Longtime local orthodontist retiring after successful 33-year career

IDAHO FALLS — If you or someone in the Idaho Falls area has had braces in the last 32 years, you might know Dr. Mooso.

Bret Mooso, the orthodontist and owner of Mooso Orthodontics, is set to retire this month after a fulfilling 33-year career that he says brought him closer to the eastern Idaho community.

Looking back on the last three decades, Mooso says his family played a massive part in his success, specifically his wife, Karrie Jo Mooso, who was a dental assistant when they first married.

“I tell everybody my wife married a farmer. I was studying agriculture at first,” says Mooso. “I asked one day, well, what if I became a dentist? And (Karrie Jo) said, ‘You would hate it.’”

Mooso began his career studying agriculture at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. But life had other plans.

“(Karri Jo) said, ‘You’re an outside dog. You’re not an inside dog,” says Mooso. “I just kept thinking about it and finally said, you know what? I think I want to do it. And she said, okay let’s do it.”

Mooso says Karrie Jo supported him as he switched career paths and eventually went through an additional nine and a half years of education.

“I got into orthodontics because I just love the hands-on approach,” says Mooso. “Moving teeth and creating beautiful smiles.”

After receiving a Bachelor of Science from BYU and a Doctor of Dental Surgery and Master of Orthodontics from the University of Nebraska, the Moosos planted roots in eastern Idaho, where he began his own practice in August 1992.

Within the next season of life, the Moosos had four children: Shantay, Brittany, Austin, and Ashtyn. When they weren’t helping to clean the orthodontics office after school, their dad was helping to coach them in sports like hockey, lacrosse, and Grid Kid football.

“When I finished coaching, I had 38 seasons of youth sports,” says Mooso. “I was just one of those dads that thought, if my kids are going to be involved, I’m going to be there anyway. So, I might as well coach.”

Mooso started the Idaho Falls Youth Lacrosse Association and eventually became the assistant coach for the girls’ program.

During his career, Mooso served as the Chief Delegate for the Rocky Mountain Society of Orthodontists in the AAO House of Delegates, the President-elect for the Rocky Mountain Society of Orthodontists, a member of the American Association of Orthodontists, the American Dental Association, Idaho Dental Association, and Omicron Kappa Upsilon, which is the national dental honor society.

Throughout the years, Mooso has impacted thousands of patients, saying he is grateful to have met every one of them.

“I think some of my favorite moments are when patients that I treated when they were kids, bring their kids in for the second generation,” says Mooso. “That is something that just warms my heart.”

(In fact, the journalist writing this had her braces put on by Dr. Mooso almost 15 years ago. Thanks, Dr. Mooso!)

Mooso says he is grateful to have had a job that allowed him to be around his family as often as possible, noting that his family was often in the office with him.

“My kids were always in that office,” says Mooso. “They knew that was a safe place, and it was always so good to see them. They would be bopping in occasionally to check on Dad.”

Mooso’s son, Austin, got into the family business and will continue as the office manager for what has expanded into five offices: one in Idaho Falls, Rigby, Victor, Shelley, and Jackson Hole.

“My son, at one time, thought, ‘Yeah, it’d be fun to be an orthodontist.’ Then he realized he was more of a businessman than a science guy,” says Mooso. “So he went into healthcare administration, and then I was able to bring him in as our office manager. That’s been fantastic to have my son there every day that I can see him.”

Austin says he’s enjoyed watching his dad’s legacy in the eastern Idaho community grow over the last 33 years, whether in the orthodontic or sports fields.

“He enjoyed coaching, and he enjoys people in general, which is why I think he’s so good at his job,” says Austin. “He’s able to make friends with people pretty quickly.”

Austin says he looks back fondly on his childhood with his dad as an orthodontist, remembering that he was able to spend lots of time bonding with his dad.

“I got to spend a lot of time with him in those extracurriculars; it was nice to be able to spend time with him that way,” says Austin. “There are just more and more friends and acquaintances who have said, ‘I went to your dad or I’m going to your dad for treatment!’”

His pride in his dad is palpable, as Austin says he looks up to his dad as someone who had a successful career while always being there for his family.

“I’m proud of what he’s accomplished because he’s been able to continually make friendships with people for 33 years,” says Austin. “He’s a great guy, and I’m glad he’s (been) able to do what he wanted to do for so long.”

For those still being treated by Mooso, fear not, he says. Dr. Bracken Bateman and Dr. Josh Murphy will be taking over for him.

“The orthodontists that we’ve brought on to take the reins, (are) two fantastic guys,” says Mooso. “They’ll do a great job taking care of my family of patients.”

Mooso will officially retire on May 23. The Idaho Falls office will hold an open house that day for the public to come and wish him well on his next chapter of life.

“It’ll be a sad day. I will cry many tears that day because I’m truly blessed to be able to do what I’ve done,” says Mooso. “It’ll be a bittersweet moment, but I’m excited for the future.”

The open house will be held at Mooso Orthodontics in Idaho Falls, 1580 Elk Creek Drive, from 3 to 6 p.m.

As for the future, Mooso says he looks forward to being of service, traveling the world, and helping others do the same.

“I want to do some traveling with my friends; I actually went online to become a travel agent,” says Mooso. “I also want to serve. I feel like I’ve been blessed over the years, and I want to give back. I want to figure out a way to serve.”

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