HL Health, Wellness: Dr. Arthur A. Kezian Review – Kind, Caring, Painless Dental Services For the Squeamish

Dr. Arthur A. Kezian, a Board Certified, UCLA educated, community established dentist, located in the Larchmont Village area of Los Angeles, became known to me through Angie’s List, when, unfortunately, a cracked tooth forced me into dental care action.

Squeamish, an avoiding of the dentist at all costs, and yes, I admit I do have lifelong issues and had been fortunate, until the last decade, to have been able to avoid any professional dental care at all costs.

Back in January, an unavoidable dental issue came up and not that I’m new to Los Angeles, this was just the first time I needed to seek out professional dental care.

Finding an Immediate Needs Dentist in Los Angeles

So, like everyone, heading to the internet and a quick google search put me on Angie’s List and then a narrower search brought up a list of possible. I had a few benchmarks that were deal makers or breakers for me so knowing there were a few variables I couldn’t control I started my search.

Dr. Kezain is well represented on social media. His Angie’s List page had enough references that he appeared to be legitimate. I also understood Angie’s List is well used and often is chastised for creating “legitimate” reviews. Fake news as it were.

So even with that thought in my mind his Angie’s List page was well positioned. So, next hurdle, I followed the links to his office. His website is also very through and extensive. He has many videos, introducing himself to his office, practice, and procedures. There is a level of social media transparency to his practice. The next step was the visit. So, I emailed, explaining my situation.

They were prompt in their reply and followed through with a phone call. Next of course was the visits.

Okay so deep breath. As far as I was concerned my dental needs were a quick extraction and we’re finished thanks it was great.

Not really one to hang around at the Dentist office I was prepared for the procedure to be completed on my schedule. Quick, painless and finished.

Not so fast. . .my dentist wanted a relationship with my teeth. The commitment phoebe that I am I was ready for a quick extraction and out the door. He had other ideas. So, the initial appointment after explaining my situation, which I guess is standard procedure, included a full set of digital x-rays along with a full set of images.

Trust me on this when you see your teeth on the big screen, with the most obvious need showing and enlarged, you’ll agree.

The Next Steps

His office, located very near Paramount Pictures Studios on Melrose Avenue, is state of the art. I was surprised at the digital x-rays. The show every cavity, dark shadow of decay, any color from early childhood fillings to adjustments as the dental profession has progressed.  At the end of the initial procedure, the doctors review the images, the needs, and then bring you to the office, discuss the results and the course of action to complete the needs.

Hearing my teeth needed a deep cleaning, calcium removal, buffed and shined, was not a shocker, and I knew about the extraction, and I also knew of two other dental issues. Like I said the dentist was avoided until an absolute need arose.

My teeth began to crumble and I know it sounds like massive, fluoride absent decay, which is not accurate. I’ve determined it to be Diet Coke, he said sweets, ( I think that means not just candy, which I rarely have) and I also, like any diligent researcher and after consulting webMD, and Dental MD, I felt confident in my own diagnoses. I have an uncorrected overbite which, according to my consultation with the anonymous dental MD, can actually cause all my issues.

Anyway, the pathway to the beautiful smile the doctor loves in all his patients was discussed. My first visit was reasonable for the pre-procedure determinations.

If, like in my case, extensive work is needed, the office staff will work with the client. So, next visit the deep cleaning began.

The Cleaning

The cleaning is divided into two visits, Novocain is used and the procedure is completed efficiently. The heavy water spray used to loosen the gums and gunk which is then drilled off. In-between the teeth are vigorously scraped (and honestly, I wasn’t sure my teeth would hold up, I had been concerned).

With the gum loosened they expand from around the tooth allowing the doctor to reach down the length of the tooth scrapping up and cleaning the calculus, and decay from the teeth. The gums, usually take a week to normalize and close around the tooth sealing it.

For me this was completed in two visits. The second appointment included extracting the tooth that forced me to search out a dentist.

Besides it being a whopper of a week, I sat down and was ready to cry. The dread of the dental visits past was enough. I was fortunate the chair looked out over a perfect palm tree, and a beautiful blue California sky.

The Surgical Dental Extraction

The extraction portion of my dental visits had finally arrived. I must admit I would have been fine at postponing it. Again.

He said many things to me when I first arrived. He explained how he would extract the tooth, and it was the last upper molar, with no pain. (Sure, I thought, that’s the game to get you in the chair. They must have thought I just got off the bus.) I was in a place of need, my molar broke. Fortunately, it was not hurting and if it hadn’t been at the gum line, I don’t think I would have sought out a dentist.

Dr. K begin this visit with numbing the area with a topical so the major Novocain injection would be painless.

Before I knew it, with the “surgical” only a few minutes away he was prepping the extraction area before the second set of cleaning. He also added a booster injection.

And I’m not sure if that is due to my jaw, teeth, and sinus structure or if he just knew my low tolerance to the dentist. Either way, it wasn’t the loopy gas, just lots of Novocain and then he began to work the initial procedure.

Extractions are what they are: pulling an injured or decayed tooth still connected by its roots from the jawline, which is bone mass. The idea in any extraction is to pull it out intact, no breakage, as it basically deteriorates into a mess of crumbling tooth.

Dr. K was thorough. The method of extracting the tooth, any tooth, begins with rocking it to loosen it from the root pocket.

Pain or Discomfort

One very important distinction before an extraction or any dental procedure is pain and discomfort. I’m generally uncomfortable, with dental procedures, so my discomfort level is high. I have zero tolerance for dental pain. No person wants to go to the dentist and have a procedure that ends painfully.

So, is there discomfort when having an extraction? Yes. And again, I feel I’m speaking for the majority, there is discomfort when an extraction is performed.

Is there pain? That, to me, is the bigger and more important question.  With Dr. K, I did not experience pain.

Sounds great. Slip that tooth out as they say. Rainbows and lollipops. Sure. Okay not so quick. As a sensory person, the sound of the drill evokes a level of discomfort, simply hearing it and for me every movie I’ve seen from The Marathon Man to A Cure for Wellness that has dental scenes runs through my mind.

The sound of the drill, the sound of the extraction, which the doctor’s assistant explained would sound like cracking teeth and reverberate, like an echo in my mind, will also create an increased level of discomfort.

So, Dr. K walks in, very cool, calm, and says “let’s go.” Directing the show, the assistants are ready and the only person who wanted to wait was me. He looked at the tooth and I looked at the dental extraction pliers and closed my eyes.

He was grabbing the tooth, rocking, pulling, rocking it, and then crack! Louder than one expects, which represents the tooth loosening from the root pocket and 30 seconds later the procedure which took maybe seven minutes was over. The roots of the molar were perfectly intact and clean. The molar itself, was like it looked in the picture, cracked and the old cavity filling empty.

Post Op Care

So, next came post-op sutures. The doctors, after giving me a few minutes, began adding the stitches to complete the procedure.

For the squeamish and dental shy, the entire procedure went far better than the imaginary trailer that I had created in my mind and in fact, edited, added dialogue, and reviewed every day leading up to this extraction.

So, with both done, the post op dental care was standard and left to the patient to manage. Simple instructions, and another aspect of Dr. Kezian’s practice are well-presented, clear, and defined instructions. Patients are not simply told or explained how to handle the post-surgical or dental care. His highly skilled and trained staff walks the patient through the next phase, provides complete and detailed instructions, and a handout for reference.

Overall, my interaction with Dr. Kezain and his staff was far beyond what I could have imagined the procedure to be. It was easier than I had anticipated and more importantly painless.

His advanced social media introduction provides potential patients with extensive introductions to the various procedures offered and staff members. State of the art technology, in all areas, not simply the initial introductory areas, but also in cosmetic dentistry and other advanced needs which, fortunately, haven’t been necessary.

More About Dr. Kezian

Dr. Kezian ensures patients are well informed and has an extensive database of published work and articles available for review. Topics including the simplicity of tooth brushing tips to Dental Fluoride to intermediate needs of What is Periodontal (Gum) Disease to Pregnancy Gingivitis and Advanced Dental Technology for Cosmetic Dentistry. All articles can be found by following this link:   http://www.drkezian.com/articles/

Dr. Arthur Kezian, a LA Dentist, is a graduate of UCLA Dental School where he earned The Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 1983. Prior to that he earned his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from UCLA in 1979.

His primary focus of interest is in the medical and scientific component of modern dental therapy. To best provide advanced comprehensive dental care, Dr. Kezian, continues to seek training.

He has earned more than 1500 credit hours in numerous specialties including Esthetic and Cosmetic Dentistry, Root Canal Therapy, Crown and Bridge, Periodontics, Removable, Prosthetics and Pain Management.

Dr. Kezian, a LA Dentist, is an active member of the American Dental Association and California Dental Association for the past 23 years. Along with maintaining ties with the UCLA Dental Alumni, he has been the Past President of the Armenian Professional Society and is active in church, local civic and school organizations.

Dr. Arthur A. Kezian, committed to furthering education and scientific developments also provides an annual science scholarship. Deadline for the 2017 application is March 31, 2017.

**During the initial cleaning, Dr. Kezian allowed another associate to handle the deep cleaning. The individual sheered off the top two layers of the enamel on the canine which two other dentists explain the tooth can not be saved.

Haute Tease