Riviera Orthodontics
Arash Bakhtari, DDS, MS:
Practice Profile Page

I chose Riviera Orthodontics to do my teeth straightening because it had high reviews, was local to me and was given a very affordable deal. From the very first experience I’ve had with them (when I was trying to book an appointment) until the very last visit (when I received my retainer after I completed my Invisalign trays), Dr. Bakhtari and his assistant, Erika, have always been very accommodating, personable and flexible. I had my active toddler with me for some of the visits and they were always so patient and kind with him. They even interacted with him all while going through our appointments. Most places don’t like it when they bring your child, but they were always very welcoming and understanding. Not only do they respond to my e-mails, texts (regarding appointments) and phone calls quickly, I rarely have to wait for long when I arrive to the office too, making the appointments quick and efficient. I always expressed what I wanted in my final smile and both Dr. Bakhtari and Erika were always very informative, supportive and honest with what I wanted and I am glad I received it at the end. They are a great team and work well together and I am so glad I got my perfect smile from them.

I would like to say thank you to Dr. Bakhtari and his courteous staff. I have been putting off getting braces for a few years now, or more like just dreading the experience, however after seeing Dr. B (as I like to now call him) grand opening just around the block from me I decided to go in and get checked out. The whole process was extremely smooth from my initial visit to the actual placement of my invisalign. To quote, “Wearing the aligners will gradually and gently shift your teeth into place, based on the exact movements your dentist or orthodontist plans out for you. There are no metal brackets to attach and no wires to tighten. You just pop in a new set of aligners approximately every two weeks, until your treatment is complete. You’ll achieve a great smile with little interference in your daily life. The best part about the whole process is that most people won’t even know you’re straightening your teeth.” It has only been about a month, but I would definitely recommend Riviera Orthodontics to everyone in the South Bay and beyond. Thank you Dr. B getting me through this fear I had and making it all very comfortable. FIVE STARS all the way.

I wanted to submit a review for Riviera Orthodontics in Redondo Beach and its new lingual braces treatment. Full disclosure: I am related to the orthodontist (Dr. Bakhtari) and I received my braces at no cost, as a pilot run for a new treatment being offered by Riviera Orthodontics – Lingual Braces (behind the teeth braces). Nonetheless, the review below is my own and reflects my actual beliefs — I wanted to describe my experience with this new treatment for others considering this option. Background: I had a full set of braces when I was a teenager, but I did not do a good job of wearing my retainers after having my braces removed. Over time, part of my smile lost its “alignment” – one of my front incisors (tooth next to my front teeth) moved over the years, to the point where half of that tooth was hidden behind one of my two front teeth. It didn’t wreck my smile, but I always wanted to fix it, but only if it could be done quickly and discreetly. As an adult now 20+ years removed from having braces, getting visible, metal braces simply was not an option for me. Dr. Bakhtari suggested that lingual braces (aka “behind the teeth braces”) might be an option for a couple reasons: (1) they are essentially “invisible” and (2) they work relatively quickly, taking only a matter of months in my case. My treatment lasted about 4 months from March – July 2017. Of course, a treatment plan/timing depends on each person’s teeth, but for me, it was only 4 months because I only had a one issue to address. The treatment required these braces behind my 6 teeth in the front, on the top only. Because it was only on the top of my mouth, they really were invisible to others. As an experiment, I only told a couple of family members that I was getting lingual braces. I’m happy to say that no one at work nor any of my friends noticed – which I was pleasantly surprised with since keeping the braces discreet was a big priority. The treatment was great – for me in particular, the teeth moved quickly. It’s definitely an odd feeling at first (they can feel sharp against your tongue), but like anything else you get used to it. Just like full braces from teenage years, I had to avoid certain foods like nuts, gum, etc. And like full braces, my mouth was very sore for the first week or so – I could only eat soup, shakes and liquids for the first several days. I was undoing 20+ years of movement in 4 months, so even after the initial soreness, the teeth were always a little sore because they were actively moving. So did it hurt? Yes, at first my mouth was very sore (as with any set of braces you get on your teeth), and there was always a little soreness after that, but beyond the first week or so, the soreness was incidental. Do lingual braces affect your speaking? Yes and No. Yes, for the first couple weeks I thought my speech was affected, but No, no one noticed. It’s not like trying to speak with a retainer in your mouth, but to me, I did have to adjust to having these on my teeth for the first couple weeks – but no one noticed, so I think it was more perception than reality. Another thing I want to mention is the number of office visits. I saw Dr. Bakhtari a couple times in the first month, but for most of the treatment, I came in once a month. I also came in a couple times towards the end so he could track exactly when the best time would be to remove the braces. For a 4-month treatment, I think I came to the office about 6 times total. As for price and value of this treatment versus others, I received the treatment at no cost as a pilot test, so I can’t speak to price. What I can say is that for me, having visible braces was not at all an option, so there was immense value to me for this treatment. If I were choosing between this treatment and others, in my opinion the value that comes with a discreet method is worth a premium. Last thing – the Riviera Orthodontics office itself. After I had my braces removed, Dr. Bakhtari made some retainers for me – and here’s the cool thing. I didn’t have to use the plaster that most dentists/orthodontists use to create a mold for retainers; it makes me gag every time. I’m not sure how best to explain it, but the Riviera office has a state-of-the-art machine/tool that takes hundreds of photos of your mouth using a handheld camera that Dr. Bakhtari uses. It essentially scans your entire mouth via hundreds of digital images, and you can see a model of your mouth being created in real time, which is how Dr. Bakhtari created a mold for my retainer. For me, I liked how quick and non-invasive it was, and the retainer fits perfectly.

Happy to recommend everyone to come meet Dr. Bakhtari .I was referred to him for my 13 yr old son Alex .The moment We met Dr.B -my son and I fell in love with him,he has a gracious funny way to deal with kids ,he is fun caring and very profesional. Alex is now completed his braces ,he is very happy with the results and proud of his beautiful smile

I’ve been a patient of Dr. Bakhtari for few years. He is a very attentive, professional, and knowledgeable doctor! He loves what he is doing and because of that his office has the best and newest dental equipment and great supportive staff