Meet Dr. Lena Arvidson
“I recently completed 24 years of active duty in the Air Force and a total of 30 years in the military. I have had a wonderful career in the Air Force, lived in some fabulous places around the world, enjoyed educating residents and watching them grow, and accomplished all the goals I set out in the military to achieve… But now I am starting something new! I currently provide periodontal treatment as an Independent Contractor for general dentistry practices in Seattle, Bainbridge Island, and the Olympic Peninsula.”
I earned my dental degree from Marquette University School of Dentistry in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1995. Following graduation, I entered into a 1-year Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) Residency with the US Air Force. Upon completion of the AEGD residency, I then practiced general dentistry in Germany for four years before entering into the Periodontics Residency Program at Wilford Hall Medical Center. Following graduation in 2003, with a specialty certificate in Periodontics and a Master of Science degree in Periodontics from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, I served as the Department Head in Periodontics in Italy and Alaska before joining the teaching faculty at the Air Force’s 2-year Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD-2) Residency Program at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. As the Director of Periodontics, I instructed 13 AEGD-2 residents in all aspects of periodontal treatment.
In addition to the duties as the Director of Periodontics, I served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor for the University of Texas Health Science Center, overseeing the clinical training of 30 rotating dental hygiene students a year and as an Associate Professor of Periodontics for the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. After 12 years as an educator in the Air Force, I retired as a Colonel in October 2017, completing a combined 30 years of military service in both the Navy and Air Force.
