Dr. Molen & his Legacy

Join us as we celebrate 50 years of Smiles!

It is with great joy and excitement we share that Molen Orthodontics will be celebrating our 50th Anniversary during the year 2022.

Today our team stands proud to honor the legacy of Dr. Bruce Molen and work toward the same great mission and values that he established back in 1972. Dr. Molen said, “Quality of end result is more important than profit.  A satisfied patient is the reason for our practice.  Fortunately, I don’t need to pass this on because that is the standard that drives Molen Orthodontics”.

THEN AND NOW

In the Spring of 1972, not only did Dr. Molen earn his orthodontic specialty certificate, but he opened his first office in Auburn as well. Fast forward 10 years to the opening of the Enumclaw office in 1982 and then a Sumner location in 1997! Molen is proud to stay on the cutting edge of new technologies. He has had to adapt to the many new advancements and changes required to be within the top 1% of orthodontist in the nation.

Learn More about the Legacy of Dr. Molen

Dr. Bruce Molen opened Molen Orthodontics in 1972. Over the last 50 years, thousands of lives have been changed one smile at a time.

Meet Dr. Molen

In addition to the changes over the years at Molen Orthodontics, Dr. Molen is proud to cherish the milestones of two of his sons joining the practice, Dr. Rick Molen and Dr. Aaron Molen along with partner Dr. Chris Eitzen. They continue to carry out the Molen Mission everyday!

  • In 1972 Dr. Bruce Molen completed his orthodontic residency at UW and opened Molen Orthodontics
  • In 2001 Dr. Rick completed his orthodontic residency at UCLA and joined Molen Orthodontics
  • In 2008 Dr. Aaron completed his orthodontic residency at UCLA and joined Molen Orthodontics
  • In 2017 Dr. Chris Eitzen joined Molen Orthodontics from San Diego, California (Completing his dual residency at UCLA in both orthodontics and pediatric dentistry)

“I felt great about my two sons wanting to follow in my footsteps. Dr. Rick, Dr. Aaron & Dr. David and their other two siblings all worked in the office in their teen and college years.  They learned many different facets of the profession.  There was no guarantee that they would want to join the practice, so I was delighted when they made the decision to do that. I am very proud of the legacy of quality and honesty that they and Dr. Chris have maintained,” shared Dr. Molen.

Dr. Molen pulling the team in a U-Haul trailer outside of the old Auburn office. Always leading from the front!

“I can’t believe that 50 years have passed since I opened that little practice in Auburn. There was no such thing as a computer and everything was done on paper charts and x-rays that were developed in a darkroom” shares Dr. Molen. “The practice has grown into a very successful practice because the quality of end result is the most important thing we do – That “Molen Smile”.

What was once a small practice with one location, one doctor (Dr. Bruce Molen), and a handful of team members has grown into a thriving practice with three locations, 50 team members, and 3 full time doctors (Dr. Molen filling in on occasion!) Dr. Rick and Dr. Aaron Molen chose to follow in their fathers footsteps and become orthodontists, and in early 2017, they welcomed Dr. Chris Eitzen to the practice as a fellow colleague. “I felt great about my two sons wanting to follow in my footsteps. Dr. Rick, Dr. Aaron & Dr. David and their other two siblings all worked in the office in their teen and college years.  They learned many different facets of the profession.  There was no guarantee that they would want to join the practice, so I was delighted when they made the decision to do that. I am very proud of the legacy of quality and honesty that they and Dr. Chris have maintained.” shared Dr. Molen

We encourage our community members and patients to stay tuned to our social media channels to hear about all the ways we are planning to celebrate this year.

Please save the date for Saturday, September 17th, 2022 for our second SMILEFEST event held in Sumner Washington. This free event will bring fun for all community members providing food, office tours, live music, and carnival games.

In honor of Dr. Molen’s 50th Anniversary since founding Molen Orthodontics, many important friends and family members gathered to create a special tribute while congratulating him on his accomplishment.

Dr. Molen was featured twice by UCLA in 2022 for reaching the 50th Year Milestone of Molen Orthodontics. One was by UCLA School of Dentistry and the other was a special write up in UCLA Alumni Class Notes Section!

The Molen Story