Incompetent & Untrustworthy
I had been seeing Dr. Monica Moussanejad at Tarzana Smile Design for several years. She did a permanent lower bridge that came off after five months. Dr. Moussanejad re-cemented it with--as she put it--"Stronger Cement." Well, her technician mixed the cement & I figured anyone can hire an incompetent so I forgave her.
I later needed an upper partial bridge & I had Dr. Monica do it. I was happy to see that an oral camera was used that takes digital photos. After three adjustments, it was perfect. So, of course when I needed a partial lower bridge in 2-2026, I saw Dr. Monica again. I first suspected problems with her lab when her office called to reschedule twice - once to say the bridge wasn't completed & the second time to say "The bridge was lost." Obviously, she's using a different lab - unprofessional, but cheaper for her, since part of the cost is her lab fee.
On 4-9-26, the office called to come in for a fitting. When I arrived, expecting to finally get a bridge, Dr. Monica, instead pulled a wax blank with no teeth out of a bag & tried unsuccessfully to press it on my gums, which was very painful. And when I say it was painful, I have to qualify that since "Painful" is a relative term. I'm used to dental pain. I've had 30 root canals, 30 crowns, nine extractions & gum surgery. I didn't understand why the Dr. would do the fitting that cheap way when she already charged me $125.00 for a digital camera fitting several weeks earlier. Apparently, the lab Dr. Monica now uses doesn't have digital equipment or isn't trained in its use. So, the $125.00 was a "Gift."
On 4-21-26 after not hearing from the office, I called & the receptionist apologized for the bridge taking so long. Well, an employee who wants to stay employed has to be skilled at apologizing & making excuses so, no surprise there. She said the bridge should be ready by 4-30-26 & made another appointment.
On 5-1-26, the bridge was tried on & when it was pressed in place, it felt like sharp knives cutting into my gums; more painful than any extraction or root canal I've had. When I nearly jumped out of the chair, Dr. Monica pretended not to notice & suggested wearing the bridge for a few hours to "Get used to it." Three more adjustments didn't help & by then I noted swelling, infection, bleeding & throbbing pain on my gums. Dr. Monica then wrote a prescription for an ointment that was supposed to help the sore areas heal & she suggested wearing the bridge again the next day, which was impossible. What I needed (and wasn't getting) was a bridge that fit, made by skilled lab technicians like my previous partial; not more prescriptions to repair the damage caused by incompetence.
On 5-8-26 the pain became unbearable. I returned the poor-fitting bridge on 5-11-26. I wasn't about to risk a similar situation a few years ago when a dentist performed an incompetent & incomplete root canal that resulted in four days in Intensive Care & two weeks hospitalization for Sepsis - a deadly infection that resulted.
After spending $2,700.00, I have to shop for a competent dentist to redo the bridge, while eating out of a blender for five months, since I have no bottom molars.
On 6-17-26, the receptionist at Tarzana Smile Design phoned me & made a ridiculous offer to refund half of the cost of the bridge, which means I will have spent $1,275.00 for nothing, plus another $2,250.00 for another dentist to do a competent bridge. I find that unacceptable. Obviously, patients no longer matter; what matters is how much money can be squeezed out of their patients.
Suggestion: Think twice about having Tarzana Smile Design as your dentist. The practice isn't what it used to be.