May 15th, 2012
Hewlett Packard had an ad in the paper that caught my eye today. Back when I was entering college in 1975, HP had a reputation for making the finest quality products available. Their calculators were state of the art. They used “reverse Polish notation,” which was the precursor for they way we all now interface with our computers by using our “enter” key. They had 24k gold solder joints. And the calculators were so durable you could literally throw them at the wall with no damage—to the calculator, not the wall! My dream was to get an HP-21 to replace my slide rule. They were expensive but I got one. Quality was important to me and I didn’t want to get some cheaper off brand calculator only to have it break. HP has had some challenges lately. We’ve all learned that printers in general do not last. But HP doesn’t make money on the printers; they make money on ink jet cartridges. So today’s ad was all about the quality of the ink jet cartridges and how they are much more reliable than their competitors, even though they are more expensive.
It occurred to me that dental patients often ask how much various services, such as crowns, veneers, Invisalign, sedation, or implants cost in my San Francisco Bay Area dental office, as though these treatments are somehow commodities that can be compared apples to apples then purchased based upon the cheapest price. The fact is that these dental services are expensive even at the cheapest office. But they are even more expensive if you don’t get what you want or you don’t like what you get, then you have to pay again. I have countless examples of patients who found themselves in this situation.
Dentistry is not like other services. Teeth don’t repair themselves when they are wounded. And, unlike a bad haircut, they don’t grow back after an undesirable result. When you are tempted to compare fees, ask yourself some questions: Do you like the dentist? Do you like the staff? Do they run on time? Do they have photos of actual work they have done? Do they have good reviews online on sites such as Yelp, Doctoroogle or Google Places? Is the dentist painless or at least gentle? Is he/she thorough? Do they have a warranty? Is their office clean and up to date with technology? What continuing education have they taken? How are the teeth of the dentist and the staff? It usually doesn’t cost that much more to get the very best dentistry. And as I heard somewhere, “The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low cost is forgotten.”
Josh Bernstein, DDS
President, Dental Comfort Academy. Join today–it’s free!
Posted in Cosmetic Dentistry, Dental Implants, Insights, Invisalign, Porcelain Crowns, Porcelain Veneers | Comments Off
May 4th, 2012
This wonderful patient had veneers placed years ago to mask the tetracycline stains in her teeth. When it was time to re-make them in a whiter, but more natural look, she came to us for an all new smile in 2 easy visits! Thanks to Bob Clark and Williams Dental Lab for the gorgeous ceramics!
Before Smile Makeover - Close Up View
Before Smile Makeover - Close Up View
After Smile Makeover - Close Up View
After Smile Makeover - Close Up View
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
March 26th, 2012
Vanessa is a high powered, jet-setting executive in Hospitality PR and Branding for a major hotel chain. She had some cosmetic issues with her front teeth that greatly benefited from a smile makeover with porcelain veneers.
Before Smile Makeover - Close Up View
After Smile Makeover - Close Up View
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
March 22nd, 2012
Inna is an outstanding young law student who was born without her lateral incisors, the teeth next to her 2 front teeth. Her orthodontist moved her canine teeth toward the center but it just didn’t look right and she kept opening up a space between her 2 front teeth. Using only 4 veneers, with her 2 front teeth splinted together, we were able to give Inna a very conservative smile makeover, which is just what she wanted.
Before Smile Makeover - Close Up View
Before Smile Makeover - Close Up View
After Smile Makeover - Close Up View
After Smile Makeover - Close Up View
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
March 15th, 2012
Britany has been our Dental Assistant for a year and a half. Many of you have met her and enjoyed her southern hospitality—and accent! She is from the Florida panhandle, very close to Alabama. With her “Extended Functions” training, Britany is one of the most highly skilled assistants we have ever had. When she’s not at work, Britany enjoys mountain biking, cooking, gardening, and watching movies with her boyfriend.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
March 10th, 2012
Our hygienist, Leah Partible, RDH, has been with us for nearly 10 years. She is a wonderful person who has a broad range of adventurous interests from sky-diving to mountain climbing to snow-boarding to wilderness sports. And she drives a very cool BMW convertible sports car! As a hygienist, she is super gentle, friendly, and very supportive. Nevertheless, many patients still “hate” to have their teeth cleaned. They hate the “scraper,” their teeth are sensitive, they don’t like the ultrasonic sounds, etc.
Many of us know that the latest research shows that clean teeth and gums are important for a healthy heart, healthy lungs, and a healthy immune system. So what can you do if you hate having your teeth cleaned?
Since Dr. Bernstein is licensed and experienced in dental sedation, many of our patients choose to be sedated for their cleanings. This might seem ridiculous to you, unless you are one of those people who “hate” having their teeth cleaned. With sedation, you are completely relaxed and comfortable throughout the entire appointment—in fact, the whole experience might completely slip your mind. You can choose to have a very mild sedative or something more profound. With or without sedation, you can also be numb for cleanings, either with traditional numbing or with an outstanding topical gel that is applied around each tooth. If all you need is a mild distraction, or if you just like videos, you might want to try our video glasses to watch a movie for a nice escape while you get your teeth cleaned.
As always, if you have any questions, we are here to help.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
January 16th, 2012
Four years ago, I had a skin cancer removed from the very edge of my lower eyelid. The surgeon who removed it was/is widely regarded as the best surgeon in the area for this type of procedure. At the time, I was not quite as impressed as everyone else was. Her bedside manner was abrupt, she was rough, and seemed uncaring. During the procedure I actually woke up from the IV sedation feeling the pain of sharp surgical instruments, which should never happen with the right combination of local and IV anesthesia. While I was recovering, aside from looking like I had seen the business end of a boxer’s fist, I felt like I had a small pebble in my eye for 2 weeks from a suture she had tied in such a way as to irritate my eye. When it came time to remove the sutures–a procedure generally regarded as painless–she was so rough that I asked her to stop, and I went to my office and removed the last sutures myself–painlessly.
When a recurrent lesion developed in the same exact spot this year, I was again referred to the same specialist. My consultation with her reminded me of all that went wrong last time, with one additional consideration–she didn’t remove all the cancer. Despite my reservations, my doctor assured me that she was the best in the area, that “these things happen,” and that I should proceed. When the specialist’s office took a month to get back to me to schedule the surgery, I had already asked my doctor if there was someone else I could see. With a few emails, my doctor arranged for me to see 2 top specialists at Stanford Medical Center.
The two experiences were as different as could be. The Stanford Dermatology Center made me feel like a VIP. They arranged things so that the cancer surgeon and the plastic surgeon would coordinate their procedures on the same day. I didn’t feel a thing during the procedures or after. And I didn’t look like Joe Frazier after the “Thrilla in Manila.”
These 2 episodes remind me that there are often local professionals who have become the go-to experts, not because they deserve it, but because they have a local niche, skillful marketing, a confident disposition, or because they have managed to ride on an old reputation rather than consistently excellent performance. One of the wealthiest, most successful orthodontists in our area is like this. He boasts about his international reputation, his keynote addresses at national meetings, and his published articles. I have had the uncomfortable experience of explaining to some of his patients, without disparaging him, why they now have headaches and jaw joint noise that they did not have before his treatment. Another local dentist described the orthodontist like this, “If he were half as good as he says he is, he would wouldn’t be half bad.” One time he called me on the phone to complain that when his patients come to my office that they never come back, and he had a collection of articles in front of him to support why they should. Not being someone to criticize another dentist’s work because I never know the whole story, I didn’t really have a good explanation for why his patients didn’t come back except that “It’s certainly not my communication skills, so maybe my treatment approach simply makes more sense to them.”
There is another local “expert” in implants I used to refer patients to before I received my own training in implants. When one of his implants failed on a patient of mine and I asked to meet with him about it, he came into my office angry and hostile, unwilling to entertain the thought that he had made a legitimate, understandable mistake that my patient wasn’t going to tolerate.
Who says that these people have to remain the go-to experts? As far as I can tell, my reputation is only as good as the last painless injection I gave, the last bite problem I solved, or the last toothache I cured. Everyday, it is incumbent upon so-called “experts” to re-earn their reputations with solid results on real, live patients. No amount of published articles, patient referrals, or keynote addresses can compensate for clinical failure. Clinicians are not perfect. We all make mistakes. This is why every day we have to balance confidence with humility, professionalism with humanity, reputation with performance.
As patients and as consumers, we do not have to tolerate sub par professional care by local “experts.” To me, it is worth it to travel as far as necessary to get the best possible care from a real expert. When my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, traveling to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota gave her 3 years she might not have otherwise had and allowed her to see 2 grandchildren born that she might have never known. When I needed my own teeth and bite addressed, I traveled to one of the top dentists in the country who not only fixed my teeth but cured me of my lifelong migraines and relieved me of the debilitating vertigo that I believe was caused by our “expert” local orthodontist. And now I know that Stanford has far more competent specialists in skin cancer and plastic surgery of the eye than the highly regarded local expert.
In some instances, the best professional may be just around the corner, but when it comes to your health, it is worth the minor inconvenience to travel to a real expert.
Posted in Insights, Outstanding Client Care | Comments Off
December 29th, 2011
A picture is worth a thousand words… Here is one of today’s patients–still numb, but happy!
Best wishes to all of our referring professionals for the holidays. It is our privilege and pleasure to assist you throughout the year with your patients who need sedation, complex restorative and TMD treatment.
Before Smile Makeover - Full Face View
Before Smile Makeover - Close Up View
After Smile Makeover - Full Face View View
After Smile Makeover - Close Up View
Posted in Smile Makeovers | Comments Off
November 8th, 2011
Estelle is a critical care nurse who wanted to finally have a nice smile. Her midline was off and she previously had bonding to correct it as much as possible. Using 8 porcelain veneers on her upper and 8 on her lower teeth, we were able to give Estelle the smile she has been wanting for a long time.
Before Smile Makeover - Full Face View
Before Smile Makeover - Close Up View
After Smile Makeover - Full Face View View
After Smile Makeover - Close Up View
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
August 25th, 2011
- Brush, floss, and use a Water Pik. Our patients who follow this simple regimen have the fewest problems. Just do it!
- Regular check-ups, x-rays and cleanings. Cleanings help keep gum disease in check, while x-rays and check ups help to find problems while they are still small.
- When your dentist recommends treatment, take the advice. Dental problems get worse with time (and more expensive).
- When you are given a choice of treatment options, choose the most long-lasting solution. It may be more expensive in the short term, but it is usually less expensive and time consuming in the long run.
- If you have a number of dental problems, get them all taken care of in as few visits as possible. Doing one tooth at a time costs a lot in terms of time away from your regular life or missing work. And waiting to fix a problem allows that problem to get worse.
- Don’t be too concerned if your insurance won’t cover your treatment. Insurance reimbursements have not kept pace with dental fees and typically cover $1,000 to 1,500 per year, the same dollar amount they covered in the 1960’s. It’s nice to get some insurance benefits, but these plans are designed for minimal maintenance only. If you care about your teeth, you may have to pay out of pocket to keep them healthy.
- Make sure you are seeing an experienced, gentle, highly trained dentist, who has many satisfied patients.
Posted in Good Dental Hygiene | No Comments »
