Dr. Buoncristiani grew up in Southern California moving briefly for his dental education to Atlanta, Georgia where he attended Emory University. He returned after graduation to Los Angeles completing residency training in oral and maxillofacial surgery at the University of California, Los Angeles. He began private practice in 1981 and joined this practice in Santa Monica in1985.Dr. Buoncristiani is Chair of the section of Oral and Maxillofacial surgery at Saint John’s Health Center and has been on the teaching faculty at UCLA School of Dentistry in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial surgery since 1986. He has numerous publications and provided lectures on various topics in oral and maxillofacial surgery both nationally and internationally. Dr. Buoncristiani is Diplomate of The American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and The National Dental Board of Anesthesiology. He practices the full scope of this surgical specialty with special interest in orthognathic (facial reconstructive) surgery.