Dr. Todd Hillyard

Dr. Todd Hillyard brings his energy for life to his work as a pediatric dentist. He earned his DDS from (UTSA) the University of Texas-San Antonio, with magna cum laude honors, completed a specialty residency in Pediatric Dentistry at the University of California- Los Angles, and is Board Certified. He is an active member of local, state, and national dental and pediatric dental societies.

Dr. Todd’s favorite thing to do is explore the world–whether dental service missions or scuba diving with manta rays, loves experiencing different cultures, meeting new people, and seeing beautiful places. He is married to a Vancouver native, Julie (McAllister). Together with their kids, they enjoy hiking, biking, and traveling. Their new family passion is pickleball–and because Todd hates boring, he determined to spice up that world by creating more “expressive” paddles–he and his wife started Play.Paddles with the mission of getting more families to play this sport and have fun doing it. 

Dr. Todd was one of the founders of Adventure Dental Pediatric Dentists & Orthodontics and wanted to create a place where children would look forward to visiting the dentist. He has a special place in his heart for kids with special needs–his younger brother, Matt, had Down syndrome, and his son, Matthew, has Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, which causes autism, apraxia, profound intellectual delays, and other physical and psychiatric conditions. Being a ‘big kid’ himself, he has a way of connecting to all of his patients and making them feel at ease in the dental chair.

Todd has recently expanded his interest in dentistry to include the study of sleep struggles children experience. For years, he has noticed evidence of airway issues in kids. He has heard parents describe sleep patterns that impact their quality of life, which has led him to learn how to help solve this issue early to avoid complications that arise in adulthood. 

Todd became a dentist because he experienced TMJ and wanted to solve that problem. As he started learning more about it and exploring dentistry, he became fascinated with studying dental differences in kids with special needs as he applied this learning to help with his brother’s oral health. It felt like the perfect career choice when he realized he could practice his passion and keep his inner child alive.