Safe mercury filling removal
Silver amalgam removed under the SMART protocol: the tooth isolated, vapour captured at the source and a separate air supply for you.
Safe removal, step by step ›
Santa Monica · Biological dentistry · Since 1994
A biological dentist in Santa Monica.
Biological dentistry asks one more question before every treatment: how will your body respond to this material and this method? Dr. Alireza Panahpour has practised this way since 1994. In Santa Monica, you will find him on Ocean Park Boulevard.
Since 1994 in practice
SMART mercury safe
70% physician referred
14+ countries
Metal free optionsZirconia in practice since 2001
Why biological
What goes in your mouth stays there for years.
A filling, a crown or an implant is not a one day decision. It sits against your gum, your bone and your saliva every hour of every day, often for decades.
Biological dentistry chooses materials and methods with that in mind: what the material is made of, how it is placed, how much healthy tooth is removed to place it, and how the area heals afterwards. It is licensed, modern dentistry with different defaults.
The biological standard
Five defaults, every patient.
None of these are add ons. They are simply how the work is done here.
01
Mercury safe
Old silver amalgam fillings come out under the SMART protocol, with the tooth isolated and vapour captured at the source.
02
Metal free
Ceramic zirconia implants and bonded, metal free restorations where they suit the case.
03
Minimal drilling
Biomimetic technique removes only damaged structure and bonds to what remains, often instead of a crown.
04
Ozone and PRF
Medical grade ozone disinfects the field. Platelet rich fibrin from your own blood supports healing after surgery.
05
3D imaging
Cone beam CT shows the bone in three dimensions, where a flat x-ray can miss what sits inside it.
A common question
Biological does not mean alternative.
Biological dentistry uses the same licensed procedures, the same imaging and the same standards of care as any modern practice. What changes are the choices: which material, how much tooth to remove, how to disinfect, and how to protect you while old work comes out.
It also means the first visit is a conversation. Dr. Panahpour wants to know your health history and what your physician has already found before he recommends anything, and nothing is drilled at the first visit.
Treatments
Biological dentistry in Santa Monica
The protocols this practice is known for. The first three have their own pages.
Zirconia implants
Ceramic, metal free implants, planned with 3D cone beam imaging. Zirconia in practice since 2001.
About zirconia implants ›
Cavitation surgery
Poorly healed bone at old extraction sites, which a flat x-ray often misses. Found on cone beam imaging, cleaned, and supported with ozone and PRF.
About cavitation surgery ›
Ozone therapy
Medical grade ozone to disinfect the field before anything is closed. Used in this practice since 2008.
How ozone is used ›
Biomimetic restoration
Bonded restorations that behave like natural tooth, trained at the Alleman-Deliperi school in Sardinia. Often an alternative to a crown.
How biomimetic works ›
Bite therapy and TMJ
When the bite is uneven the jaw tilts, the skull compensates and the neck follows. The bite is measured first, before any restorative work.
How bite therapy works ›
Dr. Alireza Panahpour, DDS
Biological dentistry, since before it had a name.
Dr. Panahpour is a fourth generation dentist. After his DDS at the University of the Pacific he went looking for where the field was being rewritten: biomimetic dentistry at the Alleman-Deliperi Center in Sardinia, implantology in Sweden the year Sweden banned mercury, and electro-acupuncture at Columbia.
He is a Certified Instructor of Biomimetic Dentistry and the author of The Good Dentist, written so patients can understand the work before they sit in the chair.
DDS · PacificBiomimetic instructorSardiniaSwedenColumbiaThe Good Dentist
1994In biological practice in California
70%Of patients referred by a physician, not marketing
14+Countries patients travel from
4thGeneration of dentists in the family
I feel more bright. Less fatigued. My body is very, very happy with getting rid of that.M.K. · Patient · 2025 · Written authorization on file
The office
Visit us in Santa Monica.
Santa Monica, California
2701 Ocean Park Blvd, Suite 108
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Santa Monica, CA 90405
- Parking
- Garage in the building
- Nearby
- Five minutes from Venice and Mar Vista
- Hours
- By appointment
- Phone
- (310) 986-6001
Patients come from
Patients also travel in from across Southern California and from more than fourteen countries.
Santa MonicaVeniceMar VistaBrentwoodPacific PalisadesCulver CityMarina del ReyMalibuWest Los Angeles
Questions
What people ask before booking.
What is a biological dentist?
A licensed dentist who chooses materials and methods for how your body responds to them. In practice that means mercury safe removal of old amalgam, metal free options such as zirconia implants, conservative bonded restorations, ozone for disinfection and 3D imaging for diagnosis.
Is a biological dentist the same as a holistic dentist?
The terms overlap. Holistic describes looking at the mouth in the context of your whole health. Biological describes the materials and methods used. Dr. Panahpour practises both, and calls the combined approach systemic dentistry.
Will you replace all of my metal fillings?
Not automatically. Fillings that are sound may not need to come out at all. Dr. Panahpour examines each one and explains the options, including leaving it in place. When amalgam does come out, it is removed under the SMART protocol.
What materials do you use instead of metal?
Bonded composite and ceramic restorations for teeth, and zirconia, a ceramic, for implants. The right choice depends on the tooth, the bite and your history.
Do I need a referral?
No. Many patients are referred by a physician, chiropractor or other practitioner, but you are welcome to contact the office directly.
Where is the office?
2701 Ocean Park Boulevard, Suite 108, Santa Monica, with parking in the building. There is also an office in Sacramento.
Start with a conversation.
The first conversation is long and unhurried, typically 60 to 90 minutes, by phone or in person.
01
Reach out
Call, send a WhatsApp, or write through the form. Your message goes straight to Dr. Panahpour.
02
A real conversation
Your history, what has already been tried, and what you want from this. No rush.
03
A clear plan
What he finds and what he would do, including when the answer is that you need nothing.
Closer to Sacramento? See the Sacramento office