Bay Area Dental Specialists

Products And Services

• General Dentistry

  General dentistry refers to treatments and services related to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of dental disease. With scientific research showing a link between oral health and overall health, it is more important than ever to keep your teeth and gums clean and disease-free. You are not alone in your journey toward optimal oral health. Dr. Ahmed Manassra and our team at Manassra Dental are committed to helping you achieve and maintain oral health and overall health through top-quality services. Preventative Care Establishing a good at-home oral hygiene routine is an important part of maintaining a healthy smile. However, there are certain types of care that only a dental professional can provide. Regular dental cleanings with our team help your mouth stay cleaner and allow you an opportunity to get professional advice about refining your at-home hygiene habits. And regular dental exams help us monitor your mouth for any changes that could indicate the beginning stages of a problem — early detection means less-invasive, less-costly treatment. If our team feels it would be beneficial, we might recommend an adjunct treatment. For example, a professional fluoride treatment can strengthen your tooth enamel, or the placement of sealants can reduce the risk of cavities by blocking bacteria from the tiny grooves on the chewing surfaces of your back teeth. Tooth Extractions Dr. Ahmed Manassra does everything he can to save broken, weak or decayed teeth. But in some cases, a tooth is so badly damaged or decayed that it cannot be preserved and the best course of action is to remove it. Tooth extractions with Dr. Ahmed Manassra are gentle and minimally invasive. He plans out the extraction carefully and uses special instruments to remove the tooth in a way that does not cause trauma or damage to surrounding teeth, gum or bone. Medication is used to numb your tooth so you do not feel any uncomfortable sensations during the extraction. Gum Disease Treatment Maintaining healthy gums is essential to your overall health. If your gums develop periodontal disease and it progresses without intervention, it can threaten the health of your teeth and jawbone. A mainstay in the treatment of gum disease is scaling and root planing. Scaling uses special instruments to remove plaque and calculus (hardened plaque) above and below the gumline. Root planing smooths out rough surfaces and calculus from the tooth roots. Smoothing the roots helps the gum tissue better adhere to the teeth, making it hard for new bacteria to accumulate in the spaces between the gums and teeth. Emergency Dentistry When dental pain or emergencies strike, it’s reassuring to know that a professional team is available to help. Our office does everything we can to schedule you a same-day appointment and get you out of pain as quickly as possible. Depending on the nature of the emergency and the underlying problem, Dr. Ahmed Manassra may be able to treat it in the same appointment; or, you may require additional appointments. Children’s Dentistry Dr. Ahmed Manassra is excited to help his pediatric patients develop strong dental hygiene habits, understanding that early brushing and flossing is critical for maintaining healthy teeth for a lifetime. He is experienced at communicating with young patients, ensuring that kids are comfortable in his care and happy to visit the dentist. Sedation Dentistry Since anxiety is common for some patients during dental appointments, Dr. Ahmed Manassra offers sedation dentistry to keep patients relaxed. Patients may choose between nitrous oxide, conscious sedation (in pill form) and IV sedation to overcome their fear of dentistry and receive the care necessary to keep their smiles healthy and attractive. Sleep Apnea Treatment Many patients find success in treating their sleep apnea with help from an oral appliance. Worn like a mouthguard, the device opens the airways so that breathing becomes easier while sleeping. This means that patients do not have to rely on a CPAP machine. Dr. Ahmed Manassra custom-creates each appliance for the perfect fit so that patients can sleep comfortably and safely. Teeth Grinding Relief Bruxism is chronic jaw clenching or teeth grinding, which often occurs at night unbeknownst to the patient. It is dangerous to the patient because it can cause significant damage to the teeth like wearing down enamel and chipping teeth. Dr. Ahmed Manassra can create a custom mouthguard to protect the teeth and perform restorative dentistry procedures on teeth that have already been injured. General Dentistry FAQs How Is General Dentistry Different from Other Forms of Dentistry? Do I Still Need Regular Cleanings if I Am a Good Brusher and Flosser? What Are Dental Sealants? Why Should I Choose Dr. Ahmed Manassra for My General Dentistry Needs? How can I prevent cavities at home? Should I use a powered toothbrush? How often should I change out my toothbrush?

  Link: General Dentistry

• Cosmetic Dentistry

  Dr. Ahmed Manassra is a specialist in the art and science of cosmetic dentistry. Uniquely dual-trained, he earned a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) from Tufts University as well as a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) from Al-Quds University. This rare combination of credentials allows him to bring both a global perspective and advanced surgical expertise to his patients. Cosmetic Dental Specialist By blending the academic rigor of two distinguished institutions with hands-on clinical experience across different healthcare systems, Dr. Ahmed Manassra offers a level of skill and insight that enhances every aspect of his dental and surgical care. He makes sure your new smile is beautiful, looks completely natural and has proper function and bite alignment so that it lasts. We offer a cosmetic consultation so you can find out from Dr. Ahmed Manassra what he can do to give you a beautiful new smile. Cosmetic Dentistry Procedures Cosmetic dentistry procedures available at Manassra Dental include: Porcelain Veneers Veneers are durable covers that attach to the front of your natural, healthy teeth. You can choose veneers in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors to achieve your dream smile. With proper care, veneers can last in your mouth for 20 years before replacement is necessary. Teeth Whitening This one-hour procedure involves putting a special whitening gel on the teeth and then shining a light into the mouth to remove stains and brighten the smile. Results tend to last for about one year. Effective at-home whitening kits are also available at Manassra Dental. Invisalign® Clear Teeth Straightening Invisalign clear aligners are a more convenient and attractive alternative to traditional orthodontics. These aligners (which are custom-built for your mouth and get swapped out about every two weeks) nudge your teeth into a straighter position. Because they are removable, they can be taken out when you brush and eat. Moreover, they are difficult for friends and coworkers to notice in your mouth since they are translucent. Tooth-Colored Composite Fillings Whereas traditional fillings look metallic in your mouth, composite fillings match the shade of your teeth so that they are inconspicuous. Tooth-colored fillings are effective at strengthening infected teeth and preventing further decay. Cosmetic Dental Consultation If you want to know how cosmetic dentistry can help give you the smile you’ve always wanted, come see Dr. Ahmed Manassra for a Cosmetic Consultation. You can discuss your smile goals with him, learn about the available treatment options and get your questions answered. Your visit will include: How Cosmetic Dentistry Works Consultation and Customized Treatment Plan Dr. Ahmed Manassra closely consults with you and finds out exactly what you want for your new smile. He may have you bring in photos of what you would like your smile to look like. Once you both agree on what the final result should be, he tailor-makes your treatment plan to create the look you desire. Dr. Ahmed Manassra can use one or a combination of procedures to give you the smile you want. He will choose which procedures work best for your personal goals. This can include dental crowns, porcelain veneers, cosmetic bonding and teeth whitening. It can also include dental implants to replace broken-down or missing teeth, and cosmetic gum treatments to create an aesthetic gum line in your smile. Cosmetic Dentistry Includes Function & Aesthetics Dr. Ahmed Manassra creates your new smile so it is both beautiful and long lasting. He chooses materials based on your specific needs so that any cosmetic work you do will last. He also ensures your new smile has proper function, ensuring that your new teeth are the right size in your mouth and that your bite is correctly aligned. Proper size and bite alignment prevents wear on your teeth, ensures you can chew comfortably and allows your jaw to function without discomfort. Attention to Detail for Final Result Before starting your cosmetic work, Dr. Ahmed Manassra takes impressions of your teeth and creates a diagnostic model to use in designing your smile. He also pays attention to the proportions of your face so your new smile, when created, will fit with and enhance your facial features. After working out the design, Dr. Ahmed Manassra has our dental lab make a wax model of how your new smile will look. He will show you the wax model and consult with you on the design, making any adjustments necessary until you are fully satisfied with the plan. High-Tech Lab for Quality Custom Restorations Dr. Ahmed Manassra works with a local high-tech dental lab that can fabricate restorations (crowns, veneers, etc.) to his exact specifications in terms of material and shade. If needed, he can have you see a lab technician who will personally shade-match your teeth, guaranteeing an optimum match and a natural-looking result.

  Link: Cosmetic Dentistry

• Emergency Dental Care

  We accept dental emergencies, and you should not hesitate to call us if you are in pain or have some other dental issue which requires immediate attention. Just call our office and let one of our staff know your situation. They will do everything they can to get you seen the same day. How We Treat Your Dental Emergency When Dr. Ahmed Manassra sees you, he will conduct a rapid and thorough examination to get an accurate assessment of what is wrong. He will get you out of pain as the first step in your treatment no matter what else may be needed. Many times, he can treat the underlying problem during the same visit. Helpful Tips for Different Dental Emergencies Here are some things you can and should do as temporary measures before you get to our office. Knocked-out tooth: Keep the tooth moist at all times. Try to place the tooth back into the socket without touching the root. Bite down on some gauze or a wet tea bag to hold it in place. If that isn’t possible, carry the tooth under your tongue or inside you lower lip. You can also put the tooth in a container and cover it with some whole milk or saliva. Knocked-out baby tooth: Keep the baby tooth moist and bring your child to our office as soon as possible. Dr. Ahmed Manassra will see whether part or all of the tooth fell out, and will determine whether it can or should be reinserted. Broken tooth: Save all the pieces you can find and rinse your mouth with warm water to flush out any other fragments. Place a cold compress on your face near that tooth to keep down any swelling. Cracked tooth: Rinse your mouth with warm water to clean the area. Place a cold compress over your face near that tooth to inhibit swelling. Lost filling: Use a piece of sugarless gum or over-the-counter dental cement to seal up the exposed cavity. Toothache: Rinse your mouth with warm water. Then use dental floss to gently remove any food particles trapped between your teeth. Place a cold compress over your face in that area if any swelling has occurred. (Caution – don’t put any aspirin on the gums or on the aching tooth, as it may burn the gums). Dental abscess: To help draw the infection to the surface and alleviate the pressure and pain, rinse your mouth with a mixture of 1/3 teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of water. Do this several times per day. Loose Crown: If your dental crown comes off, first try to gently slip it back on. To help it stay in place, put some denture adhesive or over-the-counter dental cement inside the crown. If you can’t obtain either of these, try using some toothpaste. If none of these work to keep the crown in place, or you have no opportunity to attempt to stick it back on, bring the crown with you to our office. Emergency Dental Care FAQs Why Is Emergency Dental Care Necessary? Why Can’t I Go to the Hospital for Emergency Dentistry? How Can I Avoid a Dental Emergency? What Happens During an Emergency Dental Visit?

  Link: Emergency Dental Care

• Sedation Dentistry

  Do you experience fear or anxiety thinking about dental treatment? If so, you are not alone. Many people experience some degree of anxiety or fear about visiting the dentist, and for some, these feelings can be debilitating. But putting off dental care because of phobias or anxiety jeopardizes your oral health. It can cause small problems to progress into bigger problems that cause pain and require more extensive, involved treatment. Luckily, gentle, compassionate dentists like Dr. Ahmed Manassra want to help you get the care you need in a relaxed and supportive environment. Solutions like sedation dentistry can put you into a very calm, pain-free state during treatment, allowing Dr. Ahmed Manassra and our team to attend to your oral health needs. Sedation dentistry techniques can be used for nearly every type of treatment, from a routine oral exam and cleaning to more involved treatments like full mouth reconstruction. What Is Sedation Dentistry? Sedation dentistry uses safe medications to put you into a relaxed and calm state of mind during your dental treatment. There are a range of medications that can be used, depending on the severity of your fear and anxiety. Some medications are inhaled, whereas others are taken in oral pill form or administered intravenously. Nitrous Oxide The lightest form of sedation is administered via nitrous oxide, sometimes called “laughing gas.” While seated in the dental exam chair, you breathe in nitrous oxide through a small mask placed over your nose to help you relax. The amount of nitrous oxide can be adjusted at any time. As soon as you remove the mask, the effects of the laughing gas wear off, so you are able to drive yourself home from treatment. Conscious Sedation Conscious sedation involves taking a pill (such as Halcion or Valium) about an hour before your dental treatment. The medication puts you into a deeply relaxed and drowsy state, and you do not feel anything during your dental treatment. You might even fall asleep during your treatment. Some medications have amnesic properties, so you will not remember anything from your treatment. A companion will need to drive you to and from your appointment, as it takes longer for the effects of oral sedation medication to wear off. IV Sedation Intravenous sedation administers sedative medication through a vein in your hand or arm. The medication makes you very relaxed and less aware of what happens during your appointment. The level of sedation can be adjusted at any time during treatment, and your vitals are continuously monitored. Intravenous medications have a more powerful amnesic effect, so you will not be able to remember anything after the appointment. It can take some time for the effects of the medication to wear off, so you will not be able to drive yourself home from our office.

  Link: Sedation Dentistry

• Sleep Apnea Treatment

  Oral Appliance Therapy is a sleep apnea treatment that uses a mouth guard-like device to open up your airways so they are unobstructed during sleep. It is a comfortable and effective treatment for mild-to-moderate sleep apnea, and has been recommended by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine as an excellent alternative to a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine. Dr. Ahmed Manassra delivers effective sleep apnea treatment by providing custom-fitted oral appliances to our patients. Issues with CPAP The use of a CPAP machine has been a standard treatment for people suffering from sleep apnea. The CPAP machine opens up your airways by providing a steady flow of air through a mask that is placed over your nose and mouth. A CPAP is effective, but only about 50% of patients typically use it because it is uncomfortable to wear and creates noise from its electric motor. A CPAP is also difficult to travel with, as it is a bulky unit that needs its own carrying case. Our doctors can provide a simple, effective alternative to the CPAP machine using oral appliances. They are both specially trained and experienced in Oral Appliance Therapy. Oral Appliance Therapy Details If you have mild to moderate sleep apnea, our doctors can provide you with a custom-fitted oral appliance, similar to a mouth guard. The appliance consists of two trays that are connected together and fit over your upper and lower teeth. While wearing the trays, the lower jaw is comfortably repositioned slightly forward and down. This keeps your airway open and significantly improves your breathing while you sleep. Studies of Oral Appliance Therapy show a very high success rate in patients who suffer from mild to moderate sleep apnea. Patients find it much more comfortable to use than a CPAP machine and very convenient for travel. What is Sleep Apnea? Sleep apnea (from the Greek apnous, meaning “without breath”) is a sleep disorder which causes a person to stop breathing while sleeping, often many times during the night. Symptoms include heavy snoring during sleep and tiredness during waking hours. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common form of sleep apnea. It occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat relax too much during sleep and cause the lower jaw to fall backward. This collapses the airway and severely hinders or interrupts breathing completely. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a blockage of the airway when the throat and tongue muscles relax during sleep. Each interruption can last anywhere from a few seconds to over a minute. The frequency of occurrence can range from a few times per hour to hundreds of times in one night. These constant interruptions during sleep are very disruptive and will result in varying degrees of feeling tired, irritable or mentally foggy when awake. More extreme levels of sleep apnea can result in severe sleep deprivation while simultaneously increasing risk for other serious issues such as heart problems, liver problems, high blood pressure and diabetes. Symptoms of Sleep Apnea Typical symptoms of sleep apnea include: Snoring, gasping or choking during sleep Waking up with a very sore or dry throat Restless sleep Morning headaches Daytime sleepiness, regardless of how many hours you were in bed Irritability or trouble concentrating Memory Loss Decreased sex drive Testing for Sleep Apnea As needed, the doctor will conduct appropriate testing to find out if you are suffering from sleep apnea, as well as how severely it is affecting you. This could include your answering sleep surveys or having your airways inspected with high-tech measuring devices. The doctor may also recommend that you participate in a formal sleep study. During this test, you wear a small monitoring device during sleep that tracks your breathing patterns as well as your heart, lung and brain activity. The doctor will let you know if these additional tests are recommended after a comprehensive exam and consultation. We use advanced technology to evaluate if you are suffering from sleep apnea.

  Link: Sleep Apnea Treatment

• Pediatric Dentistry

  We provide gentle dental services for children. Our staff are friendly and caring, and we want to give your child a pleasant, comfortable experience at the dentist’s office – beginning with their very first visit. We want to show your child that there is no reason to be afraid of the dentist. We provide many different services for children, including sealants, cleanings and oral hygiene education. Our goal is to make their visits fun and stress-free. We recommend bringing your child in to see us around the age of 6 months, so they will become familiar with the office. Experienced & Friendly Dentists Our doctors and staff are friendly and gentle, and we love working with children. Dr. Ahmed Manassra provides children’s dentistry services. He will introduce your child to dentistry in a simple, caring way. The doctor will talk with your child so they can get to know each other. He will explain what will be happening in a way the child can understand. He will also talk about why it’s important to take care of their teeth and gums. Our doctors and hygienists have a very gentle touch and work with the goal of giving your child a pleasant, comfortable experience. Dental Services for Children Before beginning any treatment, our team will be sure that your child is comfortable and at ease. We offer gentle, conservative dental services for children. These services include: Cleanings Tooth-colored fillings Sealants Very gentle extractions Baby root canals Crowns Easy-to-understand oral health education The Importance of Taking Care of Baby Teeth Some parents question whether dental appointments for their children are necessary since their first teeth (baby teeth) inevitably fall out anyway. However, teeth play a critical role in enabling your child to eat and speak, so keeping them healthy is necessary. If your child’s tooth falls out prematurely, this can cause his or her other teeth to shift out of place and trigger misaligned and crooked teeth that continue through adulthood. Moreover, there is no such thing as “baby gums”: gum problems can begin at an early age, so periodontal care is also essential. The best way for your child to establish healthy habits is by starting young. Dr. Ahmed Manassra will show your child how to care for their oral health so that he or she maintains strong teeth and gums that last a lifetime. Orthodontics for Teens Braces used to be a rite of passage for many teenagers, but now there is an easier way to straighten misaligned teeth: Invisalign Teen®. Thanks to modern advancements, your teen can skip the wires and instead wear clear aligners to correct most orthodontic issues. This customized treatment plan allows kids to achieve a straighter smile without the embarrassing metal in their mouth. Best of all, they can remove Invisalign when they eat or go to social activities like a dance. Dr. Ahmed Manassra can confirm whether your teenager is a good candidate for Invisalign after a comprehensive examination. Children’s Dentistry FAQs How often should I bring my child to the dentist? Does Dr. Ahmed Manassra recommend sealants for my children’s teeth? At what age can my children brush their own teeth?

  Link: Pediatric Dentistry