Arlen Vartanian, DDS
Principal Dentist
Our principal dentist, Dr. Arlen Vartanian, started life in San Francisco with his three older brothers before the entire family relocated to San Mateo when Dr. Vartanian was eight years old.
Dr. Vartanian attended Hillsdale High School before he earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California San Diego, where he graduated Cum Laude.
To earn his degree in dental medicine, Dr. Vartanian attended the University of Southern California (USC) Ostrow School of Dentistry and graduated at the top of his class, achieving high honors.
To round out his dental education, Dr. Vartanian completed a rigorous General Practice Residency at the West Los Angeles VA Hospital in association with the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) where he served our nation's veterans and heroes, which to this day, was one of the most rewarding experiences of his life.
In September of 2018, Dr. Vartanian acquired the dental practice from Dr. Robert Foss. Dr. Foss started his practice 34 years ago, and Dr. Vartanian is committed to upholding the tradition of providing our patients with the highest quality dental treatment with a personal touch.
Dr. Foss and Dr. Vartanian both share the same conservative treatment philosophies in dentistry and always place our patients’ best interests at the forefront.
“I enjoy the field of dentistry because it provides me with a platform to help people in a medical standpoint, but it also allows me to do so in a personable manner. As a dentist, I enjoy interacting with people from all walks of life and forming a personal patient-doctor relationship. I firmly believe that the bond a dentist forms with his or her patients is just as important as the dental work that is being done.” – Dr. Arlen Vartanian
Dr. Vartanian is an avid learner and regularly attends continuing education courses and certifications to advance his professional skills.
“Dentistry provides me with the opportunity to combine my scientific interests with my genuine wish of wanting to enhance the quality of people's lives.” – Dr. Arlen Vartanian
During his time away from the office, Dr. Vartanian stays active by playing basketball and coaching youth teams to maintain a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle. He enjoys the camaraderie, life lessons, and values that one obtains through team sports.
Dr. Vartanian’s family is extremely important to him. He loves spending time with his three nephews and niece.
I recently moved to Southern California from the Bay Area and needed to find a new dentist, which is never fun. I've always been openly anxious about going to the dentist, but luckily a coworker of mine referred me to Dr. Vartanian's office.
Dr. Vartanian and his entire staff were very warm, welcoming, and accommodating from the moment I entered their office. Dr. Vartanian did a great job of explaining everything clearly to me during my exam. I never felt rushed and he gave me ample opportunities to ask any questions that I had. I never felt like he was trying to upsell me on any dental treatment and he went over only what I needed to have done. He was very knowledgable, but also very fun and upbeat at the same time.
Their front desk did a great job of confirming my insurance benefits, going over my treatment plan and copays so that there weren't any surprises. I also want to give a shout out to my hygienist Barbara who was patient with me and did an awesome job cleaning my teeth!!!
- Sebastian P.