Meet Dr. Chesler
Dr. Matthew Chesler is a native of Wayzata, Minnesota, near the Twin Cities. After high school, he left the “frozen tundra” behind for sunnier days in Southern California, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at UCSD and then moved on to USC School of Dentistry for his DDS degree in 2004. During his studies he received a faculty award for excellence in Endodontics.
While at USC, Dr. Chesler received a full scholarship from the US Navy. He first reported for active duty to Camp Pendleton where he completed a one year residency in Advanced Education in General Dentistry. Shortly afterwards, he became one of the youngest residents to ever be selected for the Endodontics residency program at the Naval Postgraduate Dental School in Bethesda, MD. He completed the program in 2008 and concurrently earned a postdoctoral Master of Science degree from The George Washington University, Washington, DC.
After graduation, he reported to Pearl Harbor, Hawai’i as the Endodontics department head. Lieutenant Commander Chesler was transferred back to the San Diego area in early 2011 where he served as the head of the Endodontics department at Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar. In 2015 he separated from the Navy after twelve years of active duty, and continued to serve in the Naval Reserves. In May of 2024, after 20 years of dedicated service, Commander Matthew Chesler, retired from the United States Navy.
Dr. Chesler has remained academically active. In Hawai’i he was chairman of the annual Tri-Service Dental Symposium, providing lectures to all Oahu-based dental officers. He is successfully mentoring promising junior officers to follow his training path. Annually, he attends the American Association of Endodontists continuing education program and stays abreast of the latest research by keeping up with multiple endodontic publications. He holds professional memberships with the American Dental Association, American Association of Endodontists, California Dental Association, and the San Diego County Dental Society.
Dr. Chesler (“Matt”) and his wife, Trang Chesler, also a dentist, have two sons. Matt’s hobbies include 3-putting the greens of various San Diego golf courses, hiking, and posing as potential shark bait when he’s scuba diving. His main interest is in all things automotive, where he is doing his best to get his two young sons as car crazy as he is.