Meet Dr. Andrea Fonner

Dr. Andrea Fonner is a Diplomate and current President of the American Dental Board of Anesthesiology where she has served as a Board member and examiner for several years.

She was born and raised in the Seattle area and had an interest in dentistry very early in life. After graduating from the University of Washington, she attended dental school at the University of the Pacific in San Francisco, California where she graduated with honors. After dental school, she completed a General Practice Residency at the University of Washington.

In addition to private practice as a general dentist, Dr. Fonner was an affiliate faculty member at the University of Washington School of Dentistry and at Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, an affiliate clinic of Seattle Children’s Hospital. 

While practicing general dentistry, her passion for anesthesia developed, prompting her to pursue additional training in anesthesiology. Upon entering the prestigious anesthesia program at UCLA, she received extensive training in anesthesiology including both hospital and in-office anesthesia services. Her experience there included comprehensive training in both adult and pediatric anesthesia modalities.

She enjoys teaching sedation and general anesthesia and is currently on the national and international lecture circuit for numerous organizations. She currently holds the following appointments:

• President, American Dental Board of Anesthesiology (ADBA)

• Board of Directors, American Dental Society of Anesthesiology (ADSA)

• Examiner, American Dental Board of Anesthesiology (ADBA)

• Council on Dental Education and Licensure (CDEL) Anesthesiology Committee, American Dental Association (2021-current)

• President & Co-founder, Washington State Society of Mobile Dental Anesthesia (WSSMDA)

• President and Delegate, Washington Dental Society of Anesthesiology

• Co-creator, Ten Minutes Saves a Life! Emergency Manual and application

• Co-Director, Parenteral Moderate Sedation, Oregon Academy of General Dentistry (OAGD)

• Co-Director, High Fidelity Human Simulation (SimMan), American Dental Society of Anesthesiology (ADSA)

• Recruitment Task Force, International Federation of Dental Anesthesia Societies

• Editorial Advisory Board for Decisions in Dentistry

• Chair of the Reference Committee, American Dental Society of Anesthesiology (ADSA)

• Faculty, General Anesthesia & Moderate Sedation, American Dental Society of Anesthesiology (ADSA)

• Course Director, Assistant’s Course, American Dental Society of Anesthesiology (ADSA)

Dr. Fonner has published several articles in national newsletters and journals and has been a contributing author for the textbooks Anesthesia Complications in the Dental Office and Complications of Regional Anesthesia: Principles of Safe Practice in Local and Regional Anesthesia. She frequently gives continuing education courses and has a particular passion for medical emergency training in the dental community.

She is certified in Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). She is also a Basic Life Support instructor with the American Heart Association.

She is a volunteer and speaker at the Expanding Your Horizons Middle School Conference where she discusses the field of dentistry with young women.

The best part about every single day is spending time with her husband, Matt, and their identical twin girls, Lauren and Charlotte.