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About Us

Welcome to Dr. Giacoppuzi'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. 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

Nature of Our Practice
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.

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

Your 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.

Dr. Guy Giacoppuzi, DDS
Dr. Giacopuzzi received his dental degree from Loma Linda University in California in 1980. He also holds a BS in Biology from Cal Poly State University in Pomona, CA. He is a member of the American, California, and Tri-County Dental Associations. He is a member of the Western Society of Periodontology, the American Academy of Periodontology, and a fellow in the Academy of General Dentistry. He has practiced in Lake Arrowhead since 1981. He has been around the mountain communities since his birth in 1954, and became a full time resident since 1979.

Our Hygienists
We have four dental hygienists. Norine Giacopuzzi RDH, Kathy Rossler RDH, and Shellie Stehmeier RD are graduates of Loma Linda University; Trisha Manookian RHD, graduated from the University of Southern California. All of our hygienists have special training in periodontics and anesthesia.

Our Staff
Diane Van Kirk RDA and Carol Dismuke DA, are our chair-side assistants. Lisa Amen RDA, takes care of our front office needs and occasionally assists when Diane and Carol are away visiting their grandchildren.

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.