Board-certified periodontist serving Irvine, CA from a quiet private office just 12 minutes south of Irvine Spectrum. Large free parking lot, no structures, no stress. LANAP laser therapy, dental implants, and gum surgery by a Yale-trained specialist.
Irvine has excellent dental offices. The city attracts strong practitioners, and patients benefit from a competitive market that keeps standards high. But most Irvine dental and periodontal offices share a common footprint: suites inside medical plazas clustered along Jamboree Road, Culver Drive, Alton Parkway, or the large mixed-use developments near Irvine Spectrum. Modern, well-equipped buildings. For a routine cleaning or a simple filling, they work perfectly well.
But periodontal surgery is not routine dentistry. When you are having a bone graft placed, an implant seated into your jaw, or laser gum therapy performed on tissue that has been deteriorating for years, the environment matters beyond the operatory itself. Calm matters. Precision matters. And the experience leading up to the procedure — driving, parking, finding the suite, sitting in a waiting room — sets the tone for everything that follows.
The medical plaza model introduces friction most patients accept because they assume it is unavoidable. Multi-story parking structures where you circle three or four levels looking for an open spot. Shared elevator rides with strangers. Crowded lobbies where a periodontist's patients sit alongside an orthopedic surgeon's and a dermatologist's patients. The atmosphere is clinical, institutional, busy. For many people, the anxiety starts before they ever sit down in the dental chair.
The Loft Dental Studio occupies a quiet professional building in Costa Mesa's South Coast Metro area, approximately 12 minutes south of Irvine Spectrum via the I-405. The first thing patients notice is the parking. A large open-air lot with plenty of spaces, right at the building entrance. Free. No structures to navigate, no ticket machines, no validation stickers. You park, walk a few steps, and enter a private specialist office — not a shared waiting room where three or four practices funnel patients through the same front desk.
Irvine patients consistently tell us the same thing: "I didn't realize how much the parking and the lobby affected my anxiety until I experienced something different." Dental anxiety does not start when the instruments come out. It starts in the parking garage. We have eliminated that entirely.
This is a specialist-only office. Dr. David Ahn (periodontist), Dr. Alex Lu (prosthodontist), and Dr. Filipenka (general dentist) work together as a permanent team — not a rotating cast of associates. When you return for a follow-up, you see the same specialist who performed your procedure. Continuity of care is built into the practice model, not treated as a scheduling convenience. Patients coming from Irvine for dental implant placement, LANAP laser therapy, or gum grafting often tell us the 12-minute drive is the easiest part of the entire experience.
Irvine is a competitive dental market with many choices. That is a good thing, but it also means the differences between providers can be difficult to evaluate without knowing what to look for. When choosing a periodontist — whether in Irvine or nearby — four credentials separate the highest tier of specialists from the rest.
First, board certification. The American Board of Periodontology administers a rigorous voluntary examination that tests both clinical knowledge and case-based judgment. Only approximately 35 percent of practicing periodontists hold board certification. It is not required to practice, which is precisely why it matters — periodontists who pursue it are demonstrating a commitment to standards beyond the legal minimum. Dr. Ahn is board-certified.
Second, residency training depth. A three-year residency at an institution like Yale, USC, or UCLA provides a fundamentally different foundation than shorter or less clinically intensive programs. Dr. Ahn completed his periodontal residency at Yale School of Medicine, where the caseload and mentorship exposure shaped the surgical judgment he brings to every procedure.
Third, an active teaching or academic appointment. Periodontists who teach at university programs stay current with evolving research, techniques, and materials in ways that purely private-practice clinicians may not. Dr. Ahn holds a faculty appointment at UCLA, which keeps him connected to the academic side of the specialty alongside his clinical work at The Loft Dental Studio.
Fourth, technology investment. A modern periodontal office should operate a 3D cone-beam CT scanner (CBCT) for implant planning and bone assessment, and a PerioLase MVP-7 laser for LANAP therapy. Dr. Ahn's office is equipped with both. These are not optional upgrades — they represent the current standard of care for implant placement and laser-assisted periodontal treatment. When comparing periodontists serving Irvine, ask about all four: board certification, residency institution, teaching affiliation, and technology. The answers will tell you everything you need to know.
Patients travel from Irvine to The Loft Dental Studio for the full range of periodontal and implant services, with particular demand for three procedures that benefit most from specialist-level precision and advanced technology.
LANAP (Laser-Assisted New Attachment Procedure) uses the PerioLase MVP-7, the only FDA-cleared laser for true periodontal regeneration. Unlike traditional gum surgery that cuts and sutures tissue, LANAP selectively removes diseased tissue while preserving healthy gum and bone. For Irvine patients dealing with moderate to advanced periodontal disease, this means less pain, faster recovery, and the possibility of actual bone regeneration rather than simply halting further loss. Dr. Ahn has performed hundreds of LANAP procedures and was among the early adopters of this technology in Orange County.
Dental implant placement ranges from single-tooth replacements to full-mouth reconstruction. Dr. Ahn offers individual implant crowns, All-on-4 full-arch solutions, and the full spectrum of FP1, FP2, and FP3 prosthesis options. Every implant case begins with 3D CBCT imaging for precise placement planning, and Dr. Ahn's surgical training at Yale provides the foundation for handling complex cases involving bone deficiency, sinus proximity, or nerve considerations that require advanced judgment.
Wilckodontics (also known as Accelerated Osteogenic Orthodontics) is a specialized surgical procedure that Dr. Ahn has been certified to perform since 2016. By combining corticotomy surgery with bone grafting, Wilckodontics allows orthodontic tooth movement to occur in three to eight months instead of the typical 18 to 24 months. For adult Irvine patients who want straighter teeth but cannot commit to years of braces, this procedure offers a dramatically compressed timeline with predictable results.
Beyond these three high-demand procedures, Dr. Ahn provides the complete range of periodontal care that Irvine patients may need. Gum grafting and recession treatment restores tissue coverage over exposed root surfaces, reducing sensitivity and protecting teeth from further structural compromise. Bone regeneration procedures including sinus lifts and ridge augmentation rebuild the jawbone foundation necessary for successful implant placement. Crown lengthening addresses both functional needs — exposing more tooth structure for proper restoration — and cosmetic concerns such as a gummy smile. And comprehensive periodontal disease treatment provides the foundation for every other service, because healthy gums and bone are prerequisites for successful implants, grafts, and long-term oral health.
For patients who experience anxiety about any of these procedures, The Loft Dental Studio offers sedation dentistry options that allow you to remain comfortable and relaxed throughout treatment.
The Loft Dental Studio is located at 3151 Airway Avenue, Suite F-103, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, in a quiet professional building in the South Coast Metro area. Three common routes bring Irvine patients to our door, all straightforward and traffic-predictable during non-peak hours.
Take I-405 North and exit at Fairview Road. Turn left onto Airway Avenue. The office building is on your right.
~12 minutesTake Jamboree Road south to the CA-55 South. Exit at Baker Street and turn right onto Airway Avenue.
~10 minutesTake Irvine Boulevard west to the CA-55 South. Exit at Baker Street and turn right onto Airway Avenue.
~14 minutesRegardless of which route you take, you will arrive at a large open-air parking lot with free, unstructured parking directly at the building entrance. No parking garages, no ticket dispensers, no validation. Our patients from Tustin and Santa Ana enjoy similarly short drives, and our Costa Mesa patients are just minutes away.
Your initial appointment typically runs 60 to 90 minutes and is designed to be thorough without feeling rushed. You will begin with a full set of digital radiographs including 3D CBCT imaging if implants or bone assessment are part of your treatment consideration. Dr. Ahn personally reviews the imaging with you on a large screen, walking through what he sees and explaining the clinical significance in straightforward terms.
A comprehensive periodontal evaluation follows, including probing depths, recession measurements, mobility assessment, and evaluation of your bite and existing restorations. If you were referred by your Irvine general dentist, Dr. Ahn reviews those records alongside his own findings to build a complete picture. He then presents treatment options — not a single recommendation, but a genuine discussion of alternatives, timelines, costs, and trade-offs. Patients who have visited other offices often comment that this is the first time someone explained why one approach might be better than another for their specific situation, rather than simply prescribing a treatment plan.
There is never pressure to commit to treatment at your first visit. If you need time to consider your options, coordinate with insurance, or discuss with family, that is entirely expected and respected.
Call us directly or book online. We are happy to answer questions before you commit to an appointment.
Call (714) 549-7030Yes, Irvine has several periodontists, and some are quite good. However, board certification, residency training depth, and available technology vary significantly among providers. Dr. Ahn holds board certification from the American Board of Periodontology — a voluntary credential achieved by only about 35 percent of practicing periodontists. He completed a three-year residency at Yale, holds a faculty appointment at UCLA, and operates a PerioLase MVP-7 laser for LANAP therapy. That combination places him at the highest tier of the specialty. His office in Costa Mesa is a 10 to 12 minute drive from most Irvine neighborhoods, making the short trip well worth it for patients seeking the strongest specialist qualifications.
Coordination between Dr. Ahn and your Irvine general dentist is seamless. Dr. Ahn handles the surgical component — implant placement, gum surgery, bone grafting, or LANAP therapy — and then sends detailed records, radiographs, and treatment notes back to your referring dentist for restorative work such as crowns, bridges, or ongoing maintenance. Your Irvine dentist remains your primary provider for cleanings and general care. This collaborative specialist-referral model ensures you receive the highest level of surgical treatment without disrupting your existing dental home.
Not at all. The Loft Dental Studio is located right off the CA-55 freeway at the Baker Street exit in Costa Mesa. From most Irvine locations, take either the I-405 North or Jamboree Road south to the CA-55. The office is at 3151 Airway Avenue, Suite F-103, in a quiet professional building with a large free parking lot at the entrance. No parking structures, no ticket machines, no validation stickers. First-time patients regularly tell us they were surprised by how easy the building was to find and how stress-free arrival felt compared to medical plaza offices.
Yes. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Saturday appointments are particularly popular with Irvine patients who work in the Business Complex or Spectrum area and prefer not to take time off. We can also accommodate early morning and late afternoon slots for patients whose schedule makes midday appointments difficult. Call (714) 549-7030 and let us know your preferred timing — we will find a slot that works.