Alright, so this may be a little bit of a different review. I am in the beginning stages of my treatment and the results won't be final until months from now. So, what's to review you might say? Well, the teeth I'll have to update on.. but my experience so far? There's a lot I could say about that.
It all started in March of this year. How I ended up in Dr. Mahallati's office is just one of those things where you think you're heading in one direction, but life swoops in and turns everything upside down, taking you elsewhere.
One moment I am consulting with a dentist to replace my old veneers for aesthetic purposes.. and the next (after a couple referrals), I am sent in another direction as I find out I have gum disease and severe enough bone loss that I will be loosing some teeth. Not just any teeth. Front teeth. The work requires not 1 dentist, but 2. Not just veneers, but surgery, bone grafting, long periods of healing, implants, many visits. Not just any visits, flying in for visits. Not just any me, a traumatized from childhood, immensely fearful of dentists, me.
I come from a war torn country. To put it mildly, dental work in such extreme times wasn't what most people normally experience. I can rationalize all I want that a comfortable office in Beverly Hills is at the opposite spectrum of my childhood experience, but my body remembers the fear.
After being referred to his office, enter Dr. Mahallati. A comedian? A dentist? A bit of both? He's been making me laugh since our first Zoom call back in April. Between then and now, he's patiently answered all of my emails, countless questions, both virtually and in person and continues to do so as we go along. I've expressed my past traumas around dentists and I actually feel heard and understood this time around. I won't name names, but there may or may not be others in the office who can relate to my fears, so in a strange way, I feel like I fit right in!
I am also naturally interested in all things creative and Dr. Mahallati doesn't hesitate to explain and show every part of the process. He has a pretty cool in office lab that he'll show off if you'd like to see. When it comes to his work, even something as simple as numbing technique is reflective of his approach to things. Slow, methodical, with the comfort of the patient in mind. He really takes his time to make sure you feel no pain.
Now let's get to the part that really sets this office apart from others as a whole:
It is the lovely Maria and Lexie at the front desk who always welcome you with a smile (regardless of the mask). A smile that reaches the eyes. Those are felt, not just seen. Although prompt in always answering questions, coordinating with my other dentist's office, scheduling and moving things around to accommodate my flights in and out and making it all somehow seem smooth and effortless, it is the smiles and their welcoming energy I remember.
It is the gentle nature of the super focused lab technician who always seems to be absorbed in his work.
It is the beautiful dental assistant Kristin, whose nurturing, caring nature just flows out of her being. Wether holding my hands when afraid, covering my eyes so I wouldn't get upset at the state of my missing front teeth on the screen, or painfully (for her) holding my lip up for long periods of time, so I wouldn't feel the missing areas during the temporaries fitting process, it is her comforting nature that transcends her work.
There's an underlying current to the whole of the office, one of kindness and compassion. It is a well oiled machine, running smoothly in a non chaotic, organized way.
Personalities, each akin to to a piece of unique glass, shining forth their own genius in what they do, with no task too small or insignificant, end up forming a beautiful, yet unique mosaic of the experience that is this office.
And as you interact with everyone, and you observe the interactions they have with each other, your heart expands at the humanity in us all. We all have fears of something, we all deal with it in different ways; some by avoidance, some by not trusting anyone to do it for us but ourselves, some by just crying it out with a splash of tequila involved . That's what I remember.
(The review continues in the attached photo! It was too long to post) read more