Just returned from the AACD annual meeting in Dallas Texas. The meeting was well attended and the program was well done. As an Accredited Member it was great to see some new members join our ranks.

What is an Accredited Member?

Of the entire member ship of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry of over 5000 dentists there are about 200 Accredited Members world wide. Being accredited means you have passed a written exam, submitted and passed for clinical excellence 5 clinical cases you have completed on your patients, and finally passed an oral exam. The clinical cases involve implants, porcelain veneers, porcelain crowns and resin bondning.  Becoming accredited means you have proven you have the skills to create beautiful functional dentistry.

I received my accredited status two years ago, along with my ceramist (dental lab technician). Still I am one of only a handful of accredited dentists in the Bay Area and the only one in all of San Mateo County.

Above are a few photos from the Euroteknika Annual Symposium was I was invited to speak. The conference was well attended with well over 10 countries represented. Euroteknika the largest French manufacturer of dental implants is located at the foot of Mount Blanc in the French Alps. The attendees enjoyed my presentation and were amzed with the natural results we achieve using our surgical protocols fro dental implants. What follows are a few photos from the trip and conference.

This month we are showcasing porcelain veneers done on a patient. The two front teeth had discolored existing restorations the patient wanted to upgrade. There was also a gap between the front teeth the patient wanted to close. Our goal was to use a “lumineer” style or “prepless technique” which means a very minimal preparation of the teeth to be restored. Attached are the pre work images and then images of our final result.  The patient was very pleased with the new porcelain veneers creating the natural smile she was looking for.

Just a little update. Last month I had the pleasure to travel to Baton Rouge to speak before the Louisiana Dental Society. With over 100 attendees I provided a full day program about implants, smile design, and dental photography. The presentation was well received and I was invited to possibly speak again next year for the group.

The holidays are almost upon us. I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and may the new year bring you and your family good health!

Finally getting caught up now that my daughter and I are back from the Dominican Republic Humanitarian Trip. It was GREAT! Our group of 26 from the U.S., 6 Dr.’s and their teams were joined by 6 Dominican Dr.’s to privide care for over 125 patients a day. We partnered with Esperanza, a non-profit making micro loans to the very poor to help them see a way out of poverty. Part of Esperanza’s pledge is to help with their clients medical and dental needs thus our group. The patients we met were wonderful people, very friendly and grateful for the work we did. My first clinical day I met a young 18 year old pitcher with a 91mph fastball, he lives in the same poor community Pedro Martinez grew up in. In fact we worked in a facilty built by Pedro for his community. Our next day we toured historic Santo Domingo and saw the first church in the New World. The next four days were spent in differrent communities providing care. Very tough conditions- very hot, very humid had a lot of the team collapsed from over heating. Conditions were very rustic, we provided everything. Our leader Dr. Roy Hammond from Utah did a great job coordinating our trip.  After the four days of care, we started at 7am and finished about 6pm we enjoyed a day at a beautiful beach resort trying to get our energy back fro the 16 hour trip home.  My daughter and I came back different people, very appreciative for what we take for granted here in the United States.

This summer some of you may have seen my daughter, Taira, working in the office. This was in preparation for next week when she will accompany me on a week long dental mission to the Dominican Republic where we will provide dental care with 26 other team members to some of the poorest of poor. Five to six dentists will be on the trip and each of us will see about 50 patients a day. So close to 1500 patients will be seen during our stay. Conditions will be somewhat primative as there are no dental units and we will use flashlights to see into the mouth. I look forward to the stories of our trip when I return.

Just wanted to welcome everyone to my new website. Our team is very excited about the new site and the great content contained in it. Take a look at some of the treatment photos to see some beautiful dental work.