In this part of series we will outline what to look for in the staff and the doctor.

Your first experience with any dental practice will almost always start with the front office personnel.

Keep It Simple

They must be helpful, answer your questions, and investigate any problems and resolve them in a timely manner.

The appointments should be confirmed in advance because sometimes patients tend to forget when their appointment is.

At the office of Aria Irvani DDS we also use a text and email messaging system to remind our patients of their appointments.

As our society becomes more mobile, such tools make life easier for patients.

The doctor and the hygienist should explain everything in a manner that is understandable to you.

They should be able to answer any questions with regards to your treatment and use educational tools (videos, etc) to explain procedures.

Dentist Office Etiquette

The next area of contact with a dental office is the auxiliary staff.

You should wait no more than 15 minutes to be seated for your visit.

If the doctor is running late for any reason, you should be advised of the situation.

The staff should be friendly, accommodating and helpful.

The doctor, hygienist and the assistants should always be well groomed and professional.

Wearing gloves, masks and protective clothing is mandatory.

At our Foothill Ranch dentist office, we use a web based animation series to explain hard to understand procedures to patients.

There are 3 categories that you need to look at.

The facility, the staff and doctor and finally the equipment.

In this first part of the blog we will cover the facility with the other parts to follow in future segments.

Dentist Facility Overall Appearance

The office should be clean, modern and comfortable.

For your safety and peace of mind, barriers to cover chair handles and buttons should be visible in all the treatment rooms.

With the exception of the dental instruments which are sterilized, everything else should be disposable.

The dental instruments should be packaged and opened in front of you right before use.

Although the ADA requires the sterilizers to be tested monthly, at our Orange County dentist office, sterilizers are tested weekly.

Furthermore as an additional safety measure, the bags that the instruments are sterilized in, have a special indicator strip that shows whether the contents inside the bag have been sterilized properly.

Should there be a malfunction in the sterilizer, it is easily detected and instruments are tagged not to be used.

The office should have the most current proven technology.

Dental X-Ray

Digital X-rays are a must in today’s modern practice.

They have half as much radiation as the traditional X-rays and provide an instant image in 3 seconds as opposed to the film X-rays which take 6-8 minutes to develop.

Having digital X-rays means not keeping harmful chemicals in the office necessary for developing the film X-rays.

The Bottom Line

The parking should be plentiful, preferably free and convenient.

The office should not smell like a dental office because in most people it will trigger apprehension.

The treatment rooms should be clean and well maintained.

The magazines should be current and have an interesting variety to appeal to different patients.

The bathroom should be clean and well maintained.

The treatment rooms should have sinks to allow hand washing.

If you live in the area of Foothill Ranch, California, then please feel free to check out our Orange County cosmetic dentist office and experience the difference for yourself.

A proper set of records which include X-rays, model, and photographs is needed to make an accurate assessment.

The following is not intended to make a diagnosis about a case but should only be used as very general guidelines.

Should I get an expander before braces?

Whether you need expanders or not really depend on how constricted the upper jaw is.

If you are a mouth breather or have a cross bite in the molar area, the expander is usually needed to correct the problem.

It is far more effective in a growing child than it is in an adult.

In fact it may not even be of any use in a patient over the age of 30.

Gaps and braces?

If the teeth are not unusually narrow or misshapen and there is gap between the teeth, it can be closed by orthodontic movement (either Invisalign or traditional braces).

Types of braces?

Braces can be metallic or clear (ceramic).

How long do braces take?

Braces can take as little as 4 months to 2 years or longer depending on the case.

Cost of braces?

There is such a big variety in the types of orthodontic cases that it is virtually impossible to arrive at a specific fee until the proper records are taken; it can be as little as 300-400 dollars for an appliance to move a tooth to over 5000 dollars for a complex case.

Most of the cases fall in between these two extremes.

How do braces align the teeth?

Think of braces as handles that you put on the teeth.

The orthodontic wire goes into these handles.

As a result, the wire movement will move the teeth.

Most of the new wires have shape memory which means they want to go back to being straight and flat.

When you put the wire through the braces that are attached to the teeth, the wire gets deflected because of misalignment of the teeth.

Now the wire will want to go back to its original state (straight and flat) and because it is attached to the teeth through the braces, it will move the teeth and make them straight as well.

Who can benefit from braces?

Almost everyone with crooked teeth or a bad bite.

There is no age maximum for getting braces.

When teeth are crooked, it is hard for even the dental professional to clean in between them, therefore they stain easier, are more prone to gum disease and wear unevenly over time exaggerating the appearance of being crooked.

Straight teeth make your smile significantly more attractive and give the person a much more youthful appearance.

Paying for braces?

Because the braces generally take several months to complete, the payment is spread over the course of the treatment thereby reducing the financial impact, at our Orange County dentist office we use outside financing companies such as Care Credit that allow you to finance the treatment for up to a year or longer with no interest.

What are other methods to straighten teeth other than braces?

There are two other methods to straighten teeth.

One is the use of an active appliance which is similar to a retainer with springs to move one or more teeth.

This device is typically used for minor tooth movement.

The other method is Invisalign which is a series of clear aligners that the patient wears in sequence until the teeth are straight.

Usually a dentist's instructions will include directions pertaining to the topics found on this page.

At our Orange County dental office, we will provide the patient with a detailed set of instructions to follow to promote faster.

This is a short version but will give you some guidelines to follow in case you cannot reach your dentist.

• No smoking for 24 hours following the extraction
• No alcohol for 24 hours following the extraction
• No strenuous activity for 24 hours following the extraction
• No hot foods for 24 hours following the extraction
• No drinking through a straw or anything that may cause a vacuum in the mouth since it will displace the blood clot and induce bleeding
• The bleeding may sometimes continue for several hours following the extraction.
• One of the proven methods to stop bleeding is to bite on a moist tea bag for 5 minutes and that generally stops the bleeding.
• Aspirin and Motrin also prolong bleeding times so you may want to avoid taking any of those medications after the extraction.
• You can use Tylenol instead.

Make sure to call your local Orange County dentist if there is significant swelling, bleeding or pain.

Be sure to ask for an afterhours number before you leave the office.

Veneering is a method of improving the appearance of your teeth.

Cosmetic dentistry is usually done by one the following three procedures.

Dental Bleaching

A primary candidate for bleaching is someone who has moderately stained or discolored teeth. The stains or discoloration generally cannot be removed through a standard professional cleaning. The whitening is generally done by wearing custom trays made by your dentist over a period of time or power whitening in one hour at the dental office.

Dental Bonding

Bonding is a method of improving the appearance of your teeth. This is achieved by a dentist bonding a tooth-colored resin onto your existing teeth.

A primary candidate for this procedure is someone who wants stains on teeth concealed, gaps closed, or worn or chipped teeth and fractures repaired.

Veneering Or Laminates

People who get veneers generally want to close gaps between teeth, repair fractures, cover a discolored tooth or even straighten a tooth.

Dental veneers are usually preferred over bonding because they are more durable, stronger and stain resistant.

This procedure generally requires two office visits.

First visit to prepare the teeth and take impressions and the second visit to bond the veneers to the teeth.

The veneers can make a dramatic difference in the appearance of a person since you can completely control the shape, color and the length of the teeth.

A skilled cosmetic dentist can recommend that procedure that will give you the best results.

Often times a mock up in the mouth can give you a preview of the final result before the procedure so that you can see the results before you commit to treatment.

At our Orange County dentist office we invite you to come in for a complimentary consultation to discuss any concerns about your smile in a relaxed, informative environment.

The first reason is that it is your teeth. In the wrong hands, an untrained dentist can certainly do more harm than good.

The second reason is that cosmetic dentistry can be very expensive. Therefore, it is important to have the best cosmetic dentist from the start.

A skilled cosmetic dentist must be able to give your best possible smile with the fewest restorations. Therefore, you will have fewer teeth treated and pay less out of pocket as a result.

The best advice is to ask your friends and relatives for dentist recommendations. Get the dentist to show you actual cases of the patients treated.

Another great way to spot a great cosmetic dentist is to look at the content of their web site.

• Are there pictures of actual cases posted or is it a generic before and after photograph?

Once you have a name, you need to check their qualifications.

• Are they a member of American Dental Association?
• Do they have special fellowship or mastership accreditation?
• Do they go above and beyond the basic continuing education requirement?

Our conservative and innovative cosmetic treatment approach will save you thousands of dollars over traditional cosmetic dentistry.

If you feel your smile can be better, or you want that million dollar smile without spending a million dollars, contact us at our dental office in Orange County today.]]> http://www.ariairvanidds.com/blog/2010/03/choosing_a_cosmetic_dentist_in_orange_county.php http://www.ariairvanidds.com/blog/2010/03/choosing_a_cosmetic_dentist_in_orange_county.php Cosmetic Dentistry General Dentistry Office News american dental association aria irvani cosmetic dentist good dentist orange county untrained dentist Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:04:10 -0800 Grinding and clenching can damage your teeth. It can cause chipped teeth, loose fillings and loss of enamel.

A great deal of undiagnosed tooth sensitivity can also be due to the clenching or grinding.

The vast majority of adults grind or clench their teeth in their sleep, although a small number will do it subconsciously during the day.

Periods of stress can exacerbate the episodes.

A Night Guard provides a cushion between your upper and lower teeth thus helping to protect them from the harmful effects of grinding and clenching and it frequently aids the patient in breaking the neurological cycle that causes the grinding.

It is important to have a professionally Night Guard made since the over the counter Night Guards frequently lack the precise fit that a laboratory made one has.

Furthermore, it may aggravate the condition by positioning the jaws in a less than favorable relation to one another.

Dr. Irvani outlines how this type of multifaceted approach can be beneficial in a complex restorative–esthetic case.

Read the complete article at the Inside Dentistry website!

The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) announces that Aria Irvani, DDS, of Orange county CA, received the Mastership Award

Awarded to Under 1% of General Dentists

The presentation took place in Baltimore Maryland where Dr. Irvani accepted his award along with 155 other recipients. The Mastership Award is the highest honor available in the AGD and one of the most respected designations in the profession. It has been awarded to under 1% of practicing general dentists in the US and Canada in the past 44 years.

To accomplish this, Dr. Irvani completed 1,100 hours of approved continuing dental education in the 16 disciplines of dentistry, including 400 hours dedicated to hands-on skills and techniques.

"This is an outstanding accomplishment for Dr.Irvani," said AGD President Paula Jones, DDS. "By completing the rigorous requirements to become a Master, Dr. Irvani goes above and beyond basic license requirements in his state to keep his practice on the cutting edge, and provide his patients with the most up-to-date treatment options and superior care. This award truly distinguishes Dr. Irvani from others in the dental community."

Dr. Irvani graduated with honors from University of Southern California (USC), in 1991, and has practiced dentistry in Upland for over 18 years. He is married to Azin, has one son, Darian and one daughter, Nikki. Dr. Irvani can be reached at (949) 458-5858.

About The Academy of General Dentistry

The AGD is a professional association of more than 35,000 general dentists dedicated to staying up-to-date in the profession through continuing education. Founded in 1952, the AGD has grown to become the world's second largest dental association, which is the only association that exclusively represents the needs and interests of general dentists.

More than 772,000 persons are employed directly in the field of general dentistry. A general dentist is the primary care provider for patients of all ages and is responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, management and overall coordination of services related to patients' oral health needs. For more information about the AGD, please visit www.agd.org.

After over 2 years of planning and construction, we have finally moved to our new location. We wanted the new location to be close to our old address to eliminate any inconvenience to our loyal patients.

Dental Office Treatment Room

One of the questions that most of you asked was why did we move? The answer is fairly simple. The parking was always an issue especially during after school activity season. It was not uncommon for some to drive around for 15 minutes to find parking. The landlord had also indicated that once the lease term is up (early next year) the rent would go up significantly. We have never believed in passing on the extra expense to our patients. Finally, the condition of the building always left something to be desired. Patients want to be treated in a professional, clean and meticulously maintained building and over the years that became less of a priority for the owners of the property.

Our new location is a short 2 miles from our old office. It is in a professional building with ample free parking. The office has been designed with your privacy and comfort in mind. You will find the office a much more pleasant environment to be in. We have also utilized every technology available to ensure a safe and more comfortable experience for you. Some of these technologies include digital Xrays and Panoramic digital imaging to significantly reduce radiation while providing better detail. Another example is a self- contained water system that prevents any potential contamination.

What has remained the same is our friendly service and our commitment to always putting our patients first. Our fair fees and our hours of operation have not changed either. We are still offering late night appointments for those who need to see us after work and have opened our Saturday appointments to deal with the strong demand for weekend visits.

More New Dental Office Photos

Dental Office Entry

Dental Office Hallway

Dental Office Reception

We Would Love to See You in Person!

Please contact us if you have require any further information or would like to book an appointment!

Today thousands of people who want to look and feel better about their smile and their image, are choosing to correct their smiles with Lumineers ™.

No Injections, No Drilling

The biggest advantage of Lumineers ™ is that no tooth structure is removed. Just as important, they require no injections or drilling.

It is through a patented revolutionary process that Lumineers ™ can be made in a very thin layer and then become a part of the tooth once they are properly bonded. They are extremely strong and durable. They can be used to treat discoloration of teeth, eliminate gaps, cover permanent stains and restore broken or misshapen teeth.

Request a Free Dental Consultation

It is important to note that not everyone is a candidate, but if you are, the transformation can be life changing. Looking for dental veneers in Orange County? Please contact Dr. Irvani’s office for a complimentary consultation to discuss Lumineers ™ or any other dental procedure.

Orange Country Dentist Dr. Aria Irvani be posting updates including dental health notices and news so join us. You will notice the "Follow Us on Twitter" links available on virtually all pages on ariairvanidds.com.

So What is Twitter?

For those not in the know... Twitter is a way to communicate online using short messages of 140 characters or less (including spaces). Twitter is often referred to as "micro blogging".

People use Twitter to post what they are doing (e.g. "ironing my socks" or "on vacation at the beach" or "I just figured out the meaning of life... and here's the link to details").

How Dr. Irvani Will Use Twitter?

We'll focus messages related to dental news with an emphasis on maintaining proper dental health and improving your smile. So if you want to keep up to date of what us Twitter is a good way to stay in touch.

How Often Will Dr. Irvani Tweet?

It really depends on what's going on. We expect Dr. Irvani will add "tweets" at least a few times a week. He will announce new blog posts too.

Want to Learn More About Twitter?

Celebrities like Oprah and Ashton Kutcher have made Twitter famous with their use of this web application. Learn more by watching this video from David Pogue at the New York Times or a popular You Tube video by Commoncraft.

Then join us following Dr. Irvani on Twitter!

What Can Cause Tooth Aches

There has been many times when a patient came in to my office complaining of severe toothache in the upper molar area. Further examination revealed that the pain was due to sinusitis or inflammation of the sinus membrane caused by a head cold or allergies. The patients are obviously relieved because most often they are under the impression that they need a root canal.

Another cause for toothaches in absence of decay or fracture is clenching. Often times the trauma from the excessive force can cause the tooth to become hypersensitive to hot or cold.

These are just two examples of how tooth aches can be caused by other factors.

Proper Dental Testing and Diagnosis

There are many other situations in which the tooth pain is caused by other factors. Proper testing and diagnosis is key in determining the source of the pain. This is important because unnecessary treatment of the tooth or misdiagnosing the source can create more problems in the long run.

Have a tooth ache or tooth pain? Contact Orange County Dentist Aria Irvani and a dental check up today.

The truth is often times a minor procedure or a combination of them can significantly enhance your smile without incurring a large expense. This requires some creative treatment planning on the part of your dentist and his or her ability to maximize the results with as little dentistry as possible. This has two benefits. First by minimizing the number of procedures, the smile enhancement becomes much more affordable and second; fewer numbers of teeth are treated.

The procedures can vary from teeth whitening to enamel reshaping to selective restoration of teeth or even small dental bondings. A combination of these procedures can also be used to give you the most visual impact on your smile. As I said before often times, a small change can make a big difference.

A new improved smile can boost your self confidence and open doors for you. Whether it is getting a new job or pursing a new relationship or turning back the clock, a great smile will have a tremendous impact in many different aspects of your life.

For a complimentary cosmetic dental consultation please contact the office of Aria Irvani DDS for Orange County cosmetic dentistry