Beyond the Smiles, Two Local Dentists Are Joyfully Redefining Wellness in the South Bay

“We set up a sign that says, ‘Ask me anything,’” Michael says about Coffee Talk—one of the ways these two professionals hope to ease people’s minds about a visit to the dentist. “People come out of the woodwork. They’ve got questions, fears or just curiosity. We’ve gained a ton of patients that way because they meet us as people first.”

Let’s face it: For many, a trip to the dentist triggers immediate dread. Michael and Kevin recognize that and set out to meet that fear before a patient even visits the office. That’s why both men are stepping out into the community, surfboard in one hand, coffee in the other. Their community-focused initiatives are helping South Bay residents redefine what oral health really means—and how it ties in to the bigger picture of overall wellness.

“We want to make going to the dentist feel good,” says Kevin. “Not just in the chair, but through everything we do—before, during and after you walk through our doors.”

Both dentists took winding roads to end up in this sunny corner of Southern California. Kevin grew up outside Cleveland, Ohio, and always dreamed of heading west. After dental school and a decade in Chicago, he and his wife, Luisa—who was raised in Manhattan Beach—finally made the leap to the South Bay during the pandemic.

“We were always trying to get here, and once we did, we just knew it was home,” he says. “There’s something special about this community—the loyalty, the warmth. It’s more than I could’ve imagined.”

Michael, raised in Las Vegas, relocated to California to attend the USC School of Dentistry and discovered the South Bay while staying in Westchester. What started as a temporary move turned into a long-term love story. He began practicing in Redondo Beach in 2004 after purchasing the practice from his former employer. More than two decades later, he’s still deeply rooted in the community he fell in love with.

“We’re bringing together like-minded people who care about their health, in and out of the dental chair.”

“I ended up in Hermosa for a year and thought, ‘Wow, this is it!’” he says. “It had everything I loved about Newport but with a more grounded, community feel.”

The pair set up two serene, beach-inspired locations—one in Redondo Beach led by Michael and one in Manhattan Beach helmed by Kevin. Transforming a sterile medical office into something calming and enjoyable, they brought in aromatherapy, noise-canceling headphones, heated neck wraps and even weighted blankets.

“Little things like that make a huge difference for someone with dental anxiety,” says Kevin.

This sensory approach is intentional. From the tone of voice used by front-desk staff to the warmth of the waiting rooms, the experience is designed to ease tension.

“We don’t ask if patients want these amenities,” says Michael. “We offer them because everyone’s first instinct is to say, ‘Oh, I’m fine.’ But once they experience it—the aromatherapy, the warm neck wrap—it really takes the edge off.” They also offer sedation options for those needing extra support—everything from oral sedation to nitrous and IV.

But the duo’s mission is bigger than filling cavities. Rather than staying behind the mask, they are taking their work far beyond the confines of a traditional practice into the community.

Their quarterly Surf Club says it all. Locals gather at the beach to catch waves with the doctors before participating in a wellness experience like breath work, Pilates or yoga, in collaboration with South Bay businesses like Breathe & Learn, Jamie Lovelynn and The Daily.

“We’re bringing together like-minded people who care about their health, in and out of the dental chair,” says Kevin. “These events are about connection, education and fun.”

Most of all, Michael and Kevin are passionate about educating the community on the direct link between oral and systemic health. “We stopped asking patients how their teeth are,” says Michael. “We ask how their health is. Because what’s happening in the mouth often tells us what’s happening in the rest of the body.”

They take patients’ blood pressure at every visit, screen for sleep apnea and airway issues, and look beyond the surface for the root cause of problems. “Fifty percent of strokes and heart attacks are tied to gum disease,” says Michael. “It’s not about vanity—it’s about longevity.”

Both doctors take a whole-body approach, especially when working with children. “A lot of kids are diagnosed with ADHD when it’s actually an untreated sleep disorder,” says Kevin. “When we improve their breathing, everything changes—from behavior to focus. That’s the kind of dentistry that excites us.”

Both Michael and Kevin live locally, raise families here and treat patients like neighbors. “Becoming a part of the community and giving back to the community, we’ve been able to find people who have like-minded visions,” shares Kevin. “The events we do are building community, and that’s important because the more connected we are, the healthier we are.”

Their social media presence reflects that same ethos. Scroll through their feed, and you’ll see surfing snapshots, wellness collaborations and plenty of smiling patients—but not a single scary drill in sight. “We intentionally keep our content focused on positivity, lifestyle and community,” says Michael. “It’s about building trust and showing who we are.”

The partners know that not everyone will be in their chair as regularly as they should, but that’s still OK. “People want the treatment,” adds Michael, “but fear holds them back. So we meet them where they are, and we do as much as we can in a single visit so they don’t have to keep coming back.”