Serving La Jolla
You've been thinking about your smile for a while. Maybe a front tooth chipped years ago and the bonding no longer matches. Maybe you've saved photos of smiles you like, but every consultation you've had felt rushed — someone looking at your teeth without ever looking at your face. And somewhere along the way, you started wondering whether the lines around your mouth and the shape of your smile were part of the same conversation. For many of the La Jolla patients we meet, that's exactly the moment they walk through our door.
We built our studio around a single idea: cosmetic dentistry and medical aesthetics belong in the same room, planned together. Our co-founders, Darian Anderson, DDS, and Sarah Garces, NP-C, kept seeing the same pattern — patients getting veneers at one office, neurotoxins at another, and fillers at a third, with no one stepping back to see how the pieces fit. So we made one studio, two specialties, one coordinated plan the foundation of how we practice.
For La Jolla residents, that means you're not assembling a team on your own. When Dr. Anderson designs a smile, Sarah's read on facial balancing is part of the plan from the start — and vice versa. Monica Kieu, D.O., FACS serves as our Medical Director, supporting the medical side of our care. The philosophy we share is one of restraint and artistry: work that looks like you, not like work.
Our care spans the full arc of aesthetic dentistry. That includes Digital Smile Design and full smile makeovers, porcelain veneers and composite veneers, in-office and take-home teeth whitening, and clear aligners for patients who want to address alignment before or instead of restorative work. For patients facing more extensive tooth loss, we offer All-on-4 and All-on-6 dental implants, along with bone grafting when the foundation needs rebuilding first.
On the aesthetic medicine side, we provide neurotoxins, dermal fillers, and microneedling. These aren't add-ons sold at checkout — they're planned in concert with your dental work when it makes sense for your goals. Our office also encompasses a broad range of dental disciplines, including general dentistry, pediatric dentistry, endodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, periodontics, prosthodontics, oral medicine, orofacial pain, oral and maxillofacial pathology and radiology, and dental public health.
Why La Jolla Families Choose Us
La Jolla households tend to value the same things we do: thoughtful work, unhurried attention, and providers who explain the reasoning behind a recommendation. We serve patients from La Jolla alongside neighbors in Del Mar, Encinitas, Solana Beach, and greater San Diego, and many of the families who come to us have been through the fragmented version of this care already.
What tends to matter most to the patients we see here:
- A coordinated plan instead of separate opinions from separate offices
- Time to talk through options before anything is scheduled
- An aesthetic philosophy built on restraint rather than dramatic, one-size-fits-all results
- Both cosmetic dentistry and facial aesthetics available under one roof
- A team that considers your whole face, not just the eight teeth that show when you smile
That last point drives most of what we do. A veneer case planned without regard for lip position, facial proportion, or how you actually move when you talk is a missed opportunity — and it's the specific problem our practice was created to solve.
Payment, Financing, and How We Handle Costs
We are an out-of-network, fee-for-service practice and do not take insurance. We made that choice deliberately: it allows us to plan treatment around what a case actually calls for and to give each appointment the time it needs, rather than shaping care around coverage rules.
We welcome self-pay and cash patients, and we offer financing through Cherry for patients who prefer to spread payments over time. Costs are discussed openly during your consultation, before you commit to anything, so you can weigh your options with clear numbers in front of you rather than guessing.
Getting Started
We offer a complimentary consultation, and it's the right first step whether you have a specific treatment in mind or simply know that something about your smile has been bothering you. Bring your questions, bring photos if you've been collecting them, and bring the concerns you've never quite found the right person to ask about.
During that visit, we'll listen first, look at how your smile and facial features relate to one another, and talk honestly about what's realistic and what sequence makes sense. Some La Jolla patients leave with a multi-phase plan; others leave knowing that one conservative treatment is all they need. Either answer is a good outcome. Reach out to our office when you're ready, and we'll find a time that works for your schedule.
Let's Plan Your Smile Together
Schedule your complimentary consultation with our team to talk through your goals, see how cosmetic dentistry and facial aesthetics can work together, and learn about flexible financing through Cherry.