Dr. Paul Botsford Joins Oregon Dental Association’s Board of Trustees

In 2016, Dr. Paul Botsford graduated from Roseman University, earning his Doctor of Dental Medicine. After completing his education, Dr. Botsford established a private practice before being elected to the Oregon Dental Association’s Board of Trustees in 2024.

While at school, Dr. Botsford built many important relationships with friends and colleagues that he maintains today. He also met his wife, Dr. Keyan (Poustinchian) Botsford (Class of 2016). “Keyan and I met before classes even started for our [first] year,” he recalled. “We became friends right away.”

The two of them spent a significant amount of time together over the next couple of months as they began their D1 coursework. Eventually, the two started dating, getting engaged in their third year before marrying at the start of their fourth year. Dr. Botsford describes their marriage as the “best and easiest decision I’ve made.”

When asked what aspects of his education have impacted his career most, Dr. Botsford shared, “Being at Roseman gave me a great foundation to build upon when I entered private practice. It taught me a lot about communication.”

“How Roseman is structured, with its small breakout groups, really allowed me to get comfortable with communication and bouncing ideas off of people.” These skills have been particularly important as his office takes on difficult, multi-factorial cases.

Following graduation, Dr. Botsford returned to his hometown where he founded Botsford Dental, a practice that specializes in cosmetic and restorative dentistry. “I wear a lot of different hats: dentist, chief executive officer, chief financial officer, marketing and creativity director, [and] director of philanthropy” he shared. “I get to do it all.”

“The freedom [ownership] affords me is amazing and is much more rewarding than I expected it to be,” explained Dr. Botsford. One perk is that his dog, Rosie (pictured above), gets to come into the office with him every day.

“As great as that all is,” he continued, “it also comes with added stress. Running a business is challenging at times. I have seven other people on my team that depend on me to be able to run this business effectively.”

In addition to his professional practice, Dr. Botsford also volunteers with the Oregon Dental Association. Last year, he was elected as a voting member of the organization’s board of trustees.

This role has allowed him to keep apprised of industry changes within his state and around the country. “It’s quite a time commitment,” he explained. but it’s really eye opening to [see] everything that the association does for its members and the profession.”

For current students, Dr. Botsford had the following advice, “Figure out what you like and try and do as much as you can while you’re at school. You obviously want to be well rounded, but if there is something that you really enjoy, get good at it.”

“You don’t have to be the office that does absolutely everything,” he reminded. “If you try and be that person, but you aren’t passionate about it, you can burn out. Doing the things that you actually like to do will make your life and career so much more fulfilling.”