Bay Area Dentist Serving San Francisco, Berkeley, Piedmont, Oakland
August 2nd, 2011
One of the best-kept secrets in my practice is that for decades we have been providing dental house calls. Most house calls are to visit seniors who have health, mobility, or transportation issues.
What kind of dental treatment can we provide during a house call?
- Dental Exams
- Diagnostic Photographs
- X-rays and CT scans
- Minor dental repairs
- Denture fabrication
- Oral hygiene
House calls often save a dental patient and their caregiver the inconvenience of an office visit. However, when a dental office visit is needed, we can arrange transportation if necessary. Many seniors are afraid of the dentist. As the Founder and President of The Dental Comfort Academy, it is very important to me to make sure that all of our dental patients are as comfortable as possible. Oftentimes this means that we sedate our nervous dental patients, either with a pill or with I.V. sedation administered by an anesthesiologist.
Seniors have been using their teeth for a long time and often need dental work such as:
- Cleanings
- Fillings
- Crowns and bridges
- Partial dentures
- Dental Implants
- Implant-supported dentures.
Patients with loose dentures particularly appreciate the added security that dental implants can provide for better chewing and less embarrassment. All of the senior services that we provide are, of course, available to all of our seniors, not just those who need house calls and transportation.
If you or someone you know needs a house call or our senior services, please email us at allnewsmiles@hotmail.com or call us at 510-601-7645.
Posted in Dental Implants, Good Dental Hygiene, Sedation Dentistry, Senior Dental Patients | No Comments »
July 6th, 2011
Laser Dentistry has been a part of my practice for a long time. Using my laser is as common as picking up my high speed and I don’t think I could practice without either. After attending a laser course recently, I thought I should bring to everyone’s attention some of the things that we do with lasers to help our patients. First of all, we have two lasers in our office so that both myself and my hygienist, Leah, can help our patients with lasers.
Here are some ways lasers can help you:
1. Avoiding gum surgery. In some cases, gum surgery is necessary, but oftentimes gum surgery can be avoided by treating gum disease conservatively with a laser. Many research articles have shown lasers to decrease the deep, infected pockets of gum tissue around a tooth that often lead to losing the tooth. By painlessly removing diseased gum tissue inside the pockets, bone has also been reported in the literature to grow back where it has previously been lost, helping to tighten up loose teeth.
2. Uncovering dental implants without surgery. After a dental implant has integrated into the jaw for several months, it has to be uncovered so that a tooth can be attached for chewing. In the past, this was a surgical procedure involving stitches. With a laser, a small opening is created in the gums to expose the implant painlessly and without stitches.
3. Better fitting crowns and fillings. Sometimes, a tooth will decay (rot) below the gumline. In order to make a restoration that fits the tooth precisely, it is important to expose strong healthy tooth structure. This is successfully accomplished by using the laser to painlessly create a small trough of space between the gums and the tooth. Research articles show that this method creates better fitting/more successful crowns and fillings.
4. Treatment for cold sores and canker sores. In the past, treatment options were limited for cold sores and canker sores. Lasers can significantly improve the uncomfortable symptoms and speed healing. No injections are needed for this treatment.
5. De-sensitize exposed roots at the gumline. Patients who use Sensodyne may appreciate that their sensitive roots can be successfully treated with lasers. No injections are needed for this. The tip of the laser does not even touch the sensitive area. A warm laser beam is shined on the area like a flashlight and gently de-sensitizes the tooth.
6. Treatment for “gummy” smiles. Lasers work nicely for painlessly sculpting excess gum tissue for a more esthetically pleasing smile. We routinely use a laser on almost every smile makeover case we do to turn a good case into a great case.
For more information on how we can help you with our lasers, just call us or ask at your next visit.
Posted in Cosmetic Dentistry, Dental Implants, Laser Dentistry, Restorative Dentistry, Technology | No Comments »
July 5th, 2011
Do you suffer from headaches? Do your jaw muscles feel overworked? Do you have a clicking sound in your TMJ (the joint just in front of your ear)? Does your bite feel strained? Are your teeth wearing out?
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions you may have TMD, more commonly known as TMJ.
TMJ can also cause dizziness, ear congestion, neck pain, and other symptoms not commonly considered “dental.” Dr. Josh Bernstein is one of the few dentists in the San Francisco Bay Area that treats TMJ. In his Piedmont, California office, Dr. Bernstein will help you determine if you have TMJ and help you understand what you can do about it. Sometimes a simple bite adjustment is all that is needed. Other times orthodontics is the solution, and Dr. Bernstein frequently uses Invisalign orthodontics to help his Bay Area TMJ patients.
When teeth are severly worn, some patients need to have their mouths completely restored to solve the TMJ problems. Occasionally, braces and even jaw surgery are needed.
Whatever the problem, Dr. Bernstein can help you get on the right track for a solution. With over 25 years of experience and as a Clinical Instructor in Full Mouth Reconstruction, Dr. Bernstein is well equipped to address your dental problems. Dr. Bernstein is a TMJ patient himself who was successfully treated with the techniques he now uses in his Bay Area dental office.
Physicians and other dentists often refer their TMJ cases to Dr. Bernstein from all over, but typically Dr. Bernstein treats TMJ patients from the following zip codes: 94129, 94123, 94109, 94133, 94111, 94108, 94104, 94109, 94105, 94121, 94118, 94115, 94102,94103, 94117,94122, 94131, 94114, 94110, 94107, 94116, 94127, 94124, 94132, 94112, 94134, 94618, 94609, 94611, 94608, 94662, 94612, 94610, 94602, 94606, 94619, 94605, 94707, 94708, 94709, 94710, 94704, 94702, 94703, 94705.
Posted in Invisalign, TMJ/TMD | No Comments »
June 23rd, 2011
Nobody wants to lose even one tooth, let alone a number of teeth. Traditional options for replacing missing teeth have been dentures, partial dentures, bridges, or sometimes people just choose to live with the empty space. These historical options are still available but today dental implants present a far more natural option. Dental implants literally replace the tooth, meaning that even the root of the missing tooth is replaced. Teeth replaced with dental implants are the strongest, longest lasting and most realistic. They are also the most expensive but patients who replace their missing teeth with dental implants are typically very happy with the choice they have made.
Dr. Josh Bernstein provides dental implants services to patients in the Piedmont, California and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Patients sometimes travel from across California and the United States to visit Dr. Bernstein, but most of his patients come from the following zip codes: 94129, 94123, 94109, 94133, 94111, 94108, 94104, 94109, 94105, 94121, 94118, 94115, 94102,94103, 94117,94122, 94131, 94114, 94110, 94107, 94116, 94127, 94124, 94132, 94112, 94134, 94618, 94609, 94611, 94612, 94610, 94602, 94606, 94619, 94605, 94608, 94662, 94707, 94708, 94709, 94710, 94704, 94702, 94703, 94705.
Posted in Dental Implants | No Comments »
June 19th, 2011
Everyone wants straight white teeth. Invisalign orthodontics is a great way to straighten your teeth without braces. Using thin clear plastic aligners, which are changed every two weeks to gradually move your teeth, Invisalign allows patients to get the straight teeth they’ve always wanted without braces. Bay Area Invisalign dentist Dr. Bernstein treats patients from all over the world, but most of his Invisalign patients come from the following zip codes: 94129, 94123, 94109, 94133, 94111, 94108, 94104, 94109, 94105, 94121, 94118, 94115, 94102,94103, 94117,94122, 94131, 94114, 94110, 94107, 94116, 94127, 94124, 94132, 94112, 94134, 94618, 94609, 94611, 94612, 94610, 94602, 94606, 94619, 94605, 94707, 94708, 94709, 94710, 94704, 94702, 94703, 94705, 94608, and 94662.
Posted in Invisalign | No Comments »
May 19th, 2011
File this one in the “truth is stranger than fiction” file! We made a Somnodent appliance for one of our patients who snores and has sleep apnea (he stops breathing many times while he sleeps). Almost immediately after we made is for him, he lost it and could not find it anywhere. So we made him another one. Well, he finally found the first one. In a flower pot. On top of the refrigerator! As it turns out, he put his Somnodent in a glass of water on the dining room table. His wife came along to water the plants, including the one on top of the refrigerator. And they never would have found it except that they just bought a new refrigerator! All’s well that ends well. They got a new refrigerator. He has a spare Somnodent. And they’re both sleeping a whole lot better!
Posted in Sleep Apnea, Uncategorized | No Comments »
May 17th, 2011
When a dental patient says they feel something, they mean it!
A number of new dental patients have consulted with me recently who all had the same experience. During a procedure, they told their dentist they felt discomfort and their dentist either:
1. Dismissed their complaint, saying it must be in their head because he/she used a lot of anesthetic
2. Added more anesthetic, which also didn’t work
3. Kept working, ignoring their pain.
After 25 years practicing dentistry, I have learned that every patient is different. Some patients need sedation for a simple cleaning, while others can have an extraction or a root canal without being numb. There are many reasons for the differences, ranging from negative childhood experiences to anatomic variations. The important thing, however, is to listen to the patient when they say something hurts! There are a number of different ways we now solve difficult anesthesia.
1. Technique. It’s important to make sure the medicine goes where it numbs the tooth best.
2. Medicine. There are a number of new anesthetics that are much more effective than the old ones.
4. Advanced techniques. New tricks enable dentists to deliver the medicine directly to the tooth to guarantee numbness.
Dentists often encounter patients who are difficult to numb. It’s important for dentists to not only ask the patients if they’re comfortable, it’s important for us to listen to the patients when they’re not. Then we must solve the problem.
It is not acceptable to work on a patient who is not 100% numb.
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
May 11th, 2011
One of the most gratifying things in life is feeling appreciated. When someone tells you what a great job you’ve done or how nice you’ve been, it feels good inside to know that you’ve made someone happy. Being an approval-freak dentist might seem like an oxymoron since it’s so popular for people to say how much they hate going to the dentist. But that’s me—an approval-freak dentist. It’s not really an oxymoron either. However, it does require being different—in a positive way.
So that’s what we try to do in our East Bay dental office. Other dental offices keep people waiting, so our goal is to run 100% on time. Other dental offices have outdated magazines, so ours are always brand new. Other dental offices have surly staff, so ours provides friendly personal service. Other dental offices insulate the dentist from patient contact after hours, so I give out my personal cell number and email. Other dental offices are in a hurry seeing multiple patients and may not have time to keep you completely comfortable, so we see one patient at a time and make your comfort the very highest priority. Other dental offices do mercury fillings and crowns with visible metal at the gum-line, so we make our dental work look like beautiful, real teeth. Other dental offices use outdated equipment and techniques, so we invest in the very latest equipment and education. And so on.
Our wonderful dental patients notice these details. They thank us. They hug us. And some even bring us cookies! But the most gratifying compliment our patients pay us is when they recommend us to their friends, family, and acquaintances. As an approval-freak dentist, these are the things that make me happy.
Josh Bernstein, DDS,
President, Dental Comfort Academy. Join today–it’s free!
Comfort Academy
San Francisco and East Bay Dentist
San Francisco Sedation Dentist
Our YouTube Channel
Posted in Fillings, Outstanding Client Care, Relaxed Office Visit | No Comments »
May 6th, 2011
My wife and I had a lovely dinner last Saturday night at the home of another local dentist who specializes in root canals. During the course of the conversation, I asked him how it was going with the sedation aspect of his dental practice. I was surprised to find out that he was only sedating one dental patient per month. Why?
In my experience, everyone is a bit nervous when they come to my office. Some are terrified. Today, one of my patients said, “I would rather have a baby than a root canal.” And she’s over 60 years old!
Virtually every single dental patient that walks into a root canal specialist’s office has a higher level of fear and anxiety than they would at the “regular” dentist. As the conversation continued, we explained that some of our patients need to be sedated even for a cleaning. The dentist’s wife said that was “crazy.” That may be so for most patients, but not for those who are truly dental phobic.
There are patients in every dental practice (and others who only go to the dentist for emergencies) who shudder at the thought of having their teeth “scraped,” which is what they call a cleaning. They get sweaty palms just calling the dentist. They burst into tears during a consultation. And they say “ouch” before we even touch them. They are absolutely terrified during every dental appointment. For these patients, and for anyone who wants to enjoy dental procedures in 100% complete comfort, oral conscious sedation (OCS) is the way to go.
By taking a safe, common sleeping pill one hour before a dental procedure, patients can be completely relaxed and comfortable throughout the procedure. They drift in and out of sleep and many do not even remember the procedure at all–even if we work on many teeth at once.
My patients who have their dentistry completed with oral conscious sedation (OCS) typically say that it was the best dental experience they have ever had. Many of my dental patients come from all over the San Francisco and East Bay area because they want to be sedated for their dental procedures. So why doesn’t every dentist offer OCS? Good question. I wish they would. More people would get the care they need and dentists would improve their reputation in the eyes of the public.
Posted in Sedation Dentistry | No Comments »
September 11th, 2010
Jack is a prominent sales executive with a major pharmaceutical company. After spending a few years away from the dentist, he wanted to improve his dental health, function, and esthetics. In just a few visits we restored his whole mouth. Now he is going to have implants to replace his missing upper molars which will give him the all new smile he’s been looking for, complete with solid function on all of his teeth.
 Before Smile Makeover - Full Face View  After Smile Makeover - Full Face View  Before Smile Makeover - Close Up View  After Smile Makeover - Close Up View  Before Smile Makeover - Retracted View
 After Smile Makeover - Retracted View Josh Bernstein, DDS
Founder and President, Dental Comfort Academy
http://www.allnewsmiles.com
http://www.sanfranciscosedationdentist.com
http://www.comfortacademy.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1eTrwCfu5Y
Posted in Smile Makeovers | No Comments »
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