Long-time Lake Forest resident Dr. Antreas Mesrobian decided a few years ago that he wanted to open a dental practice closer to home. So, early last year, he opened Lake Forest Family Dental, an office that provides top quality dental treatment for parents and their children.

“I’ve lived in Lake Forest for 25 years and wanted to be able to help people here and give them a place where they could go that offered a friendly, comfortable, no pressure environment,” Dr. Mesrobian says.

A graduate of Northwestern Dental School, Mesrobian comes from a family of physicians. He is known among his patients for his gentleness, in part because he had bad experiences as a child with dentists and doesn’t want anyone to have the same fear that he developed.

“I was good with my hands and interested in fixing things, so dentistry seemed like a natural choice,” Mesrobian says. “I love what I do, and I find joy in getting to know my patients and helping them maintain great oral health.”

Twenty years ago, Dr. Mesrobian brought in Dr. Ajesh Parikh and the two formed a successful business partnership. They have a strong rapport with their clients, young and old, and provide a welcoming, unintimidating environment where patients can feel comfortable.

Dr. Parikh grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago and, unlike Dr. Mesrobian, says he learned a lot from his childhood dentist.

“Growing up my dentist was a friend of my family and a family practitioner and he never talked down to you. He kept you involved in what was going on with the medicine,” Dr. Parikh says. “He had a great style and I thought, ‘I want to be a doctor like him.’”

Dr. Parikh, who studied and did his residency at Northwestern Dental School, flirted with medical school with an eye on becoming an oral surgeon, but his personality—he admits to being something of a talker—was more suited for dentistry.

The two doctors now run four dental practices in the Chicago area. In addition to Lake Forest, they also have locations in Lindenhurst, Algonquin, and Elk Grove Village.

Both doctors feel what sets them apart from other dentists is the personal attention they provide their clients, keeping the atmosphere light, and maintaining a sense of humor. As the dental industry has become more consolidated and focused more on profits, they’d rather stay focused on the personal.

“We talk to patients in simple language that they can understand. If someone comes in with pain or a concern, we address the issue that they came in for instead of pushing a huge treatment plan on them” Dr. Mesrobian says. “Patients appreciate that and come back because they feel like we treated them fairly.”