For patients
Yes you do. Who doesn’t? People stay away because it might hurt, or it already hurts, or they do not want a stranger in charge of their mouth. Dental dread is about as common as coffee. We built the practice around that fact.
Half of dental dread is the poke. Trust with the person holding the syringe matters more than people admit. We use what Dr. R calls the mosquito technique — smallest needle, one drop, wait, then the rest — so tissues are not stretched while they can still feel it.
The sound is chalkboard-adjacent. We slow down, use quieter equipment when we can, and offer headphones. Rushing makes noise worse.
Some people hate the fat lip more than the injection — especially if they talk for a living. We can use shorter-acting anesthetic, and there is a reversing injection if you want to feel normal again on the way to the car.
It is hard to trust a stranger with your mouth and a bill. We show you what we see: photos, digital X-rays, pictures during treatment. If you want to know, you get to know.
Most people would choose the ideal treatment if money were not in the room. We are not the priciest office on Ventura. We also will not rush a visit to make the fee smaller. Catching things early, or making a fair plan, costs less over the long run.
Dr. R takes extra time, with as little overlap as possible. He shows pre-op X-rays and close-up photos — and will stop mid-visit to explain, with more pictures, if you want them. He would rather look like the best guy in the room because he listened than because he rushed.
Injections can be nearly sensation-free if they are done softly and with patience. Numbness can be reversed if you hate that feeling. Headphones and a slower drill for the sound. Warm towels. Room to say what actually bothers you.
Fees still exist — landlords and banks do not give freebies. The Tender Dentist way means timely treatment, not extra procedures to make an extra buck. We try to avoid the things people hate, and keep a few things people like, including the occasional laugh.
Getting numb
Mosquitoes inject a little anesthetic, wait, then continue. We do the same: smallest needle, one drop, a few seconds, then the rest — so we are not stretching tissue that can still feel it. The goal, every time, is “I didn’t even feel that, Doc.”
If you would rather skip numbing, say so. We will only skip it when the work can be done without hurting you. If you hate the numb feeling more than the poke, we plan for that in the first conversation.
Do not preview the visit with “it won’t hurt.” Children hear hurt. Skip the dental talk on the way over if you can; we will craft the message in the chair — sleepy juice, water-whistle, a pinch. After a numb, we often show the needle so they can see they already handled it.
One parent as a silent helper is welcome. Extra siblings in the operatory usually make it harder. Some kids do better with the parent just in earshot, not in view. If comfort changes, we stop and talk. Nervous adults transfer nerves. Calm adults help more than a speech.
Family carePrevention is easier, cheaper, and more fun than treatment. These notes are from Dr. R’s old learning center — adjuncts, not magic, and not a substitute for a visit.
Brushing and flossing starve bacteria; they do not always kill them. For people with gum disease, Dr. R recommends a Waterpik aimed into the pockets, with something antimicrobial in the water (peroxide, grapefruit-seed extract, or a rinse we prescribe), two or three times a week — plus regular cleanings so we can see whether the bone and bleeding are actually settling.
Coconut oil, used as a rinse, is an adjunct — not a replacement — for brushing and flossing. Lauric acid has been studied against oral microbes, and the oil helps disrupt the film bacteria like to sit in. Dr. R does it himself, often once a week or before an evening out, because it also freshens breath. Spit it out. Do not swallow it; you have just rinsed your mouth bacteria into it.
It is usually not “soft teeth.” Saliva, tooth density, which bacteria you host, habits, and pH all play. We cannot change what you were born with. We can kill the unhelpful microbes (oil pulling among other things), floss and pick as well as brush, and raise pH with baking soda toothpaste. Testing can add more specific steps.
You are visiting a friend who happens to be a dentist. Suggestions, never lectures. The mouth is connected to the rest of you, so we keep that in mind. If treatment is needed, it is done with a tender touch. If you have been avoiding the chair, that is a perfectly ordinary place to start.
Text (818) 224-4224 any time — yes, even at 2 a.m.
Book online, or text. We will try to make the chore feel closer to a haircut.
