Meet Dr. Josh Bernstein - a leading cosmetic dentist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Richards Report, one of dentistry's most popular journals, recently honored Dr. Bernstein with the award of 'Dental Practice of the Year.'
 
Dr. Bernstein was also selected by The Consumers Research Council of America as one of 'America's Top Dentists.' 
 
BritishSurgery: Thank you, Dr. Bernstein for taking time to speak to SurgeryWatch. You are a leading cosmetic dentist and perform a number of cosmetic dental procedures, ranging from smile makeovers to instant orthodontics; full mouth restoration to non-surgical facelifts. How did you decide to become a dentist and pursue cosmetic dentistry?
 
Dr. Bernstein:  My mom made delicious desserts when I was a kid and since I grew up in the generation just before fluoridated water, I got a lot of cavities.  I was fortunate to have a wonderful dentist named Allan Hyman who never, ever hurt me.  In fact, I never even knew he was giving me Novocain.  Somehow I just got numb.  He also did some very cool things to make me comfortable, like let me use headphones to listen to fairy tales.  When I was older, I decided that I wanted to be the kind of dentist Allan Hyman was.
 
BS: Where did you receive your dentistry training?
 
Dr. Bernstein:  After I graduated from Cal Berkeley, I went to UOP Dental School in San Francisco.  However, a dental license to me is just a ticket to begin learning the profession.  I am a big believer in Continuing Education.  Now that I don't have to do homework or take tests, that is!  The bulk of my postdoctoral education is from LVI, the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies.  After completing the LVI curriculum, I was asked to join the faculty.
 
BS: There has been a lot of advancement in the field of cosmetic dentistry. What are the latest advances in this field and how has cosmetic dentistry evolved over the last few years?
 
Dr. Bernstein:  Adhesive technology and porcelain materials have been huge advances, allowing us to replace tooth enamel with lifelike substitutes.  However, recent acceptance of dentists as bite experts has enabled those of us who are trained in this area to accomplish some wonderful things for patients.  By improving the bite, we have learned to relieve chronic headaches, jaw tension, head posture, even dizziness and other ailments not normally considered 'dental.'
 
BS: Cosmetic dentistry is about improving your health and comfort along with your appearance. Please tell us more about cosmetic dentistry, what it involves and the different procedures?
 
Dr. Bernstein:  Many of the procedures that we do in our office are smile makeovers with porcelain veneers.  However, we also do 'regular' dentistry-we just want the 'regular' dentistry to look like real teeth.  When we have a patient with bite problems, we establish the most comfortable jaw posture first-then we use a number of different treatments to keep the patient comfortable-bite adjustments, orthotics, orthodontics, and resurfacing worn tooth structure with porcelain.
 
BS: Is there any particular procedure that you enjoy doing most? Which procedure is the most challenging? 
 
Dr. Bernstein:  I love doing smile makeovers with porcelain veneers.  TMJ problems and dental phobias are definitely challenging, but when we can solve these issues, it is enormously rewarding.
 
BS: What is TMJ? And how is TMJ caused?
 
Dr. Bernstein:  TMJ (or TMD) is a syndrome caused by a bad bite in most cases.  Stress is a factor, but a bad bite is the overriding cause.  Symptoms include headaches, jaw tension, an unstable bite, dizziness, ear congestion, neck tension and many other symptoms not typically considered 'dental.'
 
BS: How do you treat patients suffering from TMJ?
 
Dr. Bernstein:  First we find the correct jaw posture using some technology that we have.  We use TENS therapy to help relax the muscles.  We also measure the electrical output of the muscles to find the most relaxed posture of the jaw.  Once we find the ideal jaw posture we have several different methods to relieve symptoms.  Sometimes a simple bite adjustment is all it takes.  In other cases, we make an orthotic to allow the patient to relax in their most comfortable jaw posture.  
 
BS: In your website, you've mentioned that Instant Orthodontics eliminates braces all together. Please tell us more about this procedure.
 
Dr. Bernstein:  Sometimes traditional orthodontics with braces or with Invisalign is the best option.  But straight teeth aren't always pretty, especially if they are discolored, chipped, or worn.  Using porcelain veneers, we can eliminate the braces altogether and make the teeth straight, white, and ideal.
 
BS: What are Non-surgical Facelifts and Neuromuscular Dentistry?
 
Dr. Bernstein: When a person\'s bite is worn down, the jaw becomes overclosed, giving an aged appearance to the face, and an overclosed jaw often makes the patient uncomfortable.  By finding the ideal jaw posture, we can rejuvenate the appearance and get the patient comfortable again.  Neuromuscular dentistry is the science that allows us to find the most ideal physiologic jaw posture.  We use some very sophisticated technology to assist us with this.  It is the dental equivalent of an EKG.  Once we find the correct jaw posture, we can use today\'s conservative porcelain bonding techniques to restore patients permanently to their ideal jaw posture-this is a non-surgical face lift. 
 
BS: You're always in search of new ways to make dentistry more comfortable than ever. What kind of facilities, pampering and care do you offer your patients to make it a unique experience for them?
 
Dr. Bernstein:  We pay attention to the basics of customer service like running on time and being friendly and helpful.  We also keep a clean, uncluttered, up to date office.  Patients are constantly commenting on how gorgeous our bathroom is!  Beyond the basics, we exercise compassion, whether it's during the numbing process or during cleanings.
 
BS: Would you like to share a few such special moments with us where the patient has been made to feel very special? 
 
Dr. Bernstein:  We have done quite a bit of work with battered women.  It is extraordinarily rewarding to give back a smile to someone who has had it taken away from them with violence.  Aside from that, we are constantly searching for ways to make patients feel special.  For example, we have a patient from the U.K who had an appointment at 4 pm one day-tea time.  When he arrived, we had a copy of the London Times for him, along with a steaming hot cup of Prince of Wales tea.  It just so happens that he went to school with the Prince of Wales!
 
BS: What is sedation dentistry and how does it help patients? What are the risks of sedation dentistry?
 
Dr. Bernstein:  I am trained and licensed in Oral Conscious Sedation.  The patient takes a safe, commonly prescribed sleeping pill one hour before their appointment.  By the time they arrive, they are very relaxed and frequently fall in and out of sleep throughout the appointment.  This works incredibly well even for people who are normally terrified at the dentist.  If the patient is in good health, this is very safe.
 
BS: You use cutting edge technology, such as 'the wand', 'microultrasonic', and 'virtual reality movie glasses'. How do these help in making patients more comfortable?
 
Dr. Bernstein:  A slow injection is a comfortable injection, especially if the gums are pre-numbed with a powerful topical-which we have.  The Wand takes the human error out of giving a slow injection since it is computer controlled.  Microultrasonics have virtually replaced scraping instruments to clean teeth.  MUS is more comfortable and is better for the teeth and gums than the scraping instruments.  Patients absolutely love the movie glasses!  It is not uncommon to hear patients laugh during an injection because they are at a funny point in a video!
 
BS: Apart from dentistry, you write articles and have a blog on cosmetic dentistry, and are a faculty at LVI. How do you manage to pack in so much in a day?
 
Dr. Bernstein:  Very carefully!  I never manage to get everything done, but it is always waiting for me when I get back to the office!  I do love teaching at LVI and I learn so much when I go there because I get the opportunity to participate in treating so many patients, while consulting with the top dentists in the world.
 
BS: You have worked at rehabilitating the smiles of abused women and are part of the Women in Need (WIN) program. Please tell us more about the kind of work this involves; and, the response that you get.
 
Dr. Bernstein:  We have worked with women who live in shelters and other women who reach us through WIN and GBAS (Give Back a Smile).  There are some very generous porcelain labs out there that help us with this such as World Lab, Williams Dental Lab, and Microdental.  And of course, our work is entirely voluntary.  These poor women have been brutalized by violence.  It is our pleasure to give these women an all new smile.
 
BS: Please tell us about your family and how you like to spend time with them.  What do you like to do when you are not working in the practice?
 
Dr. Bernstein:  I like to get outdoors with my family.  My wife and I like to go for long walks.  I like to ski and go boating with my kids.  And I love to watch my kids participate in their sports, like swimming, water polo, lacrosse, and equestrian events.
 
BS:  Thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us!
 
Dr. Bernstein: Thank you for taking an interest!


To learn more about Dr. Bernstein, and his cosmetic dentistry and neuromuscular dentistry practice in the San Francisco area, please visit http://www.allnewsmiles.com or Dr. Bernstein’s sedation dentistry website at http://www.sanfranciscosedationdentist.com/.