Why Cosmetic Dentistry?

The short answer: because your Smile is the first thing people notice, the first thing they remember about you and probably the most determinant factor for the first impression others have of you, read more about this here.
The long answer? Well, (sadly!) most people only go to the Dentist for their routine cleaning or when a tooth hurts. I guess that's enough if you don't care to move up in your life. But if your goal is to make a good, lasting impression then you should think about improving your already healthy Smile!
The easiest and cost effective way to start is Teeth Whitening! It could take as little as 20 minutes in our office and it will make a huge difference for your overall looks!
Another option for improving your Smile fairly quickly and not too expensive are Veneers. It's much easier and less expensive than most people think Veneers cost. Please call or email and ask for a free evaluation for your Smile Improvement, so you will know if you are a good candidate.
And of course, there are always dental Implants. They replace damaged or missing teeth, and they look and feel like the real ones.
We also offer Invisalign (clear braces) for adults, so you can straighten your teeth while feeling confident that your braces aren't visible!
We can also do a Smile Design, which completely improves both your oral health and looks, a combination of the procedures above, usually in addition to gum treatments or decay removal, most likely done under Sedation. Those are fairly long procedures that go on for hours, but the good part is that while you are under Conscious Sedation it will seem like minutes and you won't remember a thing!
The only thing you'll care about is going to be your #BrighterSmile you'll see in the mirror the next day and the Facebook and Instagram posts where you'll brag about it! Go ahead, you deserve it, you just changed your life for the better!
Find more info on our website and please contact us or walk in and start the process of becoming a New You!
AlisoViejoDental.com
949-425-1447
Office@AlisoViejoDental.com

Going #Green in a Dental Office

More and more offices are making an effort to go "green" and consciously use less energy, recycle more, release less waste and use less toxic ingredients or materials. There are benefits to less waste or non- toxic for both the Office and the Patients, and when you add saving money it gets even better!
In our office we use recycled paper throughout the office, from the printing paper to the  towels in the bathroom. It just takes a few searches to find a supplier that offers the same price for recycled paper, so it doesn't cost more.
We also store all the documents digitally (we are a "paperless office") so there is less printing and scanning. Our Fax acts as attachments in our emails, so no paper is used there either (for Millennials: a fax is the old school way to send pictures and documents, way before emails, messages and Dropbox). So less paper used means saving money, it's not much but it adds up.
We have a Recycling Bin in the office for all the bottles and cans that we take to the center once a week, when the bag fills up. Again, we only get a couple of dollars for that, but it's still free money.

One of the biggest environmental problems is all the plastic that ends up in the oceans. How many times have we seen pictures of birds or sea lions with bags and plastic boxes trapped around their bodies and felt helpless because we couldn't do anything to help them? Well, we can actually and we do! In our office we only use compostable trash bags and coffee of water cups. They cost a couple dollars more, but read above about how we saved a few dollars recycling the bottles. We don't see paying a couple dollars more as a problem when it comes to being responsible about the world we live in. We are determined to offer our Patients the best service and non-toxic options and materials, and we do that in the waiting room too. BPA-Free and compostable hot content cups might be a couple of dollars more per box - but our reputation is worth way more than that! And if saving a couple of bucks is your most important criteria when ordering supplies - then maybe your business strategy needs some readjustments.

We only use LED lights throughout the office, since they use less energy and we wanted to get rid of all the mercury based fluorescent tubes. We love the bright, refreshing light we have in the office now and our Patients love it too, glad we moved away from that faded, almost gray light we had before, it was too sad for an office that promotes Brighter Smiles! If only one Patient prefers our bright, positive light in our office over an old looking office nearby - it was all worth it for us!



Last, but not least important is the amalgam separator and the waste filter we use, that most counties and cities don't require and most dental offices don't have. But we wanted to make sure that none of the toxic waste ends up in our City's drain and ultimately in the ocean. Think about this next time you take you kids to the beach and they enjoy swimming in the ocean, isn't it worth it to make sure that water is clean?
We also use non-toxic cleaning or disinfecting products, including the hand soap in the restroom or the essential oils we use for a pleasant perfume in the office.
It makes a difference with the patients who care and since it's not a cost issue -why not do it? Going green is beneficial for our Patients, for our staff, for our City and our environment, but must important for the legacy we leave to our children.
For more info please visit our website at http://www.AlisoViejoDental.com/

Community Events + CDA Presents

We had a busy week in our community this week! The Health and Wellness Fair at Fluor in Aliso Viejo was a success, we had hundreds of employees participating and asking questions! Most of them were very interested about new technologies in Dentistry, our LASER Treatment -which includes anything from Gum Treatment to Cleaning to Teeth Whitening-was a star! Getting to meet and talk to so many wonderful people was a blast for us, we gave away a Free LASER Teeth Whitening to a lucky Raffle winner and dozens of electric tooth brushes!

Another great event was the 15th Annual SOKA International Festival in Aliso Viejo, which is an established institution now! We were proud Friends of the Festival sponsors (again!) and we were so happy to meet literally thousands of people! The main attraction here are the many ethnic food choices, everyone got to try so many tasty options while watching hundreds of artistic presentations on the Peace Lake stage and others! Were they open to learn more about our SAFE Mercury fillings removal? Yes they were, that's why we gave away all our brochures and finished all the marketing materials we had. Another 1st Prize Raffle winner and many 2nd Prize winners, they are invited to our office to pick them up and hopefully start their Smile Improvement!

And then there is CDA Presents, the great expo at the Anaheim Conventions center that our office will attend on Friday May 13th (that's a lucky day for us!). We are looking for new and better solutions that we can use in our practice that would benefit our Patients better! More on this next week!
http://www.alisoviejodental.com/about.html

Your Tax Refund Check it's on it's way!

This is the date you've been waiting for: Monday, April 18th. Your tax refund  check or direct deposit should be on it's way and everyone has some tips on how to use the money. If the practical things such as debts, emergency fund and short-term goals are covered, designate the cash for something more exciting, such as a big vacation or better yet, invest in yourself! Improving your looks is one of the best rewards you can give yourself for your hard earned money, and it's something that will boost your confidence and self esteem for years and years! Set yourself on a path to a promotion or a better job altogether, for a better relationship if that's what you are looking for right now and ultimately for a better you! No one can take away your bright smile and the constant stream of compliments will keep you happy for a long time! Can't wait for the refund? Use CareCredit for up to 24 months of no interest (same as cash) financial plan and pay it off when the IRS check sinks in. It's hard to come up with a better reason to spend your tax refund than yourself and your future, so please call us for a free evaluation and a quote for the easiest, fastest way to improve your smile and your overall health! 949-425-1447 or Office@AlisoViejoDental.com
www.AlisoViejoDental.com

The health and looks of your teeth and the perceived social status

Besides your regular cleaning, what is the most common reason you go to the dentist? Tooth hurting? Well, it's a good time to make an appointment with Aliso Viejo Dental because the health of your teeth is starting to become a social status too.

Good teeth have always been an indicator of good hygiene and health, but lately it's also an indicator of how wealthy you might be. Recent studies even show that bad teeth might hamper social mobility or status for certain people as rising healthcare costs directly affect people and how they have access to dental treatment or orthodontists or if they would pay for cosmetic dentistry.
Those studies show that people who cannot afford these types of procedures or dental care are being “left behind” and might even be discriminated against because of the health or beauty of their teeth. Actually, this seems to become a new unnoticed discrimination when it comes to job security and social status, according to several studies conducted by social scientists.
When researchers digitally manipulated the teeth and smiles of subjects in pictures and asked people to give their first impressions, they noted similar patterns of discrimination against guys with poor oral health. Those with crooked, yellow or missing teeth were judged to be of limited intelligence (!), low class, bad parents, less professional, less physically beautiful and lacking social skills! Wow! This means that bad teeth might prevent otherwise qualified candidates from getting better jobs or promotions.
There is a social cost of going without dental care, too. Numerous studies show a strong correlation between appearance and income. Research has found that "better than average" looking people earn 5% to 10% more. Most studies say that your smile is the first thing others see when they form their first impression of you, and that makes more sense here.

Your oral health is very important and can be a first chance for your dentist to find other health problems before your doctor can, they say that the mouth is a mirror of your overall health.
Fortunately, there are ways to have wonderful teeth, a great Smile and good oral health without having to pay too much. We take most PPO and HMO insurance, we have affordable procedures and great no interest payment plans with CareCredit, so schedule your appointment today or just call us at (949) 425-1447 for more info!

Do you love Spring or do you have allergies?

Yesterday was the first day of Spring, which is an important event in different cultures. We call it the Equinox (or St Patrick's Day, depending on who you ask!), Persians call it Nowruz, Japanese people call it Shunbun no Hi, and some even celebrate the World Storytelling Day, I guess you get the idea: people love Spring! Well, make that most people, because 58 million Americans with allergies almost hate it!

What causes springtime allergies? The biggest problem is the pollen, which is released into the air by trees, flowers, grasses and others (some say the level of pollution is a factor too). When pollen or other triggers enter the body of an allergic person, their immune system goes into overdrive.
Everybody knows the symptoms, allergies usually bring itchy and watery eyes, itchy ears and nose, sneezing, congestion, and sinus pressure. That's no bueno!

Can they affect your teeth? Most people don't know it, but yes! The maxillary sinus cavities are the ones most likely to be affected by congestion and pressure during allergy season. These sinuses are located right at the root of your molars and premolars. If pressure and congestion builds up in the sinuses, it can put pressure on the roots of these teeth and can cause tooth pain.

What you can do: If you suffer from allergies, try to limit going outside on high pollen days, but that defeats the purpose of spring! Also, you can try taking some OTC allergy medication or whatever your Doctor recommends. Antihistamines and decongestants can start to provide relief within an hour. However, for more severe allergies, you many want to try a nasal spray. If toothache symptoms persist, make an appointment with your Dentist.

You can afford it!

Every day we diagnose Patients and offer treatment plans that include the proposed treatment for their dental woes. We take care of the problem at hand first, from emergencies to tooth aches to prevention. But we always propose a Smile Improvement option, which is better known as Cosmetic Dentistry, to keep things simple. While some patients are happy since it might be the first time someone mentioned this to them and are eager to start improving their lives and overall health, we noticed that some Patients tend to put their smile improvement on the "back burner". It seems that "there are more important things to do first" or "I'm sure it's expensive and I can't afford it". But since we care about our Patients -we move mountains to get the right financial plan for them, just to prove that "it's not that expensive" and "you can afford $100/month with no interest"! CareCredit is a great tool to finance more costly procedures, or Sedation for patients who don't want to remember the experience of their Smile Makeover. But sometimes they are just surprised how affordable some procedures are and how big impact they have on their smile and the improved perception others will have of them (LASER Teeth Whitening comes to mind first!).

If you could improve your ‪smile‬ in any way, without worrying about money or pain of fear -what would you choose? ‪Teeth Whitening‬? Replace old, dark, potentially toxic amalgam/mercury ‪‎fillings‬ with new white ones? Straighten your teeth with ‪‎Invisalign‬? Would you get ‪‎Veneers‬? It's much easier than you think, and some of these procedures are less expensive than most people heard they cost. Call or come over and ask for a free evaluation for your Smile Improvement or just a LASER Teeth Whitening, with no strings attached, you don't have to switch Dentists or send old X-Rays. At least you have an idea of what it costs and you can plan it better, we won't pressure anyone to start a treatment until they are ready. Let's start the road to a better you today, we'll do it together!