Dental Services

Coming to this office is like being on an "airplane" in first class.
-- Eleanor B.

 

We are a general dental practice serving the oral health needs of Marin County from ages 3 to our oldest patient at 95! We provide all general dental services. Should your particular situation require a specialist care, we will refer you, and follow-up with the specialist to be sure the care matches your desires. We serve as the "quarterback" of the team, using specialist to do special procedure.

We often get questions on procedures such as implants, bleaching, deep cleanings, and Invisalign care to straighten crocked teeth. The answer is 'yes' and would be glad to guide you in choosing what's best for your situation.

Click on the link below to learn more about a topic:

Onlays	Dental Implants	Teeth Straightening with Invisalign
Teeth whitening

 

Onlays: Basically, small crowns. Onlays are used when a more conservative design can be attained. Advantages are less tooth structure is removed and a lower fee. Disadvantages are they are less retentive (have to rely more on the cement) and a cusp that has not been "onlayed" can break later, requiring one to start over.

Onlays have been made out of gold, but today more people prefer porcelain onlays.

Dental Implants: More and more, missing teeth, either extracted or congenitally missing, are being replaced with implants. Implant are gently placed into the site where the prior tooth was, allowed to integrate with the tooth for a few months, then restored with a crown. The result, a new tooth just like it was always there!

 

 

Teeth Straightening with Invisalign: One of the more recent technologies, Invisalign uses very thin clear trays is sequential order to correct issues with crownding and spacing in smiles. They are so thin, people don't know you're wearing them! Ask Dr. Collins or Sylvia for more information, or check out the Invisign website for more information.

Teeth Whitening: One of the most common requests from patients is yellow-aged looking teeth. Fortunately today the process to remove the pigments from your enamel surface is easy and safe. Peroxide gels, either in the form of over-the counter strips, home bleach kits, and in-office whitening, are all chemically the same, just increasing strength. The higher the concentration of bleach, the faster the results. Well over 90% of bleaching in our office is done by you at home. After trays are made to fit your mouth (and therefore use much less bleach) you can do the one-hour bleach sessions in the privacy of your home. It takes an average of 10 one-hour sessions to remove the pigments. While once a day is ideal, every other day works just as well. We recommend completing the 10 sessions in 3-4 weeks.

In-office bleaching works for those on the go who don't have the time to do the home version. In-office bleaching is the same chemistry, but much higher in concentration so we have to apply it. The total exposure time is about an hour. As a service to our patient, we provide home trays as well so you can touch-up your new smile at home whenever you want to. As a side note, the bleaching light promoted by the manufacturers may not provide improvement to the process. Resent research on "with light" and "without light" bleaching failed to show a significant visual difference.

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