Our community has been through a lot due to the ongoing pandemic, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your health and safety.

Infection control has always been a top priority of our dental practice, and you may have seen that we take great pride in this. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep the patients, staff, and the ones we come in contact with in our daily lives safe.

Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued.

Upon the emergence of COVID-19, here are some additional measures we take to ensure your safety:
  • Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the office, and we will be taking your temperature. Based on your answers and if your temperature is 100.4°F or higher, we will need to reschedule your appointment.
  • We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in other places in the office for you to use as needed.
  • You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children’s toys and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect. Similarly, please limit the personal belongings that you bring inside to your appointment.
  • Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients when possible. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment. Please respect the social distancing requirement of 6 feet where practical.
  • We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time. To that end, please consider calling from your car to check on the status of the reception area and be on time. Also, please come alone to your appointments. If needed, one guardian/caretaker is permitted, but they must remain in the reception area.
  • Please arrive with face masks/coverings for they will be required at all times for both patients and staff when appropriate.
  • An antiseptic mouth rinse will be used just prior to treatment for the health and safety of all. Where possible, expect changes in how we do certain procedures to eliminate or reduce the spread of aerosols and splatter during treatment. For example, for now we will be temporarily eliminating ultrasonic tools and teeth polishing during your teeth cleaning appointments until further notice.
  • Clear sneeze guard barriers between you and our front desk personnel will be used to aid in social distancing, and we ask that we all limit our conversations to what’s necessary to limit contact time. More regular and frequent sanitizing of high touch areas and items will be done for your health and safety. This includes door and other handles, light switches, countertops, etc.
We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. To make an appointment, please call our office at 415-752-8311 .

Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors, and friends.

Sincerely,
Dr. Leo Arellano

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Air Abrasion for painless Dental Care in San Francisco

Air Abrasion for painless Dental Care

One of the most common aspects of dental care is anxiety. Many people are so afraid of the pain associated with dental treatment that they avoid care that will lead them to better oral health. Regular visits to the dentist are the best way to prevent invasive and costly treatments and to catch decay early enough for conservative care. When fillings are needed, there’s a technology, air abrasion, that eases the discomfort and apprehension that typically accompany this procedure.

A filling is necessary when a tooth has decay. The first step in restoring such a tooth is to remove the decay. Normally the dentist uses a drill to grind away damaged portions of the tooth. This requires local anesthetic and your tolerance for the noise and the feeling of the drill. With air abrasion technology, there is no need for numbing most of the time because there is no drilling and none of the associated unpleasant noise.

Air abrasion technology was actually first used for dental care in the 1940s. However, because silver mercury fillings are not suitable with this preparation method, it disappeared from dentistry for some time and re-emerged in the 1990s when tooth-colored composite filling materials became available.

Air abrasion works with a small, usually air powered, hand-held device. The dentist uses this tool to aim a stream of tiny particles precisely at the decayed portion of a tooth. As these particles hit the tooth’s surface, decay is painlessly loosened and sprayed away. You might think of air abrasion as a gentle mini sandblaster. As the decay is removed from the tooth’s surface, it and the tiny particles from the air abrasion device are suctioned off.

The benefits of air abrasion include:

  • Higher degree of comfort, allowing for more treatment in a single visit
  • Little or no need for anesthesia
  • More healthy tooth structure left intact
  • Lower risk of chipping tooth enamel during a procedure
We are here to help Call us at 415-881-4343 or Schedule an Appointment

Speak with Dr. Leo Arellano today to find out how air abrasion may be just what you need to ease your dental anxieties.

 

 

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Real Patients Real Results

Before and After Photos

Severe gum recession exposing sensitive, decay-prone root treated with a gum graft.

Photo by Dr. Leo Arellano

Gum Disease – BNA Image – 04
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What our patients are saying...

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5.0

I’m happy to wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Leo Arellano. Dr. Arellano has been my dentist since the late 1980s, shortly after he established his practice, and I have relied on his expertise since then. He is an exceptionally skilled and caring dentist. Everyone who is part of his team represents the practice with a very high degree of professionalism and sincerity.

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