Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Rhonda Kalasho.
Dr. Kalasho, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
As a child, my parents gifted me one Christmas with a Barbie Career Doll, and I was so excited to get the Dentist edition. As a child unfortunately I was plagued with poor oral health. My family came from a war-torn country in the early nineties, and the truth was the risk of bombings were more of threat to our livelihood than were cavities and gum disease. We never grew up knowing much about oral care, and had a basic understanding of cavity prevention. I always remember the excruciating pain I once felt on my lower left tooth, causing a fever, and having me miss school. I was six, and my mouth hurt and ached all night.
Later that toothache turned into swelling, which later turned into fever, and fatigue leading me to the dentist. He saw me and was livid with my mother, asking how she could let my mouth get to this point. However, the honest truth is she did not know any better, oral hygiene is a luxury known only to the first world. I remember him showing me what floss looked like, and turning to him in excitement stating, “Oh yes, I have that at home, it’s attached to my mom’s sewing machine!” I remember loving that dentist because he took my little mouth out of misery. Ever since that time, I continued to care for my teeth religiously, and have not had any new cavities since. I vowed to do the same for others. Dental pain is the most uncomfortable debilitating pain, and I love that every day, I either help someone out of that discomfort, prevent it, or help maintain their smiles for the rest of their lives.
Has it been a smooth road?
I began ownership of my practice not long after residency. I was trained at UCLA School of Dentistry, completing my degree in dental surgery, and then went on to complete an additional unrequired, but incredibly useful, residency in general practice. I completed this additional training at the Veterans Hospital in San Diego. It was known as the UCSD/VA San Diego Healthcare System. As a resident I received advanced training in oral surgery, root canal therapy, hospital dentistry, and got to rotate with a series of medical specialties at UCSD, such as ENT, Emergency medicine, and Anesthesia. As a resident, I was the only dentist in the program that was board certified to work in private practice, so while in residency I worked on Saturdays at a private office. I loved private practice and wanted to begin ownership immediately after residency. I had a vision for how I wanted my office to look like, what materials I would use, and the type of procedures that would be done. It was a journey to get to where I am now, and it certainly was not an easy one.
From location to the square footage, Los Angeles is not an easy place to find good real estate at a reasonable rate. Los Angeles is highly saturated with dentists, and its competition is like no other. So in order to be successful is this forever sunny concrete jungle, you need to stand out from the rest, and that was my plan. I started out with finding a broker to help me locate a practice in an area I wanted to practice, then after months of searching, only one stood out to me.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the GLO Modern Dentistry of Hollywood story. Tell us more about the business.
I purchased my current office from a young dentist who wanted to concentrate on her motherhood and retire early. The location was exactly where I wanted to be, the size of the office was just right, and the dentist that proceeded me was young, female, and had a similar treatment philosophy as I did. I came in with my own team, with a mission to introduce a form of dentistry that was painless, genuine, and modern. My extended study allowed me to perform a broad spectrum of dental treatments from implant placements to Invisalign, our office offers it all. I believe in quality of care and modern medicine. Our office is completely digital, meaning that we take scans of the mouth instead of gooey impressions, and use low radiation x-ray technology so that patients can always be up to date with their current health without fearing over radiation exposure. We also believe in the human touch and the human experience. My team and I truly love what we do and adore our patients. When patients come in, they are greeted with a smile, and well cared for from start to finish. Our motto is “treat everyone like you would your own family and friends,” and what happens when you approach dentistry with that mentality, is that your care gets real, it gets genuine, and it stays ethical.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Dentistry is becoming a lot more digital. Any advanced new age dental office will have digital x-rays, digital x-ray sensors, and digital scanners. In the next 4-5 years, more dental offices will be connected to their labs digitally, as our office is. What that ensures is consistency, reliability, and minimizes the chances of error when fabricating crowns, veneers, prosthetics, or even clear aligners. 3D printing is also becoming ever more prevalent, and part of mainstream dentistry, which has been incredibly interesting to see. The trajectory from hand made crowns to 3D printed ones, has led dentistry to be a lot more predictable, and has significantly limited the chances of human error, which makes for better fitted crowns, that are longer lasting.
Contact Info:
- Address: Dr. Rhonda Kalasho
7080 Hollywood blvd #808
Los Angeles CA, 90028 - Website: glomoderndental.com
- Phone: 323-461-9066
- Email: rhondakalasho@glomoderndental.com
- Instagram: dr.rhondakalasho
- Yelp: Glo Modern Dental
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