Three specialists — prosthodontist, periodontist, and general dentist — delivering veneers, smile makeovers, and cosmetic care from centrally located Costa Mesa
Orange County has no shortage of dental practices offering cosmetic services. What sets The Loft Dental Studio apart is the depth and breadth of specialized training concentrated in one office. While most cosmetic dental practices operate with a single general dentist who handles every procedure, Loft Dental brings together three doctors whose combined credentials cover the full spectrum of smile aesthetics — from the ceramic restorations that transform tooth appearance to the surgical soft tissue work that ensures those restorations look natural.
Dr. Elaine Lu is a UCLA-trained, board-certified prosthodontist. Prosthodontics is the dental specialty devoted to the design, fabrication, and fitting of dental restorations including veneers, crowns, bridges, and complete reconstructions. Dr. Lu's three-year residency beyond dental school focused exclusively on the science and art of replacing and restoring teeth. She understands how tooth proportions, color gradients, surface texture, and translucency combine to create restorations that are indistinguishable from natural teeth.
Dr. Chanook David Ahn is a Yale-trained, board-certified periodontist. His training focused on the gum and bone tissue that supports teeth and dental restorations. In cosmetic dentistry, Dr. Ahn's role is critical: he performs gum contouring to correct uneven or excessive gum tissue, crown lengthening to expose more tooth structure for proper veneer proportions, and soft tissue grafting to build up areas where recession has occurred. Without this soft tissue expertise, cosmetic results are incomplete because even the most beautiful veneers look wrong when the gum frame surrounding them is asymmetrical or positioned incorrectly.
Dr. Yuliya Filipenka rounds out the team as a general dentist who provides the cosmetic treatments that many patients seek most frequently: professional teeth whitening and cosmetic bonding. She also performs the comprehensive evaluations and preventive care that keep the foundation of each patient's smile healthy. Together, these three doctors offer Orange County patients a level of coordinated cosmetic expertise that is exceptionally rare in a single practice.
Dr. Lu designs veneers with the attention to detail that her prosthodontic training demands. Each case begins with a cosmetic evaluation that considers facial symmetry, lip dynamics, tooth-to-lip ratios, and the patient's aesthetic goals. She works with elite dental laboratories to fabricate veneers from high-quality porcelain that reproduces the light-handling characteristics of natural enamel. The result is a set of restorations that improve color, shape, and alignment while preserving the organic quality that makes a smile look real. Orange County patients who value subtlety and sophistication in their cosmetic outcomes find Dr. Lu's approach particularly well suited to their expectations.
Professional whitening remains the most requested cosmetic dental treatment, and for good reason: it delivers visible improvement with minimal time and investment. Dr. Filipenka offers in-office whitening that brightens teeth several shades in approximately one hour, as well as custom take-home trays with professional-grade gel for patients who prefer to whiten at their own pace. Both methods produce substantially better results than over-the-counter products because the bleaching agents are more concentrated and the delivery methods are calibrated to the patient's teeth.
For isolated imperfections — a chipped edge, a small gap, a discolored spot — cosmetic bonding provides a same-day solution. Dr. Filipenka applies tooth-colored composite resin to the affected area, shapes it to blend with the surrounding tooth, and hardens it with a curing light. Bonding requires no laboratory fabrication, preserves natural tooth structure, and is significantly more affordable than porcelain restorations. It is an excellent option for Orange County patients who want targeted improvements without the commitment of a full veneer case.
The teeth are only half the picture. The gum tissue framing them determines whether a smile looks balanced and proportional or crowded and uneven. Dr. Ahn brings board-certified periodontal expertise to every gum contouring case, using precise surgical techniques to sculpt the gum line into a symmetrical, aesthetically pleasing contour. Crown lengthening goes a step further by removing a small amount of gum tissue and sometimes bone to expose additional tooth surface. This procedure is frequently performed before veneer or crown placement to establish the proportions that Dr. Lu's restorations will be designed to fit.
When patients want a complete transformation, a smile makeover combines multiple procedures into a coordinated plan. At Loft Dental, makeovers leverage all three doctors. A typical plan might begin with Dr. Ahn establishing the ideal gum architecture, continue with Dr. Filipenka whitening any teeth not receiving restorations, and conclude with Dr. Lu placing custom veneers or crowns. Every step is planned with awareness of the others, ensuring the final result is harmonious. Orange County patients who have researched cosmetic dentistry extensively often choose Loft Dental specifically because of this team-based planning model.
Centrally located in Costa Mesa with easy access from throughout OC. Call (714) 549-7030 or book online.
Schedule Your AppointmentThe Loft Dental Studio is located at 3151 Airway Ave, Suite F-103, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, in the South Coast Metro corridor near John Wayne Airport. This central position puts us within easy reach of every major Orange County city. Here are approximate drive times under normal traffic conditions.
Both Dr. Ahn and Dr. Lu hold board certification in their respective specialties — a distinction that requires passing rigorous examinations and demonstrating clinical mastery beyond the residency level. Board certification is voluntary, and only a fraction of specialists pursue it. Orange County patients who choose Loft Dental know their cosmetic treatment is guided by doctors who have met the profession's highest standards.
At most practices, cosmetic decisions are made by a single doctor working alone. At Loft Dental, complex cases benefit from collaborative planning sessions where Dr. Filipenka, Dr. Lu, and Dr. Ahn review photographs, discuss proportions, and sequence treatments for the best possible outcome. This multi-perspective approach catches considerations that a solo practitioner might overlook and produces results that are more complete and natural-looking.
Digital impressions, 3D Cone Beam CT imaging, intraoral photography, and high-resolution digital X-rays support every cosmetic case. These tools provide the diagnostic accuracy needed for precise veneer fits, accurate gum recontouring, and predictable treatment outcomes. Orange County patients receive the benefit of modern technology applied by doctors trained to interpret and act on the data it provides.
We are at 3151 Airway Ave, Suite F-103, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, in the South Coast Metro corridor near John Wayne Airport. This central OC location is accessible from Irvine, Newport Beach, Tustin, Santa Ana, Huntington Beach, and surrounding cities via the 405 and 55 freeways. Free parking is available on site.
We combine three specialists in one practice: a UCLA-trained prosthodontist who designs veneers and crowns, a Yale-trained periodontist who performs gum contouring and crown lengthening, and a general dentist who provides whitening and bonding. This team approach means every element of your smile is handled by a specialist with focused training in that specific area.
Plan for 45 to 60 minutes. The consultation includes a clinical examination, digital photographs, a discussion of your goals, and preliminary treatment recommendations with an estimated timeline and cost. There is no obligation to proceed, and we encourage patients to take time to consider their options.
Most purely cosmetic procedures are not covered by insurance. However, treatments with both cosmetic and functional benefits — such as crowns for damaged teeth or crown lengthening for restorative purposes — may receive partial coverage. We work with most PPO plans and verify benefits before treatment. Financing options are available for all cosmetic services.
Costa Mesa residents are closest (5-8 minutes), followed by Newport Beach (8 minutes), Fountain Valley (10 minutes), Santa Ana (10 minutes), Irvine (12 minutes), Tustin (12 minutes), and Huntington Beach (15 minutes). Laguna Beach and south county cities are 20 to 25 minutes away.