Shirley H. Bien, DMD
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Office News
LOOKING FOR AN ALTERNATIVE TO METAL BRACES? CLEARCORRECT
Is the clear and simple choice,no wires. no brackets. Just clear, convenient comfort- every reason to smile.
With ClearCorrect, Dr. Shirley Bien can straighten your teeth using a series of clear, custom, removable aligners. Each aligner moves your teeth just a little bit at a time until you eventually get straight teeth.
ClearCorrect Aligners have a smooth surface that prevents them from becoming cloudy with prolonged wear. As you progress, they remain complety unnoticeable, for a longer period of time. They are non-invasive, require no adjusting, are totally custom to your mouth.
ClearCorrect is the easy and discreet solution to align and straighten a broad range of conditions for a stunning, healthy smile. The fact that it does this so well is remarkable; the fact that it does this with little to no effort is almost unbeliavable.
GETTING STARTED: You and Dr. Bien will evaluate your teeth and talk about any problems or goals you have for your smile. Once you and Dr. Bien establish that ClearCorrect is the right treatment option for you, Dr. Bien will take impressions, photos, and X-rays of your teeth that are used in manufacturing your custom aligners.
Dr. Bien will send your records, impressions, photos and X-rays to ClearCorrect with a prescription for your custom aligners. ClearCorrect uses your records to create exact 3D models of your teeth. Then working with Dr. Bien every step of the way ClearCorrect maps out a complete treatment plan of gradual adjustment. Once completed, You and Dr. Bien will be able to preview the projected results of your treatment in your "treatment set-up", a computer representation of your teeth before and after treatment.
When You and Dr. Bien are satisfied with the projected results shown in your treatment set-up, the manufacturing process begins. Using the latest digital mapping and molding technology, ClearCorrect creates your custom aligners with computer precision.
You'll wear your alligners all the time, except while eating and drinking or during daily tooth care. Your ClearCorrect aligners are so clear they are barely noticeable so they won't have an impact on your day to day life. You'll visit Dr. Bien periodically for checkups to see how you're progressing until you eventually have the straight smile you've always wanted.
Call our office for more details (510) 790-8800 and see if ClearCorrect is the right choice for you.
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SmileLink Articles |
How Green Dentistry Benefits You
Green dentistry isn’t a fad; it’s easy to do and a way of life that benefits everyone. Here are some of the ways we are trying to do our part.
We use digital x-rays instead of film, which means you are exposed to 90 percent less radiation than is used by traditional x-rays. We’re not exposed to hazardous chemicals used to process the images, and there are no hazardous materials to dispose of.
The bio-hazard disposal receptacles in our office ensure that neither you nor the environment comes in contact with used needles or toxic chemicals.
Our office is paperless because we use a computerized patient management program. Computerizing your records presents fewer opportunities for human error when reading others’ handwriting. We remove fewer trees from the forests. What paper we do use can often goes to the recycler instead of a landfill.
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A Bridge for Everyone
If you’re missing a tooth or two, a bridge could be a good choice to fill the gap. Different types of dental bridges are created depending on where you have a tooth missing.
We use four types of dental bridges: a 3-unit, cantilever, Maryland and implant-supported.
A 3-unit bridge uses a tooth on each side of the missing tooth to anchor the bridge. The anchor teeth are reduced in overall size because they will have a crown cemented over them. The artificial tooth is suspended between the crowns. This bridge is placed on posterior teeth that must withstand heavy chewing forces.
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Doc! My Cheek Looks Weird
We love it when we reassure a patient, “No, that is not cancer!”
One day you might look at the inside of your cheek and see an unusual gray- or bluish-white patch of rough skin. This patch is called “leukoedema,” and it is very common, especially in the darker-skinned population. About 90 percent of Blacks and 50 percent of Whites have this condition and never know it.
It is generally more difficult for someone with light-colored skin to see leukoedema because it doesn’t show up well in lighter skin pigmentation.
Most often, leukoedema is noticed when you bite your cheek. You look in the mirror to check the damage and see the strange looking patch.
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When Harmless Bacteria Turn Ugly
Bacteremia (back-ter-‘ee-me-uh) means there are bacteria in your bloodstream. Bacteria enter your bloodstream when you brush your teeth too vigorously, scrape into the gum tissue and puncture tiny blood vessels, or when your gums are not healthy, eating a hard food like a carrot can scrape into the gum tissue, for example. Your body’s immune system generally handles bacteremia without much fuss. However, if you have inflammation in another part of your body, bacteremia takes on a serious dimension. Inflammation is complex because it is influenced by many factors, including genetics, smoking, diabetes and other conditions.
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Enhancing Dental Treatment with Lasers
Top 10 Health Benefits Of Lemon Water
Many people often love the tarty flavor or lemon juice in their dishes. But have you ever wondered that you can put this lemon juice to many more good uses than this? Yes! There are enormous benefits of lemon juice and water in your everyday life. You simply need to arm yourself with relevant knowledge and you would soon start valuing this amalgamation more than ever.
Lemon is an inexpensive, easily available citrus fruit, popular for its culinary and medical uses. It is used to prepare a variety of food recipes such as lemon cakes, lemon chicken and beverages like lemonade and lemon-flavored drinks. it is also used for garnishing, Lemon juice consists of about 5% citric acid that gives a tarty taste to lemon. Lemon is a rich source of vitamin C. It also contains vitamins like vitamin B, riboflavin and minerals like calcium, phosphorus, magnesium as well as as proteins and carbohydrates. Lemon is generally consumed in the form of lemon juice or lemon water. Lemon water makes a healthy drink, especially when taken in the morning. Daily consumption of lemon water provides a number of health benefits like:
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Healthy Eating Tips for Women
Dont Ignore This Oral Infection
Your teeth should not have pockets.
A pocket next to a tooth indicates you have a severe dental infection called periodontitis, or perio, for short. If not treated, a perio abscess can form, and then, you could be in serious danger.
A perio pocket develops from a tiny moat called a sulcus that surrounds each of your teeth. A sulcus is similar to a snug collar, and it can become infected. Sometimes, a food particle like a popcorn hull will lodge in the sulcus, between your gum and tooth [top image]. The hull quickly attracts hungry bacteria. If the hull is not removed, your saliva can't flush out the rapidly multiplying bacteria.
You might notice swelling, redness and pain in the area along with a nasty taste in your mouth [bottom image]. Sometimes, there will be no pain, but that doesn't mean you aren't in danger.
When bacteria grow to the extent that an abscess forms, the abscess can cause enough pressure that the infection will push out through your gum and discharge its foul contents into your mouth. The infection could also invade your jawbone, tooth and surrounding structures, like nerves and blood vessels. If they are damaged, you could lose your tooth and the neighboring teeth. The infection could also travel to your brain or other parts of your body and do extensive damage.
It is important for us to treat an oral infection as soon as possible because home remedies cannot kill the infection and sa...