SPANISH FORT, Ala. — You may see him out on the boat saltwater fishing, walking on the beach with his wife or playing in the sand with his dog. But what does Dr. Jason Bailey do when he’s not enjoying the sand and surf?

Bailey rotates time among four orthodontist offices in Spanish Fort, Robertsdale, Foley and Gulf Shores.

He has worked for Island Orthodontics since 2005 with Dr. Renee Dyken whose practice has three offices. The practice also works out of the Buckley and Buckley Family Dentistry office located at the Eastern Shore Centre.

“Spanish Fort is such a great convenient area to see patients from Mobile to Pensacola,” he said. “It’s just so easy to get here. Parents can go shopping or go to Barnes and Noble while they wait.”

“It’s a great laid-back area.”

He lives in Gulf Shores with his wife, Heather, and their dog Kirin. The couple adopted the terrier-mix from the Humane Society of the United States about five years ago.

Bailey, a Birmingham native, in 1997  graduated cum laude from Birmingham Southern, where he received his bachelor of science degree in biology. After graduation he attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry. Following dental school, he completed an advanced dental fellowship at UAB hospital from 2001 to 2002. Finally, he went on to do three years of specialty training in orthodontics and earned his postdoctoral master’s in orthodontics at UAB in 2005.

“It took a long time to get into the field but it’s very rewarding,” he said.

Bailey said he was inspired to go into orthodontics by his own orthodontist.

“When I had braces when I was younger I had a good experience,” Bailey said. “My orthodontist was a good guy.”

He said his orthodontist always looked like he really enjoyed what he did for a living.

“I was looking for something where I could have fun at work and enjoy,” he said. “I get a lot of great patients, especially the teenagers; they’re real fun.”

Bailey is a member of the American Dental Association, the Alabama Dental Association, American Association of Orthodontists, the Southern Association of Orthodontists and the Alabama Alumni Association, and is president of the South Baldwin Study Club.

Also, he completed both phases of the American Board of Orthodontics.

Bailey said he loves to travel. He and his wife went to Belize for their honeymoon and have been back once since, but hope to go again soon. They love to scuba dive and fish while they’re there.

“It’s a really laid-back area with a nice atmosphere,” Bailey said. “The people there are also really friendly.”