Dr Terry G. Dischinger, well-known in the orthodontic community and in private practice in Oregon for decades, died on October 10.
Terry G. Dischinger, DDS, well-known in the orthodontic community and in private practice in Lake Oswego, Ore, for decades, died on October 10, at the age of 82.
Before entering dentistry, Dischinger was a basketball star, playing at Purdue University and landing on the 1960 U.S. Olympic basketball team at the age of 19. The team took the gold medal in Rome. Two years later, he was first pick in the second round 1962 NBA draft, joining the Chicago Zephyrs. He played in the NBA while still completing his degree in chemical engineering at Purdue. Dischinger went on to play for the Baltimore Bullet and Detroit Pistons until leaving in 1965 to serve in the U.S. Army. There, he was introduced to dentistry.
Dischinger returned to the NBA in 1967, continuing with the Pistons and then going on to the Portland Trailblazers in 1972 and 1973. Over nine seasons, he was a three-time All-Star.
Upon retiring from the NBA, Dischinger went to dental school at the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry in Memphis. He went on to complete his MS in orthodontics at Oregon Health and Science University’s School of Dentistry in Portland. He practiced for more than 30 years in Lake Oswego, and was joined in his practice by his son Bill.
Dischinger, who was a long-time Orthodontic Products editorial advisory board member, held several patents and lectured and trained orthodontists worldwide.
