Dr. Dara Kimia D.M.D.
Dr. Kimia grew up in Montreal, Canada where he attended Dental School at the tender age of 17 and received his DMD degree in 2004 at the age of 23. He served as an Alpha Omega president, as well as the Dental Student Body President for two years.
After 15 yeas of brutal winters, he started his southwestern journey with a rather small move to Rochester, NY where he completed his AEGD residency. He remained and practiced in upstate New York till 2008 before moving to Scottsdale, AZ. After 5 years spent in the heat of the desert, and constant petitioning from family members, he finally surrendered and moved to Southern California in 2013.
He has diverse interests, first and foremost he is a huge sports fan and played baseball and hockey his whole life until the burden of dental school forced him into early retirement. Having grown up in Montreal, naturally he is a die hard Canadiens fan, as many of you know by now.
He speaks several languages and is fascinated by history, foreign cultures, politics and financial markets. As far as dentistry goes, as he says, he has been very fortunate over the years to work alongside great mentors who conveyed to him their knowledge and expertise in different disciplines. He truly enjoys all aspects of the dental field but excels in full mouth rehabilitation cases, smile design and surgery. His philosophy has always been to educate his patients, present them with all possible options as well as the pros and cons that go alongside them.
In our society today, there are very few dental offices remaining such as this one, a family oriented environment where patients truly come first. Our office always believes in giving back; on a yearly basis, Dr. Kimia and Cristina accompany UCLA students on a volunteer dental trip to remote, underprivileged and disaster stricken areas around the world in order to educate and provide access to care. This year's trip was to remote villages of the Dominican Republic closer to the Haitian border.
Dr. Brock Lorenz D.M.D.
Dr. Brock Lorenz is a highly trained and skilled Periodontist, performing all surgical aspects of implant dentistry and Periodontics. Dr. Lorenz earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree and Certificate in Public Health from the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health. Dr. Brock Lorenz grew up in Fairfax, Virginia and graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans with a Bachelor of Science in Management. Dr. Lorenz has volunteered thousands of hours at the University of California, San Diego Free Dental Clinic Project where he helped to provide dental care to the underserved members of his community.
Dr. Lorenz was the President of his class and President of the A.T. Still University Mesa Campus Student Government Association for two years. While in Arizona, he founded outreach clinics and events to improve the oral health of the underserved members of his community. He has received various awards in recognition of his academic accomplishments and humanitarian efforts.
Dr. Lorenz completed an additional three years of Periodontology training at the Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine. During his residency, he held the position of Chief Resident and clinical and academic teacher for dental students. In addition to his Certificate in Periodontology, Dr. Lorenz obtained his Master of Science in Dentistry at Nova Southeastern University. He is also certified to provide intravenous and oral sedation.
Dr. Lorenz has lectured for the Florida Academy of Periodontists and his research has been published in Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry. He has been active in implant-research and prospective clinical trials to examine efficacy of various grafting materials in bone augmentation procedures. Dr. Lorenz owes much of his success to those who trained him – some of the country’s leading implant and periodontal specialists. Dr. Lorenz is a member of the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) and the Academy of Osseointegration (AO). He currently resides in Orange County, California with his wife Meagan and their two daughters .
Dr. Danielle Akry D.D.S.
Dr. Danielle Akry is a general dentist with a focus on patients’ health in order to promote an optimal lifestyle for all.
Dr. Akry was born and raised in Los Angeles. She obtained a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from UC-Berkeley. Soon after, she attended the 4 year DDS program at the UCLA School of Dentistry. During her schooling, she did additional training in advanced restorative dentistry and prosthodontics. She continued her training abroad in Nicaragua and Vietnam, where she volunteered her time and skills for the local underserved populations. Beyond her travels, Dr. Akry was involved in local pediatric outreach programs through the professional dental fraternity Alpha Omega.
After she graduated, Dr. Akry participated in local courses and lectures on restorative, implant and esthetic dentistry. She has received additional certifications in Invisalign, Botox and Filler. Such training led her to practice conservative and well-rounded dentistry. Treating each patient as a whole, while offering dentistry at the utmost standard of care has permitted her to bond and comfort her patients. In addition, speaking Spanish and Hebrew has allowed her to further cross cultural and lingual barriers to further promote ease with her patients.
Dr. Akry is currently a member of the American Dental Association, Western Los Angeles Dental Association and other educational platforms to continue her knowledge and experience in dentistry. During her free time, she enjoys traveling, cooking and spending time with her family.
Dr. Darren Smolkin DDS
Dr. Darren Smolkin received his unergraduate degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery from Mcgill as well before completing his graduate training in endodontics (root canal therapy) from the University of Southern California in 1997. His goal is “to provide the highest quality of pain-free dental treatment.” Dr. Smolkin uses the latest in technology to perform root canal therapy that allows treatment to be more predictable and completed in less time.
Dr. Raffi Najarian DDS
Dr. Arnold Tichian DDS
Dr. Tichian was born in Philadelphia, PA, and raised in Chicago and Evanston. He received his DDS from Northwestern University Dental School and enlisted in the US Navy as a freshman. Upon graduation, he was now LT Tichian, DC, USNR. He served at MCRD in San Diego treating Marine recruits, and in his second year with MCB #3, the Seabees, responsible for 600 men in the battalion, in Okinawa, Guam, and Port Hueneme. Having served his duty to his country, he started private practice in Mission Hills, CA, where he practiced until selling and contracting with Dr. Kimia.
Dr. Tichian is a widower after being married to his one and only, Diana, for 55 years. They have two adult children, daughter Patrice, married to Dan Maljanian, 3 grandchildren, Adriana, Aram and Avi. His son, Arnie Jr, is serving his country in a MCB outside of Norfolk, VA.
He enjoys classical music, reading, model O gauge railroading with his grandson, Avi, and is an active member of Valley Presbyterian Church where he enjoys playing the trumpet in a group. In his younger days he enjoyed riding a motorcycle in the deserts of California with his son and brother-in-law. Lastly, he loves and enjoys his patients and dentistry and is grateful to Dr Kimia for giving him the opportunity to continue practicing.