A2Z Dental Center, Valley Village

As a dental veteran with more than a quarter century of experience, Dr. Alexander Gerbakher aims to undermine dentistry’s reputation for causing pain. He starts by throwing away sutures and blades, two items that rank high on the list of why patients avoid the dentist, along with “dentist clearly doesn’t care about my life, as he or she waits until my mouth is full to ask about it.” During gum treatments, soft tissue never sees the cold metallic glint of the forbidding tools. Instead, Dr. Gerbakher treats infected and overgrown gums with lasers, which destroy infected tissue while cauterizing the area, eliminating bleeding and the necessity to stitch the cut.

But lasers are just one way in which Dr. Gerbakher demonstrates his interest in patient comfort. Through each of his dental implants, root canals, and cosmetic treatments, he and his team educate patients on all procedures, answering questions and designing treatments around their specific level of comfort.