Josh Bernstein, DDS, Cosmetic Dentist

Hi,

Around the 1st of May I woke up to "Planet of the Apes Lips." I wondered what I ate to cause such a reaction??? I called Kaiser and they suggested an allergy pill. In the mean time, my lips were growing at a fast pace. I could not work because of the way I looked. I knew I had a loose front tooth. One bite of an apple would have taken the tooth. My daughter decided to call Dr. Bernstein. I had discovered him on the web since he was near where I lived. She thought it was worth the call. Carmen, my daughter, was on the case and an appointment was in progress. I was still thinking "I hate dentists, maybe I can still avoid going." No chance of that! His assistant called and gave me a same day appointment. As I entered his office, I felt an air of peace and knew this dentist is indeed different! All was explained. He gave me a prescription to take my lips to a normal size. I was happy! Most of my adult life I hated my teeth. That space in the middle kept growing because my teeth had shifted with age. My dream was to have veneers on those ugly teeth. Little did I know how close my dream was to coming true. With the understanding and encouragement of Dr. Bernstein I realized I could make it happen. Now I have a "BEAUTIFUL SMILE!" Dr. Bernstein is a different dentist from most. It is very simple. "HE CARES."

My heartfelt THANKS goes out to you, Dr. Bernstein, Carly, and your nice wife, Allison. Thanks for giving my daughter an outstanding teeth cleaning. We appreciate the kindness shown to both of us.

Ruth G. Thompson (A HAPPY CUSTOMER)

Albert Einstein said, “We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

Everyone is feeling the pressure of higher gas prices. I'm not an economist and my thinking may be overly simplistic, but it seems to me that higher gas prices are a simple function of supply and demand. More countries aside from industrialized Western countries, India and China in particular, are using gas for cars far more than ever before.

Some people say we should ask the oil producing countries to lower prices, but why should they? Others say we should drill our own oil off of our beaches and in our wilderness areas. This modest dentist says we should stop using oil--or at least drastically lower our consumption.

We have the technology available now for electric cars which can be plugged in at home for charging. Yes, the electricity produced may come from power plants that burn oil. But what if every roof in America had solar panels that produce electricity? Not only is this technology also available now but there are even photovoltaic shingles that look like a good old fashioned roof. It may temporarily rock our economy if the oil companies and electric companies lose business but we will adjust. And building the new infrastructure--solar roofing and electric cars--will boost our economy on another front.

While we're at it, let's expand our trains, subways, and other public transportation so that it's just as convenient (and cost effective) to take public transit as it is to drive. Less traffic--gas or electric--would be nice.

Whether you believe in global climate change or you simply want to save money, electric cars and public transit make a lot of sense. And remember you can always walk or ride a bike!

Let's take Einstein's advice and move away from oil which is 19th century technology.

This very sweet 12 year old girl came into my office for an Invisalign consult. She has already been through the first round of orthodontics with traditional braces. She only bites on her 1st molars. No other teeth touch. Her tongue is constantly resting between her upper and lower teeth and she has been in speech therapy for many years to correct her tongue thrusting habit. She has a crossbite in the molar area, too.

So why is the orthodontics not working? Why is the speech therapy not working? Take a look at her tonsils, particularly her right side. They are huge! Every time she swallows, thousands of times every day, her tongue comes forward to allow the swallowing. The tongue may also come forward to assist her breathing as she has allergies that require medication. This is a situation that puts a patient at risk for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).

So what's going on here? As the tongue comes forward, it opens up the bite between the upper and lower teeth. At the same time the tongue comes forward, the cheeks collapse inward putting pressure on the upper molars, which causes the crossbite and a high palate. This patient needs to have a thorough evaluation and treatment by an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist before proceeding further with orthodontics. And she most likely needs her tonsils removed.

As dentists, we need to look beyond the teeth, gums and bones to see what is really going on. The success of our dentistry depends on this, but so does the life and health of our patients.

My wife and I had a most pleasant lunch this week with one of the giants in dentistry, Dr. Stephen Cohen. Dr. Cohen's claim to fame is as the author of Pathways of the Pulp, the definitive textbook on root canals that is required reading for every dental student. One would be hard pressed to find a more polished, refined, true gentleman. He is a living example of good manners, decorum, chairside rapport, and a reminder that today's man has a lot to learn about how to conduct himself in polite society. He has a stunningly gorgeous state of the art office in the Tiffany building on Union Square in San Francisco where he and his staff break for high tea at 4pm everyday.

Well into his 70's, Dr. Cohen is completely engaged in leading technology and in editing his 10th and final edition of Pathways of the Pulp. Advancements that he discussed included technology that is currently being tested to complete root canals in 5 minutes. He also discussed non-surgical instruments and techniques for resolving persistent recurrent dental infections that now require surgery. Most astonishingly, he discussed research into using stem cells to incubate new tooth nerves and tooth buds that will make implants obsolete in the future. He could not yet provide details on these techniques and instruments as the information is proprietary and does not belong to him. But stay tuned for more information in 2009!

Yesterday I had the distinct pleasure of attending a garden party for my long-time friend, Suzy, on the occasion of her 50th birthday along with the 25th anniversary of her marriage to Mark. Her mother, Shirley, was one of my late mother's best friends and I spent a good long time chatting with Shirley yesterday. I love Shirley and feel like I'm once again in my mother's presence just being around her.

The first thing about this conversation that was so amazing was that it took place at all, since, over 20 years ago, we all thought Shirley was dying of cardiovascular disease. Shirley has always had an amazingly positive attitude and she matter-of-factly heard the news of her health issues back then and took action. She sought out the top specialist at UCSF who advised her to avoid heart surgery, get on the right meds, eat properly and manage her stress. Shirley reasoned that she would rather pay a massage therapist and other related practitioners than a heart surgeon. The cardiologist advised her to avoid stressful activities such as driving on the freeway, pointless worrying etc. During that period, I remember she kept a very busy schedule as always, but her dance card was filled with massages, manicures, pedicures, facials, yoga, light exercise, theater engagements, parties, dinners out, movies, travel and visiting with friends--on the phone and in person.

Over 20 years later, Shirley has maintained this life style. Now in her 80's and in remarkably good health, Shirley is also incredibly hip and stays current on EVERYthing! She knows about all the latest celebrities. She travels to New York, Paris and Hawaii with her traveling companions to see Broadway shows, museums or to just relax a little. She's up on all the latest artists and fashions--and the newest restaurants, shows, and movies. She sits on all kinds of boards of directors of land trusts, theater groups, her family business, and charities. And she maintains very close relationships with both of her kids and grandchildren, frequently traveling with them, too.

After knowing Shirley myself for 40 years, there was something Shirley said yesterday that really struck a chord. She said, "There's always something new." I realized that Shirley is not someone to live in the past. She is living in the here and now and enjoying every minute of it. She is involved in everything that is going on and doesn't dwell on age-related health problems. She has a cell phone and an email address. She is very well dressed and well kept--in fact, she looks gorgeous! She has a driver so she can go anywhere she wants--without stress. She is constantly making plans with her friends and family. And she is always trying to help anyone who needs help--from her friends and family to all the charitable organizations she is involved with. In everything Shirley does, she is full speed ahead, rarely looking back except to smile for a moment. Something we smiled about yesterday was that Shirley baked one of my mom's cookie recipes for the party--and they were just right.

Somewhere in my conversation with Shirley yesterday, I think she taught me the secret to life...

Elliott: Elliott is a bright young student from the UK, studying for a semester at Cal Berkeley. He has always been self conscious about his teeth and wanted to get that California smile to go with the rest of his good looks. We did 5 porcelain veneers on Elliott's upper front teeth to idealize the color and shape of his teeth. He is very popular around campus and the co-eds won't be able to resist him now with his all new smile.

After spending 20 years in Berkeley, just 2 blocks from the University of California, we moved our practice to Piedmont in July, 2005. Piedmont just celebrated its centennial in 2007. As we all know, the San Francisco earthquake was in April of 1906. Back then, there was no Bay Bridge and a number of wealthy San Francisco executives had vacation ranches here in Piedmont. With the destruction of San Francisco, these founders of Piedmont moved accross the bay and made Piedmont a city in 1907. Back then, Piedmont was a destination resort, with The Piedmont Springs Hotel and the Key Route railroad system bringing guests right into the heart of Piedmont. Over time, Piedmont became a bedroom community for San Francisco executives, University of California Professors, and retired officers from the Alameda Naval Air Station. Piedmont also attracted physicians practicing at hospitals in Oakland, Berkeley, San Leandro, Hayward, Walnut Creek, and as far away as Pittsburg in my father's case.

Today, Piedmont is still a bedroom community, minus the railroad and the destination resort hotel which burned down many years ago. With its outstanding schools, dedicated police and fire departments and fabulous parks department, Piedmont is highly sought after as one of the premiere placed to live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

As a dental practice in Piedmont, we are fortunate to be centrally located, not just in the San Francisco Bay Area but also in California. Typical demographic wisdom tells us that people generally travel no more than 5 miles to see their dentist. Because we provide some unique services such as cosmetic dentistry, full mouth rehabilitation, sedation, and TMJ treatment--and possibly because I am a clinical instructor at LVI and Founder/President of The Dental Comfort Academy--patients travel long distances to come to our office. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we have patients from San Francisco, San Mateo, Burlingame, Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Bruno, San Jose, Los Gatos, Silicon Valley, Fremont, Alameda, Oakland, San Rafael, Marin, Novato, Sausalito, Healdsburg, Petaluma, Sebastopol, Orinda, Lafayette, Walnut Creek, Alamo, Danville, San Ramon, Dublin, Concord, Pleasant Hill, Livermore, Pleasanton, Benicia, Pittsburg, Antioch and Brentwood. Whew! Outside of the Bay Area, patients travel from Tracy, Modesto, Sacramento, Lake Tahoe, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Diego. We even have patients who travel nationally from Indiana, Texas, Washington, DC, Chicago, Denver, Atlanta and Florida. Internationally, we have patients from Japan, China, Thailand, Singapore, Sweden, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Mexico. Piedmont is, indeed, centrally located!

If you think it's crazy to travel to Piedmont to see the dentist, please give us a call and we will help you to see just how easy we can make it for you.