Century Heights native Dr. Carla Thomas takes a moment to smile for the camera at her dental studio.

When the owner and dentist of Smile Studio, Dr. Carla Thomas was a little girl growing up in the Inglewood community of Century Heights she wanted to be a dentist.

Smile Studio caught my eye while I was riding my bicycle up Morningside Park’s business district on Manchester. It was a modern and beautiful facility. While at a community meeting in Briarwood, I met the charming Dr. Thomas. She was discussing the importance of dental care.

As a person who is regularly at the dentist office owing to doing ten years as brace face and a black coffee addiction the art of dentistry has become a major part of my life.

I went to Dr. Thomas’ office to find out about her lovely facility and to ask how did she come into the helpful field of dentistry.

“When I was very small my mother took us to the dentist every six months. I had a re- ally nice dentist when I was a child. He let me play with all the equipment and touch all the buttons. I was fascinated.”

Dr. Thomas has always wanted to be a dentist. And it shows in her facility. Even sitting in the waiting room you feel at ease. It feels more like a health spa than the white bright dentist office you may be used to.

“From the sixth grade I knew I was going to be a dentist and I would always say that. People said I would change my major a few times once I went to college. I never did. I have yearbooks from junior high through high school where they would ask you what you want to do, and all of mine said, ‘Dentist,’” said Dr. Thomas.

Dr. Thomas did her undergrad work in biology at the University of the Pacific and earned her Doctorate of Dental Surgery at the top ranked University of Southern California. She has been practicing dentistry in Inglewood for 16 years.

Even though I regularly go the dentist I have many friends who are very nervous about going to the dentist. I tell them that it’s not that bad.

“If you go to the dentist regularly, every six months and you do things that are preventative. Then it’s not as expensive,” she posited.

Dr. Thomas office is relaxing and tranquil. Her front office staff is warm and professional. Dr Thomas is also very enthusiastic about educating people about oral hygiene.

“How you floss is you take the floss and form a c around your teeth. It’s to remove the plaque from the sides. Floss- ing is to remove plaque, not to remove food. It can remove food, but it’s to remove plaque,” said Dr. Thomas.

Talking to her made me think that I should probably carry floss around. Well, I do carry floss around, but possibly I should start using it.

She could have put this hip dental office in downtown Los Angeles (where my former dentist is located) or Culver City, but she decided to put it in Morningside Park. She invested her own money to build the facility—a true business woman with respect for hard work.

“I grew up in Inglewood. My mom still lives here. I am committed and loyal to the City of Inglewood. Ultimately my goal was to open a practice in Inglewood that the residents could be proud of, something that’s close to them so they don’t have to travel to far distances to receive top-of-the-line care in a top of the line facility,” Dr. Thomas stated.

She has indeed created a top-of-the-line facility, the start of a sparkling trend in medical facilities for the middle class community of Inglewood.

“I don’t want to be the typical dental office. I want to make it comfortable. We have a boutique style, even though we’re a large facility,” she said.

Dr. Thomas accepts PPO insurance. My life opened up once I got PPO insurance. For me there was a direct correlation between horrible dentists and not having PPO insurance. While it’s not as predictable in regards to price for service, it’s a much better choice.

It is especially appreciated with something like implants. Implants aren’t cosmetic. A PPO will make the option of implants a possibility.

“Everyone wants to chew well,” she agreed.

Implants make chewing and eating something you can do again. It’s been a life changer for my mother-in-law’s quality of life.

The difference between PPO and HMO dental insurance is your tooth being pulled out and being fit for partials and a good root canal with a porcelain crown.
I like having teeth. And trust me it’s not expensive; it can actually be less expensive in many cases.

“You don’t want someone sitting behind a desk at an insurance company determining your treatment,” warned Dr. Thomas.
Smile Studio is a family dental practice. It also specializes in cosmetic dentistry and dental implants.

If you care about your smile, make your appointment at Smile Studio. Mine is Thursday!

The Smile Studio 3300 W. Manchester Blvd. Inglewood 90305
Visit the Web site at: TheSmileStudioDentist.com