From Brazil to Michigan to Sacramento
Dr. Booms grew up in Brazil with five siblings — four of them brothers. Her father is an engineering professor; her mother is a biology professor. Growing up in a household where physics and biology were the dinner conversation, she was drawn to both fields long before she knew where it would lead.
It led to dental school. And then, more specifically, to orthodontics — which Dr. Booms describes as the place where physics and biology meet. The forces that move teeth are physics. The way the body responds, remodels bone, and stabilizes a new bite is biology. Once she found that intersection, she never looked back.
The University of Michigan years
While in dental school in Brazil, Dr. Booms's favorite author and academic influence was a professor at the University of Michigan. Her goal became to study orthodontics there. She did. After completing her DDS at the Federal University of Uberlandia, she moved to Ann Arbor for a three-year orthodontic residency.
She graduated with her Master of Science in Orthodontics from the University of Michigan in 2001 — and stayed on as an Associate Professor, teaching the next generation of orthodontists at one of the country's top dental schools.
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DDSDoctor of Dental SurgeryFederal University of Uberlandia, Brazil
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2001MS in OrthodonticsUniversity of Michigan School of Dentistry
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2001–2006Associate Professor of OrthodonticsUniversity of Michigan School of Dentistry
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OngoingDiplomate, American Board of OrthodonticsThe highest credential available in the orthodontic specialty
Why Sacramento
Dr. Booms met her husband Christopher in Michigan. In 2006, the family relocated to Sacramento — partly for the weather, which is closer to her hometown in Brazil than Michigan winters ever were. Chris, in her words, has been "a trooper adapting to Sacramento's summers."
The Booms family is here because of the outdoors. They camp, hike, bike, paddle board, and spend a lot of time finding new swim holes in the Sierras. Dr. Booms has two kids — Enzo and Lia — who keep her amazed and on her toes.
"Orthodontics is the combination of physics and biology I was always looking for. The forces that move teeth are physics. The body remodeling around them is biology. Once I saw that, I never wanted to do anything else."
— Dr. Thais BoomsWhy "Diplomate" matters
Dr. Booms is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics — the highest professional credential in the orthodontic specialty. The board certification process requires submitting a portfolio of finished cases, sitting for clinical and written examinations, and demonstrating clinical excellence beyond the residency baseline.
Most orthodontists complete residency and never pursue board certification. Dr. Booms did, and so did her partner Dr. Kelly Giannetti — making this practice one of the few in the Sacramento region with two ABO Diplomates on the same team.
What East Coast training brings to the partnership
Dr. Booms and Dr. Giannetti have practiced together since 2007. The two were trained on opposite sides of the country — Dr. Booms at Michigan, Dr. Giannetti at Harvard and UCSF. Different programs, different clinical cultures, different perspectives on how to approach the same case.
For patients, that's the practical advantage. Most cases get the perspective of two specialists, not one. The complex ones — relapse cases, surgical coordination, adult cases with prior dental work — are routinely discussed by both doctors before a treatment plan is finalized.
Outside the office
Dr. Booms is part of the Davis and Sacramento community where she practices, and loves seeing familiar faces at the office. Outside of work, she's most likely on a trail, on a paddle board, or in a swim hole somewhere in the Sierras with her family.