Cosmetic Dentistry Articles from
Las Vegas Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Afshin Azimi

Dreams of a downtown dentist
Wranglers' tooth doctor builds image, promotes downtown business
Matt Ward

When cosmetic dentists usually talk shop, it's bicuspid this, root canal that.

Downtown dentist Dr. Afshin Azimi isn't your typical tooth doctor. When he talks business, he likes to focus on the marketing of his practice, its branding and how his business' image comes across in advertising. Recently, he even hired a business consultant. All this business talk doesn't take away from his clientele.

After all, his biggest claim to fame is that he's been the personal dentist to the Las Vegas Wranglers minor-league hockey team for three years -- crowds at the Orleans Arena, where home games are played, hear his name at least three times a night, when the name of the team dentist is announced.

What many in those crowds wouldn't know is that Azimi is following a long, if not very modern, version of a family tradition.

ESCAPING WAR

Azimi hails from Iran, where he was born to a family of physicians. He, too, was expected to follow in his father's footsteps and become a surgeon. He recalls fondly the memories of his family's patriarch, a surgeon who kept no records, retained all of his patients' medical histories and those of their families in his head, and was paid in cash for the medical procedures he performed.

Azimi says he often marveled at his father's work. "He would quit work for the day and take the money he earned, fold it up and stick it in his pocket," the younger man said.

The Iran-Iraq war erupted during Azimi's childhood and he was forced to leave his homeland behind and settle in Vienna. There he had to redo high school and become accustomed to a culture that seemed alien to him and still does. He says the Viennese are so quiet and orderly that he never could get used to being the loudest person in the room, no matter how quietly he talked.

Azimi began his medical training in Vienna, but that only lasted nine months. When he came back from a visit to an uncle in Los Angeles when he was about 20, he knew the U.S. was where his future lay.

After finishing studies in biochemistry at UCLA, Azimi detoured from the track his father had taken. He no longer was interested in medicine, particularly its emphasis on analytics and charting. Instead, he found his calling in dentistry. He earned his degree from USC and performed in three postgraduate programs at the Esthetic Professionals Dental Education Center in Tarzana, Calif., where today he is a clinical instructor.

A PRICELESS REWARD

Azimi says he fell in love with cosmetic dentistry mostly for the payoff he receives from patients' transformations. "It's a very rewarding area," he explained. "People see the eyes and the smile. Fixing smiles creates a strong emotional reaction from patients."

Azimi moved here 10 years ago, when he was 28. At first he had a partner, a friend who lured him from L.A. with tales of how much money and success can be had in this growing desert town. Azimi took the plunge, often commuting each weekend back to L.A., both for training and for his girlfriend, Elizabeth, who is now his wife.

Eventually, Azimi struck out on his own and built a practice downtown at 7th Street and Charleston Boulevard.

Now Azimi has new goals and new attitudes about the business of dentistry. He hired Arizona business consultant Gary Takacs, who specializes in dentistry, six months ago and says he's enjoyed great results. As Takacs would say, Azimi is "working on his practice instead of just working in it," building his practice as opposed to just keeping busy.

Azimi hired local marketing firm 111 and now can boast of advertising, letterheads and all manner of messaging devices with cutting-edge logos. He also hired public relations firm Codella Marketing to handle his access to local media.

Beyond this PR push, Azimi is setting his sights on a new goal, participating in downtown's long revitalization effort by building a modern dentistry center with a cluster of professionals, each benefiting from the other's close proximity.

"There's a shortage of specialists downtown. One of my goals is to create a dental center and a growing practice that can provide enough patients to keep other specialists busy," he said.

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