FAQs

We recommend that most of our patients be sure visit the dentist every six months for a routine check-up and cleaning. However, this might change based on your individual oral health.

For example, individuals with gum disease, a history of tooth decay, or weakened immune systems might require more frequent visits (every 3-4 months). The same applies to children, pregnant women, and smokers.

During your exam at StarBrite Dental, Dr. Munira Lokhandwala or one of our associate dentists assesses your oral health and recommends a personalized schedule to keep your smile healthy.

Yes. Dental implants are considered both a very safe and effective solution for replacing missing teeth, with a success rate of over 95%.

Here’s how they work:

1. Implant Placement: A small, biocompatible titanium post is surgically placed into your jawbone. This post functions like a new tooth root.
2. Healing (Osseointegration): Over the next 3-6 months, the implant naturally connects with the jaw’s bone, creating a strong and stable foundation.
3. Restoration: Once healed, we attach a connector (called an abutment) and a custom-made crown. The final restoration looks, feels, and functions just like a natural tooth.

Unlike other options, such as traditional dentures or bridges, implants help preserve your jawbone, prevent bone loss, and don’t require altering adjacent healthy teeth. With proper care, they last you a lifetime. At StarBrite Dental, Dr. Munira Lokhandwala uses advanced 3D Cone Beam CT imaging for precise and comfortable implant placement. We offer complete implant services at both our Fremont and Dublin locations.

The entire dental implant process at our office usually takes 3-6 months to complete. However, this timeline can change depending on your body’s healing process and whether you need additional procedures, such as a bone graft or a sinus lift, which can add another 3-6 months.

The process includes several steps:

1. Initial Consultation: We’ll use 3D Cone Beam CT imaging to assess your jaw.
2. Implant Placement: The surgery itself takes about 1-2 hours per implant.
3. Healing Period (Osseointegration): This is the longest phase, lasting three to six months, as the implant post fuses with your jawbone.
4. Abutment and Crown Placement: Once healed, we’ll place the abutment and your final, custom-made crown in one to two visits.

For some patients, immediate load implants are an option, allowing a temporary crown to be placed on the same day as the surgery. During your consultation at StarBrite Dental, Dr. Munira Lokhandwala creates a personalized treatment plan and timeline for you. While it requires a time investment, most patients agree that a permanent, natural-feeling tooth is worth the wait.

Dental implants have several key benefits compared to traditional dentures and bridges:

• Stability: Unlike removable dentures, implants are fused to your jawbone, so they won’t slip, click, or require messy adhesives.
• Bone Preservation: Implants stimulate the jawbone, helping prevent the bone loss that often occurs with missing natural adult teeth. This helps maintain your natural facial structure.
• No Food Restrictions: You have the opportunity to eat all your favorite foods with confidence, as implants function like natural teeth.
• Preserves Healthy Teeth: Unlike bridges, implants don’t require altering adjacent healthy teeth for support.
• Easy Maintenance: You can brush and floss them just like your natural teeth.
• Durability and Value: With proper care, implants can last 25 years or more, making them a cost-effective long-term solution compared to bridges (10-15 years) and dentures (5-8 years).
• Natural Look and Feel: Patients find that implants are the most comfortable and natural-feeling tooth-replacement option, restoring confidence in their smiles.

At StarBrite Dental, we can help you explore all your tooth replacement options to find the best fit for your health, lifestyle, and even your budget.

A same-day crown is a permanent dental crown designed, fabricated, and placed in a single visit using advanced CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing) technology.

Here’s how we do it at StarBrite Dental:

1. Digital Impressions: We use an iTero digital scanner to take precise 3D images of your tooth. This modern approach is faster and more comfortable than using traditional putty-like impression trays.
2. Custom Design: The 3D images are sent to our computer, where we design a custom crown that perfectly fits your tooth and bite.
3. In-House Milling: Our Glidewell milling machine then carves your new crown from a high-quality block of color-matched porcelain while you relax. This process typically takes 1-2 hours.
4. Final Placement: We check the crown’s fit and appearance before we permanently bond it to your tooth.

With same-day crown technology, you can avoid the need for a temporary crown, a second appointment, or a long wait for a dental lab. It’s the perfect solution for busy patients who want immediate, lasting results. You’ll leave our office with a durable, natural-looking permanent crown and can get back to your normal routine right away.

If the pulp inside your tooth (the nerve and blood vessels) becomes infected or inflamed, you may need a root canal. This might occur due to deep decay, cracks, chips, repeated dental work, or trauma.

Common signs you might need a root canal:

• Severe toothache, especially when chewing
• Lasting sensitivity to hot or cold
• A discolored tooth
• Swollen or tender gums
• A persistent pimple on your gums

A root canal saves your natural tooth. During this particular procedure, we remove the infected pulp, clean and disinfect the inside of your tooth, and then seal it up to prevent reinfection. Thanks to modern techniques and local anesthesia, the treatment is typically as comfortable as getting a standard filling and is usually completed in one or two visits.

After the root canal, we place a crown on the tooth to protect it and restore its full function. Saving your natural tooth is always the most desirable option, as it maintains your bite and prevents other teeth from shifting. With proper care, a tooth that has had a root canal can last a lifetime.

At StarBrite Dental, we offer a complete range of aesthetic dentistry services to give you the smile of your dreams. Our services include:

• Porcelain veneers: Custom-made thin shells that cover teeth to fix discoloration, chips, gaps, or misshapen teeth.
• Composite bonding: A tooth-colored resin used to repair chips, close small gaps, or enhance tooth shape.
• Invisalign clear aligners: A discreet way to straighten out your teeth without the use of metal braces.
• Gum recontouring: A procedure to create a more even and balanced gumline.
• Smile makeovers: A combination of cosmetic and restorative treatments to achieve a total smile transformation.

With over 25 years of experience, Dr. Munira Lokhandwala will create a personalized treatment plan to meet your aesthetic goals while also ensuring natural-looking results. During your consultation, we’ll discuss your goals, show you before-and-after photos, and recommend the best treatments for you. Many of our cosmetic procedures can enhance your smile in just one or two visits.

Yes, the team at StarBrite Dental includes a certified Invisalign provider in Dublin. Invisalign is an advanced orthodontic treatment that uses a series of clear, removable aligners to straighten your teeth. Unlike more traditional types of braces, these clear aligners are virtually invisible, comfortable, and can be removed for eating, drinking, and cleaning.

Treatment typically takes 12-18 months, and we use digital planning to show you the expected results before you even begin. Invisalign is effective for correcting crowding, spacing, overbites, underbites, and crossbites, making it a suitable option for most adults and teens. You’ll switch to a new set of aligners every two weeks and visit us for progress checks every 6-8 weeks.

Invisalign is a popular choice for adults and professionals who want to improve their smile discreetly. Schedule your complimentary consultation to see if Invisalign is the right treatment for you and get a personalized treatment simulation.

Conscious sedation, sometimes called oral sedation or “the blue pill,” is a safe and effective method to help patients relax during dental procedures. While you’ll remain awake and responsive, the oral sedative medication induces for you a very state of deep relaxation, significantly reducing anxiety and discomfort.

Unlike general anesthesia, you stay conscious and can communicate with us, though most patients have little to no memory of the procedure itself.

This sedation option is ideal for any of our patients who:

• Experience dental anxiety or phobia
• Are undergoing long or complex procedures (like extractions or implants)
• Have a strong gag reflex
• Have difficulty getting numb with local anesthesia
• Have had traumatic dental experiences in the past
• Simply want a more comfortable and stress-free visit

The effects of the sedation are predictable and wear off gradually. For your safety, you need a trusted friend or even a family member to drive you to and from your appointment. During your consultation, we will review your medical history and discuss the process to ensure you feel completely safe and comfortable.

Yes, StarBrite Dental offers comprehensive dentistry for children of all ages, from toddlers to teens.

We always want to create a warm, friendly, and non-threatening environment to help children feel comfortable and even excited about visiting the dentist.

Our pediatric services include:

• Preventive Care: Cleanings, fluoride applications, and dental sealants.
• Early Orthodontic Evaluation: Assessing the need for future orthodontic work.
• Restorative Care: Treating cavities with tooth-colored fillings.
• Emergency Dental Care: Addressing injuries or toothaches promptly.
• Education: Teaching proper brushing, flossing, and nutrition habits.

Dr. Munira Lokhandwala and our team use gentle techniques and clear, age-appropriate language to build trust with our young patients. We recommend a child’s first visit by age one or when their first tooth appears to establish good habits early. For anxious children, we offer conscious sedation to ensure a safe and comfortable experience.

Our primary goal here at Starbrite Dental in Dublin is to make dental care a positive experience for our patients, setting the foundation for a lifetime of excellent oral health. We invite you to schedule your child’s first dental visit or book appointments for the whole family together.

At StarBrite Dental, we use Fotona Laser therapy and Platelet-Rich Fibrin (PRF) treatment to offer a modern, minimally invasive solution for treating periodontal (gum) disease.

• Fotona Laser Therapy: This advanced laser precisely targets and removes bacteria from diseased gum tissue, helping reduce pocket depth and promote tissue regeneration without the need for incisions or stitches. Compared to traditional gum surgery, it is far more comfortable, resulting in less bleeding, reduced swelling, and a quicker recovery.
• PRF Therapy: To boost your body’s natural healing process, we use PRF therapy. This involves taking a small sample of your blood to create a concentrate of your own growth factors and healing proteins. This concentrate is then applied to the treated areas to speed up tissue regeneration and minimise inflammation.
• Combined Treatment: By using the Fotona laser and PRF together, we create the best possible environment for your gums to heal naturally and reattach to your teeth. This combined approach is an excellent option for patients with moderate to more advanced stages of periodontal disease who are looking to avoid traditional surgery.

Key benefits include:

• Minimal discomfort
• No scalpels or sutures
• Faster healing time (days, not weeks)
• Preservation of healthy gum tissue

During your periodontal evaluation, we can determine if this innovative gum regeneration treatment is the right choice for you.

At StarBrite Dental, we truly believe that the cost of treatments should never be a barrier to quality dental care. We offer several flexible payment and financing solutions to make your treatment affordable.

We accept:

• Cash
• Checks
• All major credit cards (including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover)

Financing Partners:

For larger treatments, we partner with healthcare credit providers like Sunbit, HFD, and CareCredit. These services offer special financing with interest-free payment plans for qualifying patients, allowing you to spread the cost over time (typically 6, 12, or 18 months). The approval process is quick, often completed during your visit with a soft credit check, so you can start treatment right away.

In-House Plans:

We also provide in-house payment plans for certain procedures.

Our team is dedicated to transparency and will provide a detailed treatment plan with all costs clearly outlined before any work begins. We are happy to discuss which payment solution best fits your budget and can help you combine insurance benefits with financing to make your care even more affordable. Please ask our front desk team about current financing promotions and how we can best support your needs.

Yes, StarBrite Dental works with most major PPO dental insurance plans to help you get the most out of your benefits.

Out-of-Network:

We accept all other PPO insurance plans (such as MetLife, Cigna, Aetna, and Guardian) as an out-of-network provider. Our team will handle all claims and paperwork on your behalf to ensure you get the maximum reimbursement from your plan.

How it works:

1. Verification: Before your appointment, our staff will verify your insurance coverage.
2. Estimate: We’ll provide a clear estimate of your expected costs.
3. Claims: We manage all paperwork and submit your claims.

Our goal is to maximize your benefits and keep your expenses to a minimum.

Please note: We currently do not accept Medi-Cal or Denti-Cal plans.

To confirm whether we accept your specific plan and to understand your coverage details (such as annual maximums, copays, and covered procedures), please contact our Dublin office at (925) 828-0252. We can verify your coverage before your visit if you provide your name, date of birth, and subscriber ID number.