BuiltBy Design

Dr. Jon Marashi

My name is Dr. Jon Marashi. I am the dentist to the stars.

Voice from the film

My dad is arguably one of the best dentists in the world. His work is just incredible.

Dr. Jon Marashi

My older brother and I were always with our hands. He was the inventor, and I was the artistic creator, building something out of nothing to let my imagination run wild. We came from a lower middle class family. We did not have means, but of what we did have, you learn to cherish it. Toys were my escape, and it was the imagination of an adventurous life.

Dr. Jon Marashi

I see it before I even start, and that is how I approach dentistry. It is the artist looking at that block of marble, and he already knows what is inside of it, and now it is just chipping away the exterior to reveal what was always there in the middle.

Dr. Jon Marashi

The way my life has panned out, specifically to skateboarding and the guys that I am friends with, was not an accident. It was very intentional. My thought process was, that would be really cool, as I continue with skateboarding, that somehow I am going to connect with these folks. You put it out there, and what happens when it is in your mind? Your thoughts and behaviors and your actions start leading toward the very things you are going toward. That is a life lesson, because it is not just about skateboarding, it is about your personal life and your professional life.

Voice from the film

When I see the skateboard kids, I never worry about them, because they have a resilience.

Dr. Jon Marashi

It is resilience, and I started that at age 12, embracing failure, knowing that the only way to get to the successful part was to go through failure. That is exactly what happens in skateboarding, because you know you are not going to land the trick when you try it. You already know, but you are doing it anyway, and you have this mindset, I am going for it, and then I am going to pick myself up and learn from my mistake. Sometimes it goes badly, and that is where the mental toughness comes. You have to get up, and you have to do it again. That stuck with me as a student, in dental school, in my residency, in my career, knowing that if it did not work out, all I had to do was try again.

Dr. Jon Marashi

I had a pretty traumatic childhood growing up. It is only in my adult life where I have been able to go back and deal with a lot of the issues associated with that. One of the things you learn is that it goes one of two ways. Some people fall into the trap, and some people claw their way out. I knew at an early age that if I wanted a better life, no one was going to hand me anything, and I was going to have to work harder than everybody else. I went on this journey of peeling back these layers and finding people who could help me process my past and find forgiveness, which is a very tough thing to do. That has brought me to where I am now, where I am really at peace with myself, and I think inner peace is probably the ultimate goal.

Voice from the film

The level of caring he has about his patients is unmatched. Something recent happened where a patient had some horrible tooth pain, and he and the endodontist went and saw the patient on a Sunday night at nine or ten o'clock at night. Most dentists would just say, here is a prescription for some pain medication, I will see you tomorrow morning. But for him to have that person suffer all night was absolutely not. Let us get this taken care of, and let us do it right now.

Voice from the film

The moment I stepped in the office for the first day, the energy was palpable. It was not just the technical expertise, it was how he communicated with patients and the level of care he puts into each and every case. It is not uncommon that he and I are in the office before the sun rises, treatment planning cases.

Voice from the film

There is such a level of excellence, but it is human centered. It is so hard to find that level of stringency and meticulousness while doing it in a way where the people are inspired and brought along.

Dr. Jon Marashi

I was built by design. I was very clear from early on about who I wanted to be and what my deficiencies were. I had to become an exceptional clinician. I also had to understand the business of dentistry and running an office. I had to become a really great communicator with people, and then you have to work on yourself personally. There are so many layers to it, finding coaches and mentors I could learn from, and being willing to take a hard look in the mirror about where I am not good, and how I am going to better myself. It has always been this journey of personal and professional improvement.

Voice from the film

I do not think you get really good at something by just observing and doing it for a year or two. I think it takes thousands of hours and countless repetitions, doing it over and over again until it is in your nervous system.

Voice from the film

As a patient, one of the things that is different with Jon is that you can feel how much he cares about the work. He can take something complex to explain and simplify it so it is very easy to understand. He will never shortcut anything. He is going to tell you how it is, the good, the bad, the ugly, because he wants to make sure he gets the best outcome. He is a perfectionist, and in some fields perfectionists can be the enemy of good. In dentistry, you want perfection.

Dr. Jon Marashi

When I moved to Los Angeles, it was seven years of being in L.A. before I risked asking one of my clients if we could take a picture, because I felt deep down that especially with a celebrity, everybody wants something from them. I felt I better really just day in, day out be there for that person and build that relationship, and that is the priority. It is their life's work to have gotten to this level. I have gone out of my way to not be that guy who wants something from them, other than just to take care of them.

Voice from the film

I think Jon's talent is in his human contact, and the genuine approach he uses with anyone, whether famous or not, is the reason people who may be more guarded because of their celebrity status trust him. They know he is not somebody who is after their name. His ability to connect with people is a skill he carries into his work as well as his personal life.

Dr. Jon Marashi

I like someone not being able to tell, and I do things differently for every single patient, because I truly do believe in this bespoke, very individualized approach. Imperfectly perfect, if you will, and that is what has gotten me this reputation as the guy who can do it very naturally. Very quiet luxury.

Voice from the film

He is every step of the way following through the case to ensure that the vision he designed alongside the patient comes to life exactly how he and the patient envisioned it.

Dr. Jon Marashi

Ordinary things done over a long period of time yield extraordinary results, plain and simple. If you go in day in and day out doing the same thing, and you are pushing yourself, and you are holding yourself to a standard higher than other people can hold you to, guess what? Most of the time it is going to work out.

Voice from the film

He really wants to teach the next generation of dentists, not just the dentistry, but also the moral aspect of taking care of patients and their dental health. There is a tremendous responsibility behind that.

Dr. Jon Marashi

I am at the stage now where I have got enough miles behind me that I have really been able to look back and see, what did I do? How did I do this? What are my lessons learned? And how could I give that to someone else? If anything I said or did or shared moved the needle for even one kid getting out of dental school, where they made one better decision that helped them do better for a patient or have a better life themselves, then it was worth it. Every last bit.