Meet Dr. Skyler Liatti, Orthodontist in Encinitas, CA

He became an orthodontist because of what orthodontics did for him.

Dr. Skyler Liatti with his family in Encinitas

Skyler Liatti, DDS, MS, is a board-certified orthodontist whose approach to care was shaped by his own experience with breathing problems, braces, and jaw surgery. That history is why every evaluation in his practice looks past the visible alignment of teeth — to the airway, the joints, and the jaws underneath.

Why Orthodontics

In my own words.

Growing up, I had a hard time breathing through my nose. I drooled as a kid. I had lower stamina than other kids because I couldn't get air the way I was supposed to. My lower jaw was recessed, I had a gummy smile, and only my back teeth touched — my front teeth didn't come together at all, which made it hard to bite into things like a hamburger or a slice of pizza. Basic stuff that everyone else took for granted.

As a young adult, I went through braces and jaw surgery. The impact on my life was beyond what I expected. My bite functioned properly for the first time. My airway opened up and I could breathe through my nose. And the change in my facial aesthetics gave me a confidence I'd never had before. It wasn't just one thing — it affected every part of my life.

I wanted to give other people the same thing — a bite that works, an airway that's open, and the confidence that comes with all of it.

That experience inspired me to become an orthodontist. But it also made me ask a harder question: what if someone had looked at the full picture when I was a kid? What if the airway had been evaluated, the jaw development had been tracked, and the right intervention had happened early — before surgery was the only option?

That question is behind everything I do in this practice. Every patient I see gets a comprehensive evaluation — airway, jaw joints, 3D imaging — because I don't want any child to grow up with a compromised airway just because nobody thought to look at it.

— Dr. Skyler Liatti
Why This Practice Exists

Because a standard consult wasn't good enough.

Dr. Liatti reviewing treatment options with a patient during a consultation

Encinitas Orthodontics has served this community since the late 1980s. When Dr. Liatti became its third owner in 2020, he rebuilt the practice around a different model — one where every patient gets a comprehensive evaluation before any treatment plan is discussed. His own experience had shown him exactly what happens when the evaluation is incomplete.

The typical orthodontic consultation looks at alignment, crowding, and aesthetics, recommends a treatment, and quotes a price. It works for straightforward cases. But it misses the patients whose real issue isn't crooked teeth — it's a narrow airway, a recessed jaw, or a bite problem that will only get worse without the right intervention at the right time.

How He Practices

One orthodontist. Every patient. Start to finish.

Dr. Liatti is the sole treating orthodontist at Encinitas Orthodontics. He does every evaluation, designs every treatment plan, and makes every clinical decision at every visit. There's no rotation of doctors and no associate seeing your child one visit and a different provider the next. When one person is responsible for the plan, the execution, and the result, decisions get made differently. Nothing gets lost in a handoff.

He places his own MARPE TADs in-house rather than referring to an oral surgeon — fewer appointments, better coordination. His highly trained clinical team of registered dental assistants handles the day-to-day chairside work, but the clinical decisions are his from start to finish.

Training & Credentials

Board-certified. Research-driven. Hands-on.

Dr. Liatti earned his DDS from Loma Linda University School of Dentistry in 2014, practiced general dentistry for a year — including a dental mission trip to Nicaragua providing care in underserved communities — then returned to Loma Linda University for his Master of Science in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, completing his specialty training in 2017. His original research focused on the biomechanics of tooth movement with modern orthodontic wires, and he's published two articles in the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin.

The airway and expansion focus runs through his training, not after it. Dr. Liatti has been placing miniscrews (TADs) since his residency began in 2015, and MARPE expanders since 2016 — he adopted the technique in its earliest clinical years, and non-surgical adult expansion has been part of his everyday practice ever since.

He's board certified by the American Board of Orthodontics — a voluntary achievement. The process requires passing a comprehensive written exam, presenting detailed case reports, and defending clinical decisions before a panel of examiners. Certification renews every 10 years, requiring continued demonstration of clinical excellence.

He's a member of the American Association of Orthodontists, the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists, the American Dental Association, and the California Dental Association.

The ABO Board Certification Process — steps from dental school through board certification and renewal every 10 years
What board certification requires.
Outside the Office

Family, music, and the outdoors.

Dr. Liatti on a wooded boardwalk trail with his family, a child riding in a backpack carrier

Dr. Liatti grew up in Southern California and lives in La Costa with his wife Taylor and their two kids, Callan and Hartley. As a family they love to hike and spend time outdoors at the beach.

Music is his biggest passion outside of work. He's been playing the drums for over 20 years and plays in a local cover band called Fetchez la Vache. When he's not at the practice or behind a drum kit, there's a good chance he's dirt biking, kayaking, or camping.

The Short Version

A board-certified orthodontist who's lived what he treats — and sees every case through himself, start to finish.