About the Doctors

Meet the
Winterhollers

Two doctors. One practice. Thirty-two years of partnership — in dentistry and in life. Together, they cover the complete spectrum of what dentistry can do for a human being.

A Partnership Built on Complementary Strengths

Yin and yang —

in life and in
dentistry.
They met at Creighton University School of Dentistry. They married. They built a family and, over more than three decades, one of the most comprehensive dental practices in Arizona.
What makes Winterholler Dentistry singular is how their disciplines intersect. Dr. Chris works from the outside in— bone, structure, implants, the physical foundation of the smile. Dr. Patrice works from the inside out — the airway, the arch, the bite, the balance of muscles and joints. Together, they treat the whole person.
"We are yin and yang — and for some reason that has followed in our dental careers as well."

32 Years

married

28+

years in practice

2

az locations

Implant Specialist

Dr. ChrisWinterholler

Implant dentist · Scottsdale & Payson, Arizona
Practicing since 1995 · Creighton University School of Dentistry

16,000+

Dental implants placed across three decades

3,000+

Full-arch restorations completed since 2005

1st

Digital subperiosteal implant in the United States

Only 4

ICOI Diplomates in all of Arizona — Dr. Chris is one

Background & training

Dr. Chris Winterholler was born and raised in Lovell, Wyoming — a small town 40 miles from Cody, the kind of place that builds a hardworking, direct, and unpretentious character. Those qualities have defined his career: he approaches every case with the same rigor and groundedness he brought to everything else he has done.

After graduating from Creighton University School of Dentistry, Dr. Chris pursued implant training at the highest level — including study at the Malo Clinic in Lisbon, Portugal, the originating institution of the All-on-4 technique. He was an early adopter of full-arch implant restoration and has been refining the technique across thousands of cases for nearly three decades. 

Dr. Chris approaches implant dentistry as the intersection of four disciplines: form, function, art, and science — with practicality, longevity, and economy as equal priorities. He thinks in three dimensions, visualizing the end result before the first instrument is placed and working backward to the most effective path forward.

He possesses encyclopedic knowledge of implant systems, components, and techniques — knowledge that allows him to solve cases other providers cannot. He is ambidextrous, giving him surgical flexibility that few practitioners match. And he treats every case — regardless of complexity — with the same meticulous attention to outcome.

This philosophy extends beyond the surgical day. Dr. Chris follows up personally, refines outcomes over the months that follow, and considers a case complete only when the patient is genuinely satisfied — not just when the procedure is finished. It is the approach of a privately owned practice, not a production line.

Dr. Chris is a licensed pilot and is actively involved in his church and local charities. He has been married to Dr. Patrice for 32 years — his partner in practice and in life. His Wyoming roots remain evident to everyone who meets him: straightforward, warm, and entirely without pretense.

  • DDS, Creighton University School of Dentistry
  • Diplomate ICOI (DICOI) — one of only 4 in Arizona
  • Fellow, Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies (LVIF)
  • Fellow, Academy of General Dentistry (FAGD) — top 5%
  • Trained at Malo Clinic, Lisbon — originator of All-on-4
  • Lecturer for top implant producers, 20+ years
  • First digital subperiosteal implant in the US
  • Practicing since 1995
  • Full-arch implants — W-4 Implant Bridge
  • Zygomatic, pterygoid & transnasal implants
  • Digital subperiosteal implants
  • Failed implant revision & rescue
  • CT-guided implant surgery
  • Palatal implants for DOME expansion
  • Licensed pilot
  • Born & raised in Lovell, Wyoming
  • Active in church & local charities
  • Married to Dr. Patrice — 32 years

"Implant dentistry is form, function, art, and science. Every case demands all four — and none of them can be sacrificed for the others."

TMJ · Airway · Sleep · Cosmetic

Dr. Patrice Winterholler

TMJ, Airway, Sleep & Cosmetic Dentist · Scottsdale & Payson
Practicing since 1996 · Creighton University School of Dentistry
28+
Years in clinical practice — TMJ, airway, sleep, cosmetic
3
Pillars of every TMJ case — teeth, muscles, and joint in balance
2nd Gen
Daughter of Dr. Larry Staples DDS — St. George, Utah, 1972–2000

Background & training

Dr. Patrice Winterholler is a second-generation dentist. Her father, Dr. Larry Staples DDS, practiced in St. George, Utah from 1972 to 2000 — and his influence on her approach to dentistry is foundational. From childhood, she observed a Pankey-trained practice: comprehensive, patient-centered, never treating teeth in isolation from the person they belong to.
“He taught me everything I know. My dad was a huge influence on my career — and on who I am.”
She earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery at Creighton University School of Dentistry — where she also met Dr. Chris. Her post-graduate training took her in two significant directions: orthopedic development and craniofacial growth under Dr. Waldemar Brehm at Ortho Organizers in Encinitas, California, and neuromuscular dentistry under Dr. Clayton Chan at Occlusal Connections in Las Vegas — one of the foremost authorities on the field worldwide.

Dr. Patrice treats dentistry as a whole-patient discipline. The mouth does not exist independently of the airway, the jaw, the muscles, or the rest of the body — and her training reflects that belief at every level. Her approach to TMJ treatment is built on three pillars that must be in balance simultaneously: the teeth, the muscles, and the joint. Using CT imaging, TENS therapy, and K7 digital jaw tracking, she can see — precisely and objectively — where the mandible sits in the joint space, how the muscles are loading, and what needs to change. Treatment proceeds from that diagnosis, not from assumption.

Her airway and arch development work applies the same principle: address the root architecture before cosmetic restoration begins. The veneers, the aligners, the final smile — all of it is built on a foundation that was designed correctly from the start. 

Dr. Patrice grew up between St. George, Utah and Houston, Texas — two very different places that shaped both her clinical thoroughness and her warmth with patients. She is actively involved in her church and community, and has been Dr. Chris’s partner in practice and in life for 32 years. 

  • DDS, Creighton University School of Dentistry
  • Fellow, Academy of General Dentistry (FAGD)
  • Trained under Dr. Clayton Chan — Occlusal Connections, Las Vegas
  • Studied under Dr. Waldemar Brehm — Ortho Organizers, Encinitas CA
  • Associate, International Orthodontic Academy
  • Associate, American Orthodontic Society
  • Pankey philosophy — daughter of Dr. Larry Staples DDS
  • Practicing since 1996
  • TMJ / TMD diagnosis & neuromuscular treatment
  • Airway-focused orthodontics & arch development
  • Sleep apnea oral appliance therapy
  • Clear aligners & Invisalign
  • Porcelain veneers & cosmetic restoration
  • TENS & K7 jaw tracking technology
  • 2nd generation dentist — daughter of Dr. Larry Staples DDS
  • Raised in St. George, Utah & Houston, Texas
  • Active in church & local charities
  • Married to Dr. Chris — 32 years

"Some dentists put veneers in small, narrow arches. I put the form and structure first. We develop the arch, maximize the airway — then we restore. The result is outstanding form and function."

What They've Built Together

Not just a practice. A legacy.
Two doctors from Wyoming and Utah, shaped by their upbringings and their families, who met at Creighton and have been building something together for 32 years — in dentistry and in life.

16,000+

Implants placed

3,000+

Full-arch restorations

32

Years in practice

2

AZ locations

Come meet them in person

Your story deserves

doctors who listen
Every consultation begins with a conversation. Tell us what you’ve been through, what you’ve tried, and what you want. We’ll take it from there.