Milpitas Dentist Dr. Peter Yu's Story

Milpitas Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Peter Yu shares his personal story and practice philosophy...

A screaming 5 year-old with a mouth full of cavities, a frustrated dentist determined to get the job done and a very muscular male dental assistant all added up to a picture of terror hidden in the far corner of my childhood memory. The anxiety level increases 10-fold if you are the screaming kid who thinks he is fighting for his life, and yes, I am the poor kid in the above picture of terror, albeit 40 some odd years ago.

My mission in life since the above episode, has been to ‘rescue’ all those poor souls who have to endure such traumatic experiences in the dentists’ office. A light bulb came on when I was about 16 years old and I realized that I could become a great dentist in the world and save all those poor souls from getting traumatized while receiving dental treatment, because I always believed that I could do better than those dental professionals from the past.

The Latest Techniques

By nature, dentists are gadget people and they love to tinker with techniques and ideas. I have been an early adopter of porcelain bonding technology, including porcelain veneers and porcelain inlays since the 1980s, creating smile designs since the 1990s, and offering various types of tissue grafting and dental implants since the beginning of the 21st century.

Along the way I have become an active member of the Seattle Study Club, so that I can be regularly exposed to the latest knowledge and ideas. I studied under the guidance of Dr. Frank Spear, a well-respected prosthodontist in Seattle, and have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge regarding smile designs, the occlusion concepts and the TMJ, and multi-disciplinary treatment planning for complex cases. In addition, I studied under the tutelage of Dr. Leon Chen, a well-respected periodontist in Las Vegas, where I have become well versed in soft and hard tissue grafting plus various dental implant placement techniques.

I believe in keeping my patients healthy, by keeping a strong hygiene/recare program so that we can keep track of their oral health. The more we see them in the recare side of the practice, the less I will end up seeing them in the restorative side of the practice. However, if they need help in the restorative side, we will be ready to offer the best options that modern dentistry can offer.

The three main areas of focus are:

Cosmetic dentistry: including smile-design, porcelain veneers, Invisalign and soft tissue grafting (correction of irregular gum lines by either adding/grafting) or subtracting (crown lengthening or laser sculpting).

Dental Implants: including replacement of a single missing tooth, multiple implants to replace a full arch, implants to work in conjunction with new or existing dentures, to create dentures that can feel and function like the real teeth.

Oral Conscious Sedation: to get the necessary treatment done while the patient is not aware of the passage of time and the patient can be totally comfortable.

Exciting Cosmetic Advancements

The most exciting advancement in the dental field lies in the area of metal-free crowns and onlays that are potentially stronger than the traditional metal-ceramic, or even their zirconium-oxide-ceramic counterparts.

Traditional crowns require an internal coping to provide the strength for the weak porcelain on the surface to not fracture; therefore during the treatment planning stage, we often ask ourselves if the porcelain will likely fracture prematurely. Now there is a very strong special ceramic available that can be used for the entire crown without the need of an internal coping, and it can be used in the most stress-bearing areas of the mouth without worry of porcelain fracture.

Another area of excitement in the field of dentistry is the predictability of recreating lost gum and bone, so that while placing implants we can put them in the ideal position for aesthetics and function. Less than 15 years ago implants were routinely placed in areas where there was bone to support them, but not necessarily the ideal area for look and function. The main issues were that gum and bone grafting techniques were not very predictable at the time. In addition, there are whole hosts of bioactive modifiers available now that can help make these procedures work well and the body heals faster.

On Reaching Patients

The most important qualities and credentials in a dentist that we can offer are:

• Listening to the patients attentively without judgment.
• Being well versed in all areas of dentistry so that we can offer true multi-disciplinary treatment planning for our patients.
• Keeping up-to-date in the latest dental technology.

This includes dental related issues such as patients who have been taking anti-osteoporosis drugs like Fosamax. We must be more thorough in the screening process because these patients can be at risk of getting a condition known as spontaneous osteo-necrosis of the jaw.

Before treatment, I tell my patients that I will do my best to take care of the dental problem, but I will also need their help to help maintain the finished product. Also, my intention is to get the treatment done with no discomfort to them at all, but please help me by letting me know if there are issues that I may not be aware of.

Getting to Know Dr. Yu

I have been an avid tennis player for many years. I still play at least 3 times a week and I participate in USTA tennis leagues regularly. Thanks to indoor tennis facilities, I can play tennis through out the year and keep up with my exercises. When I am not playing tennis with my tennis friends I practice the ancient Chinese breathing exercises that maximize the natural healing power of the human body. Also it definitely increases my lung capacity and lets me relax my body and my mind. I enjoy music a great deal and I particularly enjoy listening to smooth jazz and R&B.

I have been married to my high school sweetheart, Peggy, for over 25 years now. Together, in a span of 6 years, we had three lovely children, Nicole, Arthur and Jared.  Nicole, our oldest child is already 21 years old.

 

Get to know Dr. Yu better and discuss your dental concerns and goals. A great experience and a great smile await! at Optimum Dental Care, the office of dentist, Dr. Peter Yu.

Providing services by one of the top Milpitas dentists to Fremont, CA and beyond.