THDC TEAM

Dr. Bruce Carlson


Dr. Carlson has been a life long resident of the Edison Park-Park Ridge area. He graduated from Northwestern Dental School in 1990.

Dr. Carlson in the NavyAfter graduation, Dr. Carlson entered the Naval Dental Corps as a Lieutenant (Captain in the other services). He was stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., Glenview Naval Air Station, and Great Lakes Naval Training Station. At the conclusion of his active duty service, Dr. Carlson achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander (Major). During the time in the dental corps, Dr. Carlson had the ability to complete many advanced dental courses and rotations to refine his dental skills.

Dr. Kempler at Advocate Lutheran General HospitalIn 1997, he became an associate of Dr. Jordan Kempler, a pioneer in the relationship of dental care and medical care at Lutheran General Hospital. In 1999, upon the untimely death of Dr. Kempler, Dr. Carlson continued to carry on and expand the interconnected care between the two medical fields. He looks forward to advancing this interconnection as more evidence and research progresses as he has done for the past 20 years at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.

Other achievements of Dr. Carlson include obtaining fellowship status in the prestigious Academy of General Dentistry. An achievement that he shares with only 10% of his dental colleagues throughout the nation.

“At THDC we have become the community’s advocate for eliminating the effects of unhealthy gums on medical conditions and chronic diseases through the proper delivery of dental treatment protocols. Having served on the staff of Luthern General Hospital for over 20 years, we have helped improve the “total health outcomes” for thousands of patients. We are proud to be a leader in the delivery of dental care in the service of our patients’ Total Health here in our community.”
– Dr. Bruce Carlson, DDS

For recreation, Dr. Carlson enjoys playing golf and fishing. He also enjoys playing basketball with his sons, Dean and Brandon. He is married to his lovely wife, Marilyn, who provides periodontal hygiene services for the office. Dr. Carlson met Marilyn while he was “moonlighting” during the time he was stationed at Great Lakes.

Marilyn Cruz, RDH


Marilyn has called Chicago and the northwest suburbs home for her entire life. She attended Northern Illinois University and majored in accounting. While in college, to earn some money in between semesters, she took a part-time position as a dental assistant in a Park Ridge dental office. She fell in love with the dental profession that upon graduation she decided to pursue a career in the dental field.

In 1998, Marilyn obtained her dental hygiene license from Harper College. In 1999, Marilyn and Dr. Carlson were married after which she started to provide full-time hygiene services for their practice in the Parkside professional building at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.