About Douglas A. James, DDS

A vision of providing the highest quality dental care to his patients is what led Dr. James to develop Michigan Avenue Dental Associates, a dental group practice composed of two subgroups: Michigan Avenue General Dental Associates and Michigan Avenue Dental Specialty Associates. He started his practice in 1974 when Dr. Kenneth C. Washburn, one of his dental school professors, asked him to be his associate. Since then he not only has maintained his own full-time private practice but, maintaining the philosophy of his teacher and mentor, he continued to actively pursue his dental education. Successfully fulfilling the rigorous academic requirements of the Academy of General Dentistry, he received the academy’s “Fellowship” (F.A.G.D.) Award in 1987 and in 1991 he received the highest award the Academy bestows, to only a few members annually, the “Mastership” (M.A.G.A.) Award. In 1992 he was honored by the American Society of Osseointegration, a component society of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists with a “Fellowship” Award for his accomplishments in “Dental Implantdontics”. Concurrently with his continued academic achievements, Dr. James designed and contracted to build in 1987 a new and more efficient dental office where dentists could practice in an environment of learning and of sharing of knowledge and experience. Ideas and knowledge could more easily be exchanged when multiple practitioners practiced together in the same office. This group was named, Michigan Avenue Dental Associates. Realizing a continued need for optimal care for his patients and those of his associates, in 1990 he arranged for a dental specialist to join the group. This co-group of dental specialists was named, Michigan Avenue Dental Specialty Associates. Dr. James feels honored to treat those patients who walk through the door of the practice, and acknowledges they deserve the highest quality dental care possible. Dr. James is a native of Evanston, Illinois where he attended four years and graduated from Evanston Township High School. He graduated from Drake University in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.), and continued his post graduate work at the University of Illinois School of Dentistry at the Medical Center in Chicago, receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree (B.S.D.) in 1971 and his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree (D.D.S.) in 1973. With many years of practical dental experience to draw from Dr. James’s practice focuses mainly on the treatment of difficult and complex reconstructive and cosmetic adult dentistry. During his 42 years of practice he has placed more than 15,000 crowns and preformed more than 10,000 root canals. This is a highly imaginative and creative dentist who has developed through his many years of practice and continuing education many sophisticated skills for restoring oral function and obtains for his patients functional harmony and optimal cosmetic appearance. With more than twenty-five years of experience in the placement of implants, Dr. James has become a highly trained dental implantologist, who views complex implant cases as an exciting challenge. He has also refined his skills over the years in working with cosmetic bonding, porcelain veneers, porcelain restorations, laser dentistry, as well as a wide array of other special cosmetic procedures to obtain for his patients the most optimal, functional and best cosmetic results. Despite being at the helm of a thriving group practice, and his own private practice, this highly energized practioner made time to marry and raise two children. His daughter Jennifer attended Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida where she received her Bachelor of Science degree (B.S.) and further attended Rollins’s graduate business school, the Crummer School of Business, receiving her Master of Business Administration degree (M.B.A.). Furthering her education and following in her father’s footsteps, she attended Temple University’s Maurice H. Kronberg School of Dentistry, graduating with her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree (D.D.S.) in 2014. She is currently attending the University of Texas School of Dentistry for the post doctorate specialty program of periodontics. Matthew, his son, graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics. Went on to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology where he obtained his teaching certification in 2014. Matthew is currently serving as an officer on the bridge of the Chicago Sail and Power Squadron as the Squadron Secretary. Matthew is currently attending DePaul University in its post graduate division in Computer Science where in 2017 he will receive his Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering.