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Dr. Brian Schabel

Meet Dr. Brian Schabel: A Leader in Smile and Facial Esthetics

Patient Care Approach

After starting North Coast Orthodontics in 2006, Dr. Schabel quickly gained a reputation for his exceptional ability to connect with patients of all backgrounds and ages. As a father, he understands how to communicate with his younger patients, seeking to engage with and educate them and encouraging them to take ownership of their treatment progress. With adult patients, Dr. Schabel is skilled at recognizing their unique concerns and helping them to attain their specific goals, whether functional, purely esthetic, or both.

Expertise
Dr. Schabel combines advanced orthodontic expertise with an artistic eye for smile design. A multi-time published author in some of the most prestigious and internationally recognized orthodontic journals, he has conducted evidence-based research on smile and facial esthetics, digital orthodontics, and treatment outcomes. His expertise includes Invisalign®, braces, facially driven treatment planning, and creating naturally beautiful, healthy smiles.
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A Santa Cruz Local Through and Through

For Dr. Schabel, caring for smiles in Santa Cruz is more than a profession; it’s a way to give back to the community that helped shape him. Having lived in Santa Cruz since 1989, he attended Scotts Valley Middle School and graduated from Harbor High School, giving him a lifelong connection to the people and neighborhoods he proudly serves today. In fact, North Coast Orthodontics’ Scotts Valley office is just a short walk from his former middle school!

Today, Dr. Schabel and his wife, Dr. Vivian Chan, are raising their own family in the Santa Cruz area, deepening their commitment to the community they call home. Whether he’s welcoming longtime neighbors or meeting new families, Dr. Schabel is honored to help patients throughout Santa Cruz County achieve healthy, confident smiles with personalized, world-class orthodontic care at North Coast Orthodontics in Capitola and Scotts Valley.

Dr. Schabel’s Scotts Valley Middle School Yearbook Photo
Meet Dr Brian Schabel
Dr Schabel At Qb

Dr. Schabel’s Scotts Valley Middle School yearbook photo and a look back at his time as quarterback for Harbor High School.

Education, Training, and Professional Involvement

After graduating high school, Dr. Schabel attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology with a concentration in anatomy and physiology. He went on to receive his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was elected class president and honored with the Board of Counselors Endowed Scholarship and the American Academy of Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology Award.

Dr. Schabel then completed a three-year residency at the world-renowned Department of Orthodontics at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he received his Master of Science degree.

To stay up-to-date on the constantly evolving orthodontic technology and methodologies, Dr. Schabel regularly hosts and attends training and continuing education seminars. He is also the co-founder of the Paradigm Orthodontic Study Club and is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Association of Orthodontists and the American Dental Association, among others.

Doctor With Patient Scaled 1
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Education, Honors, & Awards

Undergraduate Degree

BS, Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo

Dental Degree

DDS, University of California, Los Angeles

Orthodontic Residency

MS, University of Michigan

Honors & Awards
  • UCLA Class President
  • UCLA Board of Counselors Endowed Scholarship
  • American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology Award
Associations
  • The American Association of Orthodontists
  • The American Dental Association
  • The Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists
  • California Association of Orthodontists
  • California Dental Association
  • Monterey Bay Dental Society
Specialities
  • Smile and Facial Esthetics
  • Invisalign®
  • Braces
  • Phase 1 Treatment for Kids
  • Surgical Orthodontics
  • TMJ/TMD Treatment

Contributions to Orthodontic Research

Dr. Schabel’s passion for evidence-based orthodontics began while earning his dental degree at UCLA and continued during an orthodontic externship at the Mayo Clinic, where he authored a case report published in The Angle Orthodontist, one of the most prestigious orthodontic journals in the world. Additionally, four manuscripts based on his master’s thesis, “Orthodontic Esthetics: A Systematic Evaluation of the Smile,” were published in internationally recognized, peer-reviewed orthodontic journals, including The Angle Orthodontist and The American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics.

In his research, Dr. Schabel sought an answer to the age-old question: Can something as subjective as beauty actually be measured? Dr. Schabel developed a systematic approach to quantify attributes of the smile as well as to determine a smile’s “attractiveness.” He compared hundreds of objective measurements of the face and smile against subjective ratings by a panel of orthodontists and parents of orthodontic patients of the same smile’s attractiveness.

In addition, Dr. Schabel was concerned that the criteria developed by the American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) to determine board certification includes only measurements of how well the teeth fit together, not how attractive the smile appears, following orthodontic treatment. With the help of Dr. Scott Jamieson, former director of the ABO, Dr. Schabel sought to determine whether there was a correlation between the perceived attractiveness of a patient’s smile versus his or her “ABO” score (how well the teeth fit together). Interestingly, there wasn’t.

To learn more about Dr. Schabel’s research, you can view his published work below:

A Doctor On A Tablet

The Dream Team Working Alongside Dr. Schabel

Dr. Schabel is proud to work alongside his wife, Dr. Vivian Chan, forming a husband-and-wife orthodontic team united by a shared passion for creating healthy, confident smiles. Together with the full North Coast Orthodontics team, they strive to make every patient feel welcomed, heard, and supported from the moment they walk through the door, delivering an exceptional orthodontic experience for patients and families throughout Santa Cruz County.

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Nco Team
Two girls smiling and laughing
Young woman hugging little girl
What Patients Are Saying

Patients consistently praise Dr. Schabel for his expertise, clear communication, and compassionate approach, saying he takes the time to make every visit comfortable and informative.

Life Outside the Office

Dr. Schabel and Dr. Chan live in Santa Cruz with their two sons and their rambunctious boxer pup, who is aptly named Cruz. In addition to being an avid fan of Michigan football and UCLA basketball, Dr. Schabel enjoys golfing, surfing, snowboarding, cycling, and running. He has completed several triathlons, including the California Half-Ironman, and has been a top-three age-group finisher at the Wildflower and Malibu Triathlons and a top-50 finisher in the Los Angeles Marathon.

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Dr Brian Schabel On A Bike At The Capitola Location Hanving Fun
Dr. Schabel and Dr. Chan stand with their sons on the beach smiling into camera
Man wearing wetsuit surfing an ocean wave at sunset
North Coast Selfie