Dr. Rapal was featured in Los Gatos Magazine for her work with clients and in the community.
Featured Article: BY SAVANNAH WEST
I realize immediately that Dr. Kiran Rapal is not your average dentist as soon as I step into the lobby of her Saratoga practice. Patients, whether visiting for the first time or the hundredth time, are greeted like family when they enter the light-filled reception area. A trickling fountain and luscious green foliage evokes a welcoming calm. The coffee table is spread with inspiring books about Life’s journey, Generosity and Happiness. Her practice’s careful attention to sensory ambiance and patient comfort extends all the way into the operatory. Sitting in a dental chair, patients face a large picture window overlooking a hidden garden. Everyone is cozied up with a warm neck roll, blanket and tranquil music. But it is not just the attention to comfort that has kept patients and their families coming back to Dr. Rapal over the last 18 years. What draws them back is her passion for dentistry, and what sets her apart is her desire to empower her patients with their dental health.
“My goal is to change people’s perspective about their teeth,” says Dr. Rapal. Many patients who come to her have been given a message of hopelessness. For Dr. Rapal, no mouth is hopeless, but rather a comprehensive case with an attainable end goal of longevity and stability. “I am always looking at how a smile can enhance someone’s energy, someone’s demeanor, and give them freedom to smile openly. It absolutely changes their whole life, their interactions, their mannerisms,” she says.
With a goal of delivering high-value care that exceeds expectations at every level, Dr. Rapal tailors each treatment to the needs of the individual, from young children to the eldest adult. Her expertise spans every aspect of dentistry, including treating patients with specific issues, such as sleep apnea, teeth grinding and implants, to name a few.
Well aware of the innate fear many have for the dentist, Dr. Rapal’s approach is a soothing one, characterized by her patients as a “gentle grace” in her movement of instruments and touch.
With a team of carefully selected experts, her practice attends to everything from basic cleanings and maintenance, to fillings, root canals, crowns, and cosmetic. Dr. Rapal also serves on the board of Eating Disorders Resource Center (EDRC) and specializes in diagnosing and treating patients with eating disorders, providing a nurturing, safe, and compassionate space to address their specific needs.
“I see beauty in every smile and my desire is to bring forth the uniqueness of the individual through their smile,” she says. On the cosmetic side of the practice, patients have access to premier teeth whitening services, implants, Invisalign, and full-mouth transformations.
With her exacting personality, she has chosen labs that specialize in cosmetic dental restorations but keep the natural esthetics and optimal performance as a guide. Along with these labs, she has partnered with a team of health specialists chosen for their openness to communication and feedback to achieve excellence in the care of her patients. “I am very selective about who treats my patients,” she states with confidence.
“Mediocrity is never acceptable” is a motto Dr. Rapal embraces in both her personal and professional life. “I’m one of those who has to be constantly growing, and gaining new ways to enhance patient care,” says Dr. Rapal, who graduated among the top of her class from the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco. She is an active member of the Spear Faculty Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, where she continues with advanced studies in various aspects of dentistry in order to remain on the cutting edge of the ever-developing field.
Perhaps the most magnetizing quality of Dr. Rapal is that her professional practice extends beyond teeth. Two years ago, Dr. Rapal completed a Master’s Degree in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica. “At the time, I didn’t think I was doing it for dentistry,” says Dr. Rapal, “but it has changed my interaction and outlook with patients.” With a warm presence and a genuine desire to get to know her patients, it’s not uncommon for Dr. Rapal to share stories from her own life as she takes the time to check in on each of her patients and their overall well-being. In addition to pro bono work with various organizations to help patients with dental needs, Dr. Rapal volunteers for Companion Animal Rescue Effort (CARE). Her practice helps to raise funds for their shelter, which finds loving homes for rescued dogs. Identifying such areas of need and coming together to help the greater whole is a value Dr. Rapal says resonates with her whole team.
“Giving or generosity is the doorway to fully experience the abundance and richness of our lives. Just a single act of Giving opens our hearts to receive the overwhelming flow of Love, Connection and Oneness with each other. It brings us ever closer in our human experience.” For more information, visit lovemysmile.net.
THE GOOD LIFE COLLECTION | HOLIDAY GUIDE 2018