orthodontist, a title held by only one-third of orthodontists in America. This requires voluntarily going through hundreds of additional hours of preparation to demonstrate the judgment, skills, and knowledge required to provide the highest level of patient care.

During her residency in Las Vegas, Dr. Benson fell in love with the beauty of the southwest and bountiful adventure it had to offer. During her free time, she is an avid outdoors enthusiast and enjoys hiking, canyoneering, and rock climbing. She takes pleasure in documenting her many adventures through her love of digital photography. It is this love of photography, nature, and adventuring that formed the unique concept for her new practice, The Art of Braces. An artist at heart, Dr. Benson has a keen eye for detail, aesthetics, and harmony, and expresses it in the display of her photographic creations. When you visit the practice, you will be immersed in her gallery in some of the natural treasures that Dr. Benson has discovered. She would like to invite you to come share her passion for artistry, adventure, and life as you go through your own transformational journey toward the smile you always wanted. It is her wish to not only perfect your smile but also for you to experience your very own joie de vivre.

As a part of her commitment to providing the best care to her patients, Dr. Benson continues to attend numerous continuing education courses through her memberships in professional associations, like:

• American Academy of Facial Esthetics
• American Association of Orthodontists
• American Board of Orthodontics, Diplomate
• American Dental Association
• Nevada Dental Association
• Southern Nevada Dental Society

Some of the awards and honors earned by Dr. Benson are:

• Annual Meeting Award from the American Association for Dental Research (AADR/IADR)
• Arthur A. Dugoni Dean's Award
• Certificate of Commendation from the University of the Pacific
• Chief Resident at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas
• Community Service Award from the Rotary Club Inka Cusco
• Honorable Mention from the California Dental Association (CDA) Table Clinics
• Member of Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society at University of the Pacific
• Outstanding Resident Award from the University of Nevada in Las Vegas
• Outstanding Student Award from the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain
• President's Medal Nominee from Tacoma Community College
• Regent's Scholarship at the University of the Pacific
• Travel Bloc Grant from the American Association for Dental Research (AADR/IADR)