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Dentistry as ArtistryThe husband and wife team, Dr. Reiner Bergmann and Dr. Carolyn Izu, bring bothexpertise and warmth to their Palm Desert dental practice

Dr. Izu & Dr, Bergmann work together with some of the latest technology in microscopes and computers to create healthy, t>eautiful smiles and happy patients.

H O' e a c e s t a r t s w i t h a s m i l e . " — M o t h e r Te r e s a

That simple yet profound quote isfeatured on the web site for Izu &C

Bergmann Dental Associates, Inc. andwhen you visit their offices at the cornerof Highway 111 and Panorama Drive inPalm Desert, it is peace that you feel — notusually the emotion one equates with avisit to the dentist.

The smiles of the staff immediately putyou at ease, and the smiles are genuine (andyes, gleaming). Having worked togetherfor years and some for decades, they referto themselves as one "big dental family."

As you walk to your treatment room, younotice Zen touches to the tasteful decor, andas you sit back in the dental chair you'rerewarded with a soothing desert vistafrom a panoramic window. You may beoffered an iPod to hear comforting musicduring even routine treatments. There'seven nitrous oxide ("laughing gas") if yourdental anxiety is particularly acute.

"It's quite common for patients to befearful when entering a dental office,"says Dr. Carolyn Izu, the practice's generaldentist. "These fears are often tied to

traumatic dental experiences, especiallyduring childhood or early in life. We canrelate because many of us have been there."

Dr, Izu's warm smile and calmingdisposition make it clear she isn't justrepeating marketing jargon, but she's trulyspeaking from the heart. "For me, some ofmy greatest successes have been to transformpeople who are extremely fearful of dentistsand dentistry and create wonderful, trustingpatients. TTiese patients present as dentalcripples, so to speak, with painful mouthsof broken-down, decayed teeth. Sometimesthey have suffered some kind of abusein the dental office. I gain their trust andrelieve their pain in a comfortable and non-threatening environment."

I Z U & B E R G M A N N D E N TA L A S S O C I AT E S I N C .74303 HWY. Il l, SUITE 2A. PALM DESERT OA 92260 7 6 0 - 3 4 0 - 0 8 8 8 W W W . T E E T H F O R B E T T E R H E A L T H . C O M

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Dr. Bergmann and Dr. Izu feel dentistry is an artistic science - one that requires knowledge, experience and askiliful passion for quality

She gains this trust by taking the time totreat the whole patient. "I Hsten carefullyand try to find a treatment that is truly bestfor that person. I am also very honest anddon't push patients to have unnecessarytreatment — which, unfortunately, canhappen in the dental communit)'. 1 dometiculous work, and most new patientstell me they have never had such a thoroughexam by a dentist."

You don't have to take her word forit — the sincere testimonials of her patientsspeak volumes. "I never felt that I was atthe dentist," wrote one. "It was always apleasure to be sitting in a dentist chair withwonderful music and the gentle touch ofcaring hands and warm smiles. There isno way I can thank you for the incredibleworkmanship and superior skillfulness youperformed on the restoration of my teeth."

Dr. I2u remembers one patient whenthe practice first opened. "She was one ofmy extremely dental-phobic patients. Butafter she completed her treatment with us,she actually trained to become my dentalassistant! Now that was a transformation."

A self-described "local-girl-made-good,"Dr. Izu is an Indio nadve who graduatedfrom Indio High School. Her excellencein academics, sports, theater, and musichelped her get into the prestigious StanfordUniversity, where she earned a degree inHuman Biology. After Stanford, she receivedher Doctor of Dental Medicine degree at theIvy League school. University of Pennsylvania.It was there she met Rainer Bergmann, whowas one of only two students chosen annuallyfor the dual specialty degrees in Periodontics(tissue and bone surrounding teeth) andProsthodontics (restoration and replacementof teeth) — a groundbreaking specialt)'program the university is famous for.

The couple soon married and moved toBerlin, where Dr. Izu worked as a civiliandentist for the U.S. Army while acquiringfluency in German at the Goethe Institute.Meanwhile, Dr. Bergmann, who hadearned his doctorate at the Free UniversityBerlin with magna cum laude honors,worked in private practice.

"It was a dream realized, learning to speakand write another language," says Dr. Izu."Of course, my other dream realized wasgetting married to such a talented person."

In 1985, the couple opened their state-of--the-art-dental facilit>' in Palm Desert, and tothis day, Dr. Bergmann remains the only dentist

in the Coachella Valley who is a member ofthe Pacific Coast Society for Prosthodontics,the prestigious Academy of Prosthodontics,and the elite American Academy of EsthericDentistr)^ {limited to only 100 of the world'stop dentists). In addition, his peers included hisname on the list of best dendsts in the nadon.

Although Dr. Bergmann is a true expertin dental implant work, his philosophy isto "save teeth rather than replace, whenpossible." When replacement is necessary,he has perfected methods to take patientsfrom oral surgery to a full complement ofprovisional teeth in one day. This meanspeople with failing dentitions will not haveto go without teeth!

"For patients who need full-mouthimplant reconstruction, I have developedtechniques to preserve the patient'sbone," he explains. "Though it makesthe procedure harder for the dentist, thepatient wins. The resulting confident smilemakes this truly a life-changing event."

Dr. Bergmann remembers dining at arestaurant with his mother, when theyoverheard a woman telling her friends thatthroe dentists confirmed her remainingteeth had to be pulled within the next fewdays. "My mother went over and toldthem that her son was a dentist and to

consult with me. Almost 20 years later,the woman's teeth are still there. It isthe greatest feeling when you can helpsomeone l ike that."

Dr. Bergmann credits the saving of manypatients' "hopeless" teeth to the microscopeshe's been utilizing for the past 15 years.

"Our eyes are the weak link. Our hands

are capable of fine motor skills that can onlydevelop through the use of magnificarion.This raises the level of precision of everydaydentistr>'. Our office is unique — maybeworldwide — because we have one ofthe most sophisticated, fully motorizedneurosurgical microscopes that we boughtfrom a reriring brain surgeon. Only hospitalshave microscopes like this."

With a microscope and a highly-trainedassistant for "four-handed dentistry,"Dr. Bergmann can perform procedures sitdngupright with balanced posture, without eyestrain. The result is the ability to see andremove tooth decay, thus reducing the needfor root canals. With microscopes, a patient'sexisting restorations can be carefullyrepaired, rather than removed and replaced.

"Technology like this truly benefits thepatient, not only by saving them money, butby saving their teeth. It shows how much thedentist cares about delivering treatment thatfar exceeds the standard of care."

But at the end of the day, the greatesttechnology can't replace the expertise of ahuman being,

"I love the arts, and dentistry in myopinion is as much an art as music,sculpting, or painting — paired withscience," says Dr. Bergmann, a pianistwho performs regularly for the SteinwaySociet)', an organization that brings musiceducation to Coachella Valley youth. "Ittakes practice to accomplish perfectionand the driving force behind all this is thelove and passion for what you do. It takesa lifetime of dedication and teaching tobecome a master in your field."

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