Jacob Foncea, DDS

Raised in East Tennessee, Dr. Jacob Foncea followed his father into dentistry. His first “hands-on” exposure came while living in Guatemala as a teenager, where he assisted his father in bringing much-needed dental care to remote villages.

While he took his own route to dental school (an English major and member of the University Fellows Honor’s College at Samford University, then a post-baccalaureate student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham), he completed his dental training at the UTHSC College of Dentistry in Memphis. There, he finished first in his class in the pediatric dental clinic, graduated with academic honors, and was awarded both the Tennessee Society of Pediatric Dentistry Award and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Predoctoral Student Award. He also served as co-president of UTHSC’s American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry chapter and as a Social Chair for his class.

Following dental school, Dr. Foncea completed a two-year pediatric dental residency at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah— a Level 1 trauma center that provided him with extensive experience caring for patients with special health care needs, medical complexities, early restorative and orthodontic needs, and dental trauma. During his residency, he conducted research on pulpal therapy and dental interventions for sleep disordered breathing, as well as completed the Utah Regional Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (URLEND) certificate for trainees in healthcare disciplines.

Dr. Foncea is passionate about helping children feel comfortable and confident at the dentist and is excited to provide compassionate, specialized pediatric care to families at Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontic Collective. He considers himself silly and outgoing, with a “nerdy side”— a combination he believes is perfect for a pediatric dentist!
Outside of dentistry, he loves play dates with his daughter, dinner dates with his wife, adult league soccer, and good books by a fire. His own manuscript, an epic fantasy that he began writing in college, was recently submitted to an agent for publication!