Dr. Josh Berd featured in CDA magazine!

Live Healthy by Buying Healthy It Will Save You Money

This is a great video and shows how you can live healthy by buying your food in bulk at costco. If you buy healthy, you will always eat healthy. Remember the key to losing weight is diet and exercise.

Dental Leadership Conference in Chicago

'The 25th Annual ADA New Dentist Conference took place at the Westin hotel in downtown Chicago. As I looked around the large conference room, I saw the future leaders of our profession. They came from all over the US, from their roles in local dental societies and national positions with the California Dental Association and American Dental Association. I was happy to see familiar faces, and impressed by the strong representation California has at the ADA. Of the 300 attendees, there where 6 graduates from my dental school, the University of Pacific, 2 of whom where honored with the ADA’s Golden Apple award for their outstanding leadership. Of the roughly 27,000 dentist practicing in CA, 70% are members with the CDA, making up the largest state dental society in the US. This gives the CDA and ADA a very powerful voice!

Hot Topics discussed at the conference included; how will we, as a dental profession and as a nation overcome issues with ‘access to dental care’? The ADA is strategically restating the issue as ‘barriers to care’, in order to focus more on the obstacles our profession faces. Will there be a mid-level dental provider, and what kind of impact will it make on dental care?

Chicago is an amazing host city--modern, industrial, innovative--like New York, but without the attitude! In addition to sightseeing at Navy Pier and Millennium Park, I toured the ADA Headquarters Building. The American Dental Political Action Committee also sponsored a night at the House of Blues, and the group of new dentists that came from all over the nation became instant friends at the conference.

I am looking forward to attending ADA’s 26th New Dentist Conference in Washington DC!'

Philanthropy in Dentistry: Creating a Career by Helping Others

I was recently asked by a dental student 'What is the true calling of a doctor?' This caught me a little off-guard and I had to think for a minute. I recalled a promise I made to myself the day I graduated from the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry-to improve the oral health of my community-. 'In my mind a doctor's true calling is to place service above self' I answered the dental student.

We may not mention it but when we are called 'doctor' we are filled with pride. When our patient says to us 'Thank you doctor, for stopping my pain' and 'Thank you for my smile' we are filled with gratitude. As dentists, we feel compelled to give back to our communities and volunteering is a great way to do this.

Volunteering Local

Volunteerism is part of the humanistic spirit that my instructors in dental school inspired in me and it is a large part of who I am now. The American Dental Association and its local chapter, the San Francisco Dental Society, encourage members to actively give back to our communities. Fortunately, there is no shortage of opportunities to volunteer in San Francisco, including pro bono work at the office, kindergarten screening programs, and helping out with Project Homeless Connect, just to name a few.

Project Homeless Connect

Every 2 months 1,000 community volunteers partner together to meet the medical and dental needs of San Francisco's estimated 8,000 homeless people. The volunteers include health care professionals, students, non-profit organizations and people that simply wish to help out.

For me the volunteer day began at 8am, screening patients at the Bill Graham Civic Center. There was a long line of eager and ill patients but my colleagues and I, along with help from local University and Dental School students, successfully triaged the needs of the homeless participants. The afternoon was spent providing dental treatment, including emergency extractions, fillings and dental cleanings.

Ultimately, we were able to accomplish in one day what might normally take months. Volunteering with PHC was the type of rewarding experience I will carry with me throughout my entire dental career. I encourage my dental colleagues, as well as San Franciscans, to come give a helping hand and serve your community.

About the author: Dr. Josh Berd is a San Francisco General and Cosmetic Dentist, a graduate of the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry, and a member of the San Francisco Dental Society. To learn more or to contact Dr.Berd visit www.JoshTheDentist.com.

How to Stay Healthy and Lose Weight Without Fancy Equipment or Secret Diets

Many people are looking for secret diets, and spending money on fancy equipment just to try to stay healthy and lose some pounds. Their is no secret diet except cutting quantity, eating healthy, and cutting back on sugar. That is how you keep on track with living a healthy lifestyle, but thats only one side. The other side is exercise. You always will need to exercise on top of changing your diet. You don't need some cutting edge equipment to stay in shape and exorcise. The best over all work out you can do is a good cardio work out that involves running if you are younger, or just even walking if you are older. When you start off it will be hard, but if you keep going you will find that you can walk or run more and more each and every day. It's ok to start off slow, in fact that is exactly how you do it, so you don't end up too sore to want to do it again the next day. Make sure you are consistent with your running/walking and do it every day. These 2 things are all you need to know if you want to lose weight. Keep on going, you can do it.

Overcoming Dental Anxiety

A dental visit can be a highly emotional experience. Often, it is our first experience in the dentist chair that shapes our attitudes towards the dental profession, dental treatment and even our own dental health. Can you recall your first dental visit? Was it a pleasant one, or was is traumatic?

Whether our fear of the dentist is deep-rooted in our earliest experiences or in our overall psychological make-up, the essential step to recovery is to break the cycle of trauma associated with dental visits.

If you wait to see a dentist until you have a toothache, you run the risk of facing a root canal treatment or an extraction. If you never see the same dentist twice, you do not give yourself a chance to develop a trusting relationship before you require any major dental work. The unfamiliarity of seeing a new dentist when you have a toothache is often more uncomfortable and worrying than the treatment itself.

If you see a dentist regularly for check-ups and cleanings, and give yourself time to get to know the person treating you, you will feel more comfortable in the dentist’s hands. You may not come into the office skipping with joy, but you will slowly get used to the idea of receiving regular dental care (and avoid toothaches and major dental work).

I often see anxious patients, and can offer guidance to make your dental visit a more comfortable one. The most important thing to consider is that, as a healthcare professional, my number one priority is your well-being. My dental team takes your health into our hands and we achieve this through education, continuous support and reassurance. We walk you through all the steps, take our time, and ease you into a routine where all you’ll need from us is a six month check-up and cleaning.

To learn more about overcoming dental anxiety or to schedule your first dental visit, please visit Dr. Josh Berd at www.JoshTheDentist.com

The Health Benefits of Vitamin C

Everyone knows from their mother or grandmother that if you want to prevent from getting sick the best thing to do is to eat something with Vitamin C or take it in pill form every single day. This is very true vitamin c helps boost your immune system. It will also help you get better if you are fighting a common cold. It is no cure, but it has been proven that Vitamin C will dramatically increase your immune system. The recommended dosage to feel the health benefits from vitamin c is about 500 milligrams a day. You should also eat your daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables, but taking a supplement of vitamin c will add to that healthy lifestyle. Vitamin C has also been shown to ward off cardiovascular disease, eye disease, and even help reduce skin wrinkles! Vitamin C should truly be in everyone's daily intake of vitamins, and you will notice right away that you will not easily get sick. Some people get a cold very easily and this could mean they are vitamin c deficient. I recommend everyone get their daily dosage of vitamin c every day. Your body will thank you for it in the long run.