Growing up, Dr. Larrissa Cali knew that she wanted to go into the medical field and help people, but she wasn’t sure what path she would take to that goal.
“My father-in-law is a dentist and when I was finishing up my undergrad degree he said, ‘have you ever thought about dentistry? You should think about it,’” Dr. Cali said. “So, I went and shadowed him in his office, and I decided that was my path.”
During her time in dental school she fell in love with orthodontics and knew that was the specialty she wanted to pursue. She completed a residency in her field of choice and moved to Houston to start work as an orthodontist. But after a few years, Dr. Cali decided she wanted to raise her children in a smaller city where she could get to know her patients on a more personal level.
“It’s hard not to become really connected [living in Temple], and that’s what we wanted. My husband and I both grew up in small towns, and we really wanted that small town feel,” she said. “[Patients] really become like family and friends.”
Not only was Dr. Cali fortunate enough to find a town where she feels a connection to her patients, but she also feels blessed to build on a practice that has been serving the Temple area since 1972.
“Our practice was started by Dr. Gerald McConnell, who was one of the only orthodontists in the area at the time. He practiced for 30 years and when I came here six years ago, he retired,” Dr. Cali said.
She began working with McConnell’s partner Dr. Julie Sieh when she moved to Temple in 2013 and has now taken the reigns as the practice owner, helping her patients have confident smiles using braces, clear aligners, and retainers.
“Every time I say we only do orthodontics, people say, ‘that’s all you do?’ But I think you get better at it when you’re doing it all the time,”
she said.
Not only are Dr. Cali and her staff focused on perfecting orthodontics, but they also strive to give every patient a positive experience.
“I feel like we treat our patients like our own family,” she said. “We always make sure that they are well taken care of. Our first question to our patients is always, what do you want done?”
To schedule an appointment or find out more about West Temple Orthodontics, visit www.WestTempleOrthodontics.com, call (254) 899-2500, or visit them on social media @westtempleortho.
Back To Top
Jessa is the Editor-in-Chief of Hooray for Family and the mom of three energetic children. She has a BA in Mass Communication/Journalism from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, and is a long-time resident of Central Texas. When she isn't writing and editing, she enjoys playing board games with her kids, teaching Sunday school and channeling her creativity into craft projects.
