Since my background is critical care nursing, I'm comfortable with doctors and the general medical world. However, I do have the occasional paranoia regarding dentists and dental work. I had a great dentist in the SF Bay Area. I moved to LA 5 years ago. Since the move, I had been trekking back to No. Calif. to my trusted dentist. I recently decided to search for a ""great"" dentist in LA. Friends pitched their dentists, but no one had a truly brilliant review to offer. My next step was cruising Citysearch. Dr. Parham's fantastic patient reviews caught my attention. Fast-forward: At my initial visit, Dr. Parham (very correctly) assessed my need for periodontal work, and with one phone call, I was immediately seen by an excellent (and very busy) periodontist. Subsequently, a tooth extraction was necessary. My only previous experience for this was for 3 impacted wisdom teeth, extracted by an oral surgeon under light general anesthesia. When Dr. Parham suggested my extraction would be under local anesthesia only, my dentist paranoia kicked in. She was very patient with me and explained things so well that I decided to trust her expertise. Today is my 1st day post ""pulled tooth"". Here's my operative report: I was greeted by the delightfully friendly and knowledgeable assistant, Francisco, along with the aromatherapy of the waiting room, and some cool, soothing music. Dr. Parham chatted to make sure I was calm and happy (I was relatively calm). Then came the local anesthetic injection to the tooth area - didn't even feel it! She's a genius! I listened to my IPOD Nano, and enjoyed a completely pain free procedure, which lasted about 30 minutes (my tooth was a bit stubborn). Of course, my jaw is a bit sore from the ""open wide"" syndrome -- I mean, come on, they have to get to the tooth... I have needed only Aleve/Advil post-op, and I hardly notice that I had a tooth pulled -- just yesterday. In my opinion, Dr. Parham deserves a rating of ""STELLAR"".
Pros: Caring, excellent technique, ambience is great, state-of-the-art technology - did I say caring? ;)
Cons: Parking can be a bit pricey in the building's valet-only
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