Photo of Jorge Octavio Montes

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About

Dr. Montes is one of those dentists who loves what he does. He has a lot of passion for what he does. He is a perfectionist and takes pride in every facet of dentistry. He will redo crowns if he is not happy with the margins or color or anatomy. Patients have no idea what is done in their mouth and they rely on the honesty of the dentist and their skill. Unfortunately not all dentists are skilled and many use cheap labs because the price is lower, not better. Dr. Montes graduated top in his class at UCSF in 1985 and has taught dental students and dentists at USC. He has taught at Pasadena City College in the Dental Hygiene program. He teaches at East Los Angeles Occupational Center to the Dental Assistants. Dr. Montes is the Founder of OSUM- Operation Smiles Uplifting Military. A non-profit organization that gives free dentistry to the Veterans of World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War. Dr. Montes is fluent also in Spanish, which helps to explain treatment directly to the Spanish speaking patients. He worked 4 years as a Dental Technician before becoming a dentist. He also takes more Continuing Education than is required just to always keep up with the new procedures to dentistry. He lives by the rule..."Do Unto Others, As You Would Have Them Do Unto You". Dr. Montes has been honored by the Mayor of Los Angeles as a hero for saving the lives of two police officers shot in the North Hollywood Bank Of America Shootout in 1997.

Why should patients choose you as their provider instead of others in the area?

I was a Dental Technician before I became a dentist. That gives me a huge advantage over the average dentist because I am like a Prosthodontist Specialist and I can give several options for restoring from one tooth to doing full mouth reconstructions. I have been an instructor at the school of Dentistry at UCSF & USC. I never judge any patient for past dental history. I do not scold for them not taking care of their teeth in the past, I just help them get started on a new path to better dental health. I really educate the patients, by using photos, models, X-Rays, drawings to explain their options.

What are the top 3 treatments that you focus on?

1. I start from the basics and I actually invented a special Oral Hygiene regiment to stop bad breath and bleeding gums. 2. I specialize in doing a wax-up on the patient's teeth plaster models to show how the teeth will look before we start any treatment. I take a mold of the wax-up and am able to place over the teeth so they get a preview. I am a Smile Makeover Specialist. 3. I specialize in helping patients with Sleep Apnea and Snoring problems. Unfortunately I lost my Dad to Esophageal Cancer due to Acid Reflux caused by Snoring and Sleep Apnea

What are you proud of in your practice?

I am so proud of my Dental Team. Starting from my office manager Celibet. She is so courteous and knowledgeable with all insurance questions and dental procedures that she helps the patients understand their benefits and options. All my patients are so happy with my two dental assistants, Ania and Ruvi. They make all the patients feel comfortable and they have a lot of compassion and are very gentle. I am proud of my Assistants and that we all have a good sense of humor. I am super proud of our two Specialists in our office. Dr. Shafi is our Periodontist who also teaches at UCLA, and Dr. Chong is our Endodontist, a graduate from Harvard.

Which cases do you enjoy treating? Why?

I really enjoy taking care of the cases that other dentist have no idea where to start and want to just extract their teeth. I love that I am able to save most of the teeth and give them a new smile. My concern is their dental health and I show how to keep their teeth throughout their life. I treat patients as if they were my own family and I will try to save all teeth before we have to extract. I take pride in doing every procedure, from a simple white filling to making all my crowns look natural and match the other teeth. I use a lot of digital photography to communicate with the lab. i enjoy taking care of the difficult cases because I have a lot of Common Sense and use my specialized knowledge to the benefit of the patient.