‘New energy’: La Jolla Dental Boutique offers patients an upgraded office and technology

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With an emphasis on safety and attention, La Jolla Dental Boutique has made upgrades to its office, and its owners and staff are hoping the enhancements will lead to upgrades in their patients’ smiles.

Drs. Erez and Irene Nosrati, the husband and wife who took on the practice in 2018, are welcoming patients back after many stayed away during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s been nice to see that people are starting to get back to health and taking care of their oral health needs,” Irene said. “We’ve noticed an impact of the pandemic on oral health.”

She said “gum disease has been very prevalent after two years of staying away from cleaning.” Plus, there’s been an uptick in cavities, as “there have been more diet changes [with] people staying home and snacking.”

Irene said the dental office at 525 Nautilus St. was closed for only two months at the onset of the pandemic, but many patients were reluctant to return until they felt it was safer.

“Dental offices are safe,” Erez said, emphasizing that La Jolla Dental Boutique has always followed health protocols and hasn’t had a case of COVID-19 transmitted via its office or staff.

Irene said the practice is seeing more new patients as more people move to the area. “There are lots of great new people in the neighborhood,” she said.

The office also took on a new team as staff members retired during the pandemic.

Erez and Irene completed an office renovation a few months ago, updating everything from equipment to countertops and flooring.

“Everything’s brand-new,” Erez said. “We did everything to make it a state-of-the-art facility.”

“It’s new energy,” Irene said. “Building community and getting to know everybody.”

She added that “our goal is to be the neighborhood dentist, and we do everything in one place. We want to get to know you, we want to have a relationship.”

Irene said the practice offers every dental service, from regular cleaning and teeth whitening to complex surgeries.

“We have the most advanced technology,” she said, noting that the office boasts a CT scanner and 3-D imaging equipment. “All our cosmetic dentistry is the highest level available.”

The procedures are carried out by Irene, a general dentist, and Erez, a periodontist, who team up to discuss treatment plans.

“We work together to optimize treatment,” Irene said. “We do everything in one place. It’s convenient; you can get two opinions at the same time. ... You know, start to finish, how much things are going to cost, what’s going to be involved, vs. going to multiple different offices and [experiencing] miscommunications.”

Erez, who also is an assistant professor with the Loma Linda University School of Dentistry’s advanced specialty education program in periodontics and dental implant surgery, said La Jolla Dental Boutique is the only office in La Jolla to offer root canals with IV sedation.

Irene and Erez have a combined 30 years of dental practice between them, but their practice is “not corporate. We schedule one patient at a time; we want to give you your time,” Irene said.

The Carmel Valley residents bought the practice, established in the 1960s, from Dr. Jacob Russell after being introduced to him by mutual friends and wanting to leave Chicago for La Jolla, Erez said. Most of the patients stayed on with the Nosratis, he said.

Russell’s practice was “very much the style we were looking for,” Irene said. She and Erez have worked to “make it better,” focusing on “individual attention and really high-quality aesthetic work,” she said.

Erez said “we continue the connection [Russell] had with the patient, but we brought much more technology and much more knowledge” through Erez’s specialty.

“We give people the treatment they deserve, the treatment they want,” Irene said. “We love what we do.”

For more information, visit lajolladentalboutique.com.

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