Welcome to Dr. Giacopuzzi's Office

Located in the Lake Arrowhead Medical Center, Suite 208, the office of Dr. Guy Giacopuzzi is warm and inviting. Bright, sunny and comfortable, with special touches like soft music, neck pillows, and even a cozy blanket, to help make your treatment as pleasant as possible.

The European Philosophy
When a single doctor oversees your treatment from beginning to end, there is much synergism in the treatment, not to mention significant financial savings. The patient enjoys the ease of going to a single office, and not having to deal with multiple practitioners. We are happy to offer this European-style philosphy throughout our dental practice. Our office and procedures are designed for maximum comfort and our staff members are dedicated to making your visit enjoyable. We take great pride in our ability to render the finest type of dental service. With your help, we can show you and your family how to control dental disease and maintain your smile for a lifetime.

Our office performs most aspects of general dentistry including periodontics (gum diseases), endodontics, fixed prothestics, esthetic dentistry, and pedodontics. Our special areas of interest are dental implants and conscious sedation. Implants represent the newest frontier in dental care, allowing a much more reliable and cost effective alternative to bridges and dentures. Sedation, while allowing apprehensive patients to comfortably have dental treatment, also makes long appointments more comfortable.

Preventative Care
While we do treat emergencies, the prime focus is on prevention of future disease. Because the surrounding tissues and bone are so vital for dental health, our office emphasizes periodontal health to a high degree.

Dr. Giacopuzzi is trained in intravenous sedation, and has held a licence to administer these medications for almost twenty years and is a state sanctioned examiner for other licencee’s. There are only about 100 general practitioners in the state with these licences.

Your First Appointment
A special time, usually an hour and a half for the initial exam, is set aside for your first appointment. When an appointment is made for you, a specific amount of time is designated especially for you with the doctor. Unlike HMO and PPO practices, we block time specifically for you. Good dental care, like a good marriage, is a function of the time spent on it. If you are unable to keep your appointment for any reason, a 48 hour notice is required to avoid cancellation charges.

New Patient Procedures
Except for emergency problems requiring immediate treatment, new adult patients are initially seen for a thorough examination and diagnosis. Before disease can be prevented, all active disease must be eliminated. This can only be done if we know what conditions are present. X-rays of your mouth and jaws and the examination, enable us to discover the health of not only your teeth, but the surrounding bone and soft tissues. A complete exam allows us to intelligently inform you of existing conditions in your mouth and plan your dental future. For new patients under the age of 18, the exam is usually shorter, allowing for both an exam and cleaning on the first appointment.

Intravenous Sedation
For the comfort of our patients, Dr. Giacopuzzi offers intravenous conscious sedation. There are several situations for which sedation is appropriate...

Apprehension: Sedation is ideal for fearful patients. Many patients are fearful of procedures like root canals or periodontal surgery. Once sedated, virtually all fear diminishes, making the procedure easier for the patient to tolerate and for the doctor to accomplish.

Long Procedures: Bridge preparations and molar root canal treatments are particularly time consuming. To condense time and make the patient feel that a 3 hour procedure took only 45 minutes - sedation can be the answer. Why leave the dentist's chair exhausted when you can leave relaxed, calm and rested?

Medically Compromised: Patients with heart trouble, high blood pressure, and other systemic problems can benefit from conscious sedation. Because some dental procedures cause stress by their very nature, sedation is ideal for these patients.

What is Sedation?
Sedation consists of several medications which are given intravenously in your arm. It takes about 15 minutes to give the medications. The sedation is given slowly and "tailored" to your physiology. Once given, the effects last at a number of hours, allowing dental procedures to be performed during a "four hour window". You are not "put to sleep" but rather you are "brought down" to a point where you are still conscious, responding to commands, sleepy, but arousable. Most patients are unable to remember all the procedure. We still use local anesthetics, as well. Virtually any type of dentistry may be performed with sedation.


Preparation
We ask the following of individuals who want to take advantage of sedation.

- Dress: Wear loose upper body clothing with short sleeves. Rest assured we will provide blankets as need to assure your comfort.

- Food: Fasting is not necessary but we recommend that you have a light meal before your appointment. This is important. If you have not eaten, you may experience increased apprehension.

- Medication: Always make the doctor aware of all the mediations that you are taking, even non-prescriptions drugs. Please do not "pre-medicate" yourself with alcohol or other drugs. On occasion, the doctor will prescribe a medication to take before your appointment.

- Transportation: You will not be able to drive after your treatment. You will need to arrange transportation home.

- After Care: You will probably wish to sleep after your sedation appointment. Do not schedule any responsibilities for at least 6 hours after your appointment. While you can be left alone, we usually advise to have someone with you following your appointment.