U.S. Navy veteran opens orthodontic practice in Frostburg

Dr. Jackie Palaisa recently opened a new orthodontic practice at 151 Bishop Walsh Drive.

A board-certified orthodontist who has dedicated the past 13 years practicing dentistry in the U.S. Navy, Palaisa believes in the concept of the “patient centered practice,” with the philosophy that the patient be an active participant in the planning and execution of the treatment plan.

Palaisa is a 1995 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, School of Dental Medicine. While in dental school, she accepted a scholarship from the Navy. After graduation, she completed a general practice residency at Naval Medical Center, San Diego, followed by a two-year assignment as a general dentist on the ship, USS Tarawa LHA-1. While on the Tarawa, Palaisa not only had the opportunity to treat her fellow servicemen and women, she also was able to do work with the local populations in Eritrea, Africa and Jordan.

Following her shipboard assignment, she spent four years at Naval Dental Center, Pearl Harbor. After Hawaii, the Navy selected her among her peers to receive additional tranining to be an orthodontist. She attended West Virginia University from 2002 to 2005 and received a master’s degree and certificate in orthdontics. After receiving her specialty certification in orthodontics she was assigned as the staff orthodontist at the Naval Hospital, Sicily, Italy.

Palaisa is licensed in Pennsylvania, California and Maryland. She had a research article published in the October 2007 volume of the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics and won second place at a research competition in 2005 at the annual American Association of Orthodontists meeting.

Originally from Uniontown, Pa., Palaisa now resides in the Frostburg area with her husband, Stephen Daniel. The couple have three children.

Palaisa Orthodontics opened on July 14 and is accepting new patients.