• One-Sleep-Visits – During a single appointment, a number of procedures can be completed while patients are unconscious (sedated).
• Special Needs – We provide specialized care for seniors and patients with diseases, disabilities, and a host of or other conditions, including anxiety.
• House Calls – Our sister organization, House Call Dentist, is a group of dentists in San Francisco who treat patients throughout the bay area by visiting them in their own home locations.

Our office is staffed with doctors, specialists, and staff members who work together as a cohesive team to bring patients the best possible oral health care.

Blende Dentists, San Francisco

Our team includes doctors, specialists, and staff members. Today, we’d like to introduce you to the Blende Dental Group’s doctors:

Dr. David M. Blende, DDS has over 20 years of experience in providing comprehensive dental care in hospitals and private practices. His areas of concentration include aesthetic crown and bridge work, complex dental rehabilitation, and general anesthesia in hospital dentistry. Dr. Blende is the founder of The Blende Dental Group, which is internationally recognized for its work with special needs patients.

Dr. Erica Haskett, DDS completed her post-graduate training and general practice residency at Community Regional Medical Center of Fresno in California and the Veterans’ Administration. She is extensively trained and experienced in treating geriatric, disabled, and other special needs patients. Here at the Blende Dental Group, she leads a team that specializes in complex restorative care for special needs patients.

Dr. Cheryl E. Elacio, DMD received a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio in 2005, and then completed her general practice residency at St. Francis Hospital in Connecticut. Dr. Elacio has advanced training and experience in treating patients with special needs and those who are medically compromised.

Dr. Michael Lam, MD is a board-certified anesthesiologist who has been practicing for over 30 years. Dr. Lam provides anesthetic care for major surgical sub-specialties, including general medicine and dentistry: cardiac, neuro, high-risk obstetrical, pediatric, spinal cord, burn, major orthopedic, and multiple trauma surgery.

Our dentists in San Francisco come together to bring patients a wide range of expertise in professional oral health care.

The Blende Dental Group

The Blende Dental Group’s team of dentists in San Francisco is ready to take your questions. To schedule an appointment or to learn more, please call 1-800-575-3375.

San Francisco is one of the most-visited, culturally diverse, and historical cities in the world. Famous, in part, for its beautiful red bridge, known as the Golden Gate, San Francisco has always attracted adventurers, artists, entrepreneurs, and people who want to live in a clean, comfortable, and diverse city.

In 1776, Spanish colonists established a fort at the Golden Gate, and the California Gold Rush of 1849 propelled the little city into a period of rapid growth. San Francisco’s population grew 1,000 to 25,000 in a single year during the Gold Rush, and it became the largest city on the West Coast at the time.

It isn’t the biggest city on the West Coast anymore, but it’s still a big city. Newcomers to the city by the bay are met with a wide range of choices in shopping and services, and for folks who are visiting or who have recently relocated, one of the hardest choices to make is selecting a new dentist in San Francisco.

Choosing a Dentist in San Francisco

Today, patients are looking for a comprehensive, flexible dental office that can handle all of their dental needs ranging from regular checkups and cleanings to root canals and oral surgery, and cosmetic dentistry.

The Blende Dental Group is committed to making dental visits as convenient and comfortable as possible. We have brought together a team of some of the Bay Area’s finest dental professionals to create an office that truly meets all of our patients’ needs:

• Regular Checkups, Cleanings, and General Dentistry
• One-Sleep-Visit
• Cosmetic Dentistry
• Seniors and Special Needs Dentistry
• Endodontics, Periodontics, and Oral Surgery

Our office is perfect for families because we provide personalized care for everyone, from young children to aging grandparents. We’re also available for emergency care and our sister organization, Bay Area House Call Dentists, provides dental care in our patients’ homes.

About The Blende Dental Group

The Blende Dental Group is an internationally recognized team of dental professionals. Patients have traveled from around the world to San Francisco in order to receive our excellent care in dentistry.

Our top priority is our patients’ comfort. We make dental visits as painless and comfortable as possible. Our personalized treatment plans ensure that our patients’ oral health is on track and works within their schedules.

The Blende Dental Group has been providing the best in professional dental care for over 20 years. Our team of dental professionals is ready to take your questions. To schedule an appointment, call 1-800-575-3375.

The very people who work in a dental office are changing, too.

Most conventional dental offices have traditionally been staffed with a dentist and a few key professionals, including a receptionist, hygienist, and dental assistant.

Here at the Blende Dental Group, we’ve brought together a full team of San Francisco dentists and specialists who can work out of one office to provide patients with more comprehensive services in a single, convenient location.

A Team of San Francisco Dentists

In the past, any specialized dental procedures required that your dentist issued a referral and sent you to a specialist. While we still occasionally send our patients to some of the best specialists in San Francisco, we are increasingly able to perform highly specialized treatments and procedures right here in our offices.

Our staff currently includes dentists who practice and specialize in the areas of general dentistry, dental surgery, anesthesiology, endodontics, and periodontics.

More and more of our patients’ care is done here in our office by members of our team.

How We Work Together to Serve Our Patients Better

All of our new patients are assigned a dedicated Patient Care Coordinator, someone who acts as a point of contact and personal advocate working as a liaison between patients and dentists. A Patient Care Coordinator answers patients’ questions, sets appointments, and makes arrangements with dental specialists.

Some of our appointments take place in a hospital setting, where our team works together to perform various procedures during a One-Sleep-Visit, in which the patient sleeps through the appointment and can have more extensive work completed in a single day.

Our One-Sleep-Visits are ideal for special needs patients, people struggling with dental anxiety, and individuals who need a large amount of work but want to get it done quickly and conveniently.

Most of our work is done right here in our offices, where our team of specialists and San Francisco dentists coordinate and work together to give patients convenient, top-notch care.

Our approach enables our dentists to communicate with each other and more easily share patient records and consult with each other on treatment plans and patients’ overall dental health. Because our team works together in this fashion, we have more expertise and familiarity with our patients than dental professionals who work alone.

The Blende Dental Group

The Blende Dental Group’s team of San Francisco dentists offers patients the expertise of an entire team of dental professionals and the convenience of one location. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, call 1-800-575-3375.

Patients with dental anxiety aren’t the only who have a hard time getting in to see the dentist. Seniors, people with debilitating diseases, and other patients with special needs all face unique challenges in obtaining proper dental health care.

In July 2011, NBC News showcased Bay Area House Call Dentists, a division of the Blende Dental Group, in a special feature on San Francisco dentist Dr. David Blende. Here are some highlights from the report:

San Francisco Dentist Makes House Calls

At the Burlingame Villa, a nursing home for patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia, it’s difficult for many elderly residents to travel to the dentist’s office. So, their dentist comes to them.

Dr. Blende with Bay Area House Call Dentists provides dental patients with home appointments and treats Alzheimer’s patients, like 90-year-old Joe, who can’t make it to a dental office.

“We take care of an awful lot of special needs patients: Cerebral Palsy, Spectrum Disorder, Alzheimer’s, Down Syndrome, anybody who has special needs. It’s hard for them to comprehend a dental visit in a conventional dental office setting.”

-Dr. David Blende

House-call dental visits can include treatments beyond a simple exam. During his home appointment, Joe was getting an X-ray to check for an ulcer in his mouth.

Dr. Blende said, “We try and do long-term care for these people, so we’ve done everything from create an entire surgery unit at home to simply going up 27 stairs, beyond where the fire department can go, to take teeth out of a 105-year-old woman.”

Home Dentist for Seniors and Patients with Special Needs

Joe’s caregiver, Bridget Byrne, says that house calls have saved Joe from a stressful journey: “I think it’s less frightening for the patient because they’re in a home surrounding.”

Studies show that nursing home patients who receive regular oral care have a much lower rate of pneumonia than those who do not get routine, professional dental care.

Dental house calls save patients from stressful trips to the dentist. Seniors and special needs patients are more comfortable in a home setting and can get through minor and more complex treatments and procedures with greater ease. San Francisco dentist Dr. Blende has met those patients’ needs honorably.

As reporter Marianne Favro observes, “For these patients, there’s no place like home.”

The Blende Dental Group

The Blende Dental Group has been working with seniors and patients with special needs for over 20 years. To schedule an appointment with a San Francisco dentist with the Blende Dental Group, call 1-800-575-3375.

Dr. David Blende has over 20 years of experience in providing comprehensive dental care. After graduating from the University of Southern California, Dr. Blende practiced dentistry in hospital and private-practice settings in Switzerland and Beverly Hills before founding the Blende Dental Group and establishing himself as a San Francisco dentist.

His work in the field of dentistry has focused on aesthetic crown and bridge work as well as complex dental rehabilitation cases and using general anesthesia in a hospital setting.

Dr. Blende an active contributor to the field of dentistry and has served as the Chairman of the California Dental Association’s Council on Scientific Affairs and Research as the President of the French Foundation for Medical Research and Education.

Dr. Blende is an accomplished dental professional and his most notable contributions to dentistry have been to his patients.

Seniors and Special Needs Patients

Dr. Blende has built a practice that specializes in serving patients who are normally overlooked in conventional dental practices.

Seniors and special needs patients of all ages have come to Dr. Blende and his team for specialized care. Many of these patients are unable to comprehend what is happening to them in a dental office setting. They may become agitated by simply sitting in a dentist’s chair in an unfamiliar environment. Some find it difficult to sit still for the duration of an appointment. Others cannot physically make the trip. Many are inhibited by anxiety (fear of dentists).

The Blende Dental Group puts patients’ comfort first by accommodating people who are coping with Alzheimer’s, dementia, Cerebral Palsy, autism, dental anxiety, and any other condition that requires a little extra care and compassion during dental appointments.

San Francisco Dentist for Special Needs Patients

San Francisco dentist, Dr. Blende, and his entire staff at the Blende Dental Group have attracted patients from around the world for their highly specialized care.

The Blende Dental Group is dedicated to providing dental care to patients with special needs by offering a range of services and options designed to make dental treatments and procedures as convenient as possible:

• Home visits – Dr. Blende’s team at Bay Area House Call Dentists (BAHCD) visits patients in their homes and can perform a wide range of procedures in a home setting.
• Sedation dentistry – is especially effective for patients struggling with anxiety or who have trouble sitting still for extended periods. Sedation also alleviates pain associated with some dental procedures.
• One-Sleep-Visit – allows Dr. Blende’s team to perform several procedures during a single appointment in a hospital setting while the patient is under sedation.

The Blende Dental Group personalizes treatments for each patient’s physical and medical needs, budget, and comfort level. Their top priority is working closely with patients to determine the best course of action in their dental health regimen and treatments.

The Blende Dental Group

The Blende Dental Group has been treating seniors and patients with special needs for over 20 years. Our team of San Francisco dentists is ready to take your questions and schedule an appointment. Please call 1-800-575-3375 to learn more.

Our team of San Francisco dentists specializes in treating patients with special needs. In traditional dentistry, special needs patients have been overlooked. Few dental professionals offer the access, office setting, and chairside manner that are necessary in treating patients with special needs.

Dr. David Blende started the Blende Dental Group over 20 years ago as a way to fulfill his vision of making dental health more accessible to people with special needs. Whether dealing with disabilities, complex medical conditions, or anxieties, Dr. Blende wanted to make sure that everyone had access to adequate, professional dental care.

His vision became a huge success. Patients have come from all around the globe to receive the highly specialized and considerate dental care provided by the Blende Dental Group. In fact, Dr. Blende’s practice has become a renowned leader in dentistry for its dedication to serving patients with special needs along with their work in sedation dentistry.

Blende’s Team of Dentists in San Francisco

Dr. David Blende graduated from the University of Southern California and since then has acquired over 20 years of experience in dentistry. He has worked in hospitals and private practices in Switzerland, Beverly Hills, and San Francisco with a focus on aesthetic crown and bridgework as well as complex dental rehabilitation cases using general anesthesia in a hospital setting.

Dr. Erica Haskett received her doctor of dental surgery degree from New York University. She also attended University of California, Irvine, where she majored in biological sciences. She received her post-graduate training from Community Regional Medical Center of Fresno, California and the Veterans’ Administration, Fresno where she received extensive training to treat geriatric, disabled, and special needs patients. At the Blende Dental Group, Dr. Haskett leads a team in complex restorative care in hospital and office settings for special needs patients.

Serving Patients in the Bay Area and Beyond

The Blende Dental Group’s hard work, dedication, and special services in dentistry have made them a world-renowned practice. But more importantly, their efforts have made optimum dental health possible for patients who have found that conventional dentist visits are cumbersome or impossible.

The Blende Dental Group has expanded their own service area by launching Bay Area House Call Dentists, a dentistry service that visits patients at their locations.

The Blende Dental Group is a team of San Francisco dentists serving patients throughout Bay Area. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, call 1-800-575-3375.

Choosing a dentist is a big decision. You want a dentist who is professional and experienced, one who will treat you well and make your oral health a priority. You need to find someone you can trust.

There are a number of factors to consider when you’re looking for a dentist in San Francisco or anywhere else. Does the dentist come highly recommended? Is there a team of dental professionals on staff who can address a wide range of issues? Is the location of the office convenient for you? Are the business hours compatible with your schedule?

Tips for Finding a Dentist Who’s Right for You

Many patients choose a dentist in a hurry. They may be coping with a toothache or have other pressing dentistry needs that prevent them from taking their time to select a dentist. But taking some time and doing a little research pays off. With the huge number of dentists in San Francisco, it helps to narrow down the list by deciding what is most important to you in a dentist.

These tips will help you refine your search for the perfect dentist.

Referrals – When it comes to choosing a dentist, nothing beats a referral from someone you trust. Check with friends, family members, and co-workers. Explain any special considerations you have with regard to your dental health and find out if anyone you know can recommend a dentist.

Reputation – A dentist has to earn a good reputation. When you check reviews and referrals, weigh the positive and negative feedback. Dental patients who have taken the time to issue a positive review or testimonial have been greatly impressed by the care they received (impressed enough to take the time to share their experience) and a dentist who makes a strong, positive impression on other patients is more likely to make a similar impression on you.

Special Needs - If you or your loved one has special needs, it’s essential that you find a dentist office that accommodates such needs. Whether you need wheelchair access or a dentist who knows how work compassionately with patients who are disabled, dealing with anxiety and other mental illnesses, make sure the dentist you choose is experienced and prepared to provide proper care.

Service Options – Many patients who are looking for a dentist know they need work done. Some are searching for a dentist who can take care of their cosmetic dentistry needs in addition to basic care. Check prospective dentists’ websites to see if they provide all the dentistry services that you’re looking for in a dentist.

Pediatric and Family Dentistry – If you’re looking for a dentist who can treat your whole family, make sure you check to see if the office is child-friendly or offers expertise (or specialization) in pediatric dentistry. The same applies to eldercare — some dentists offer services that cater to aging patients.

Location – For many patients, location of a dentists’ office must be convenient. Some want a dentist near their home. Others want a dentist near their workplace. Many patients just want a dentist who can provide excellent care. Be sure to consider location and whether it’s a factor in your selection of a dentist.

Cost and Payment Options – In an ideal world, cost would never be a factor when it comes to you and your family’s health. But for many people, it’s an important consideration. As you search for a dentist, keep your budget in mind, but remember that oral health is essential to overall good health. In some cases, opting for a payment plan or paying out of pocket to go out-of-network is the best way to achieve optimum oral health.

Dentist San Francisco

Take time and care when choosing a dentist. San Francisco is home to many dental offices and one of them will be an ideal match to your needs.

The Blende Dental Group is a San Francisco dentist office that has been serving patients in the greater Bay Area for over 20 years. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, call 1-800-575-3375.

First, you call to schedule an appointment. You’re lucky if they can squeeze you in during a time that’s convenient for you. Once you arrive, you sit in the waiting room for what seems like an eternity until you’re escorted to the dentist’s chair where you wait some more before the dentist comes in and starts poking and prodding around your mouth.

You’re a customer. And in most offices, that’s exactly how you’re treated.

The Blende Dental Group is different. From the time you call to make an appointment until you walk out the door after your appointment, you’re treated like a person, not as a customer.

The Blende Dental Group

The Blende Dental Group is a team of San Francisco dentists focused on providing top-notch care to all patients. The group is comprised of dentists, specialists, and office staff who know how to treat their patients with dignity, respect, and compassion.

They are dedicated to taking care of patients who often slip under the radar, patients with special needs, disabilities, and people who are struggling with dental anxiety.

In short, the Blende Dental Group provides specialized dental services for special people.

Special Dentists for Special Patients

Adults and children with special needs have been underserved in the field of dentistry. Most offices aren’t equipped to handle patients with special needs and staff members are not trained to work with special needs patients, but the Blende Dental Group has changed that with their outstanding efforts in special needs dentistry. From their office set-up to their warm and patient personalities, the Blende Dental has created a safe and welcoming environment.

In recent decades, there has been growing number of people who avoid the dentist due to negative past experiences. These people are struggling with dental anxiety, and as a result, often don’t receive the dental care they need. By combining sedation dentistry with a keen understanding of dental anxiety, the Blende Dental Group has made dental visits a calm and even relaxing experience for patients who struggle with anxiety.

Many other traditionally underserved patients have benefitted from the Blende Dental Group’s outreach. This amazing team of San Francisco dentists even makes house calls, bringing dental care to patients who are homebound or bedridden.

San Francisco Dentists

The city by the bay is home to over 800,000 people. Many San Francisco residents have special needs and the Blende Dental Group meets those needs with warmth and professionalism.

The Blende Dental Group’s team of San Francisco dentists is dedicated to serving patients throughout the bay area and are especially committed to making dental care accessible for patients who have found traditional dentistry and conventional dentist offices inadequate for meeting their special needs.

The Blende Dental Group has been serving patients in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area for over 20 years. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, call 1-800-575-3375.

Millions of patients find it almost impossible to see a dentist. They are inhibited by anxiety. Some are coping with unique circumstances. Others have debilitating illnesses, physical limitations, or disabilities. But these factors shouldn’t be a barrier to dental health.

For years, the Blende Dental Group has focused on treating patients with special needs, helping patients who are coping with dental anxiety, and even making house calls for those patients who are homebound.

Dr. Blende and his team are dedicated to making dental health accessible to people who otherwise find it challenging or even impossible to obtain adequate dental health care.

Meet Dr. Blende, San Francisco Dentist

Dr. Blende has more than 20 years of experience in dentistry. He started the Blende Dental Group to fulfill his vision in building a practice that reached out to patients beyond the mainstream — patients who had dental anxiety, special needs, or complex medical conditions, patients with unique challenges. Dr. Blende strove to establish a practice that would provide access to dental health care for these patients.

Dr. Blende pursued his vision and worked to bring dental health services to people who previously could not obtain proper care. Since then, Dr. Blende and the rest of the team at the Blende Dental Group have helped patients with mild to severe dental anxiety, patients with special needs, and patients who are aging or homebound. Patients who have found that conventional dental offices may not be able to accommodate their particular needs can be successfully treated by the Blende Dental Group.

By combining advanced equipment and techniques with a friendly and caring atmosphere and flexible services, the Blende Dental Group has made dental health more accessible to patients with a wide range of special needs. The staff includes dental professionals who are trained and experienced in working with special needs patients. The office is set up and equipped to accommodate patients with disabilities. And treatment options, including a number of sedation dentistry treatments, ensure that patients have the best possible experience with their dental procedures.

Dr. Blende is a San Francisco dentist, but he and his team have helped patients all around the world. Now a renowned leader in modern dentistry, Dr. Blende has even expanded his practice to better serve patients in the Bay Area with his house call service. Bay Area House Call Dentists are a team of dental professionals who visit patients where they live to provide professional dental care.

San Francisco Dentist Office

Everyone in the Blende Dental Group’s San Francisco dentist office is attentive and considerate to patients’ needs. High quality dentistry is their top priority but serving patients with special needs and providing outstanding service, which includes an attentive and compassionate chairside manner, are just as important. Here is a team of dental professionals that genuinely cares about their patients’ experiences and their overall well-being.

The Blende Dental Group

The Blende Dental Group has been helping patients with special needs for over 20 years. To learn more or to schedule an appointment at their San Francisco dentist office, call 1-800-575-3375.

All around the world, there are patients who don’t have access to a dentist who will accommodate their special needs. Patients with disabilities and handicaps, patients who struggle with moderate to severe fear of the dentist, patients who are elderly or suffering from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, and many other special needs patients have all found that access to proper dental care is limited or nonexistent.

That started to change 20 years ago when a San Francisco dentist decided to concentrate on the people who needed special, tailored dental care designed to make dentistry more convenient for patients with special needs. Dr. David Blende has built his entire practice around those patients and their needs ever since.

San Francisco Dentist and Special Needs Dentistry

Dr. David Blende has spent over two decades making comprehensive dental care available to patients with special needs in hospital and private practice settings as well as through mobile dentistry, which provides on-location dental services to patients in their homes.

Special needs dentists do more than practice dentistry. They also have to be engaged with special needs communities. Their work includes the following:

• Staying up-to-date on medications, treatments, symptoms, etc.
• Maintaining relationships with organizations and with medical professionals in special needs areas
• Making compassionate and courteous service the core of office practices

Helping patients with special needs is the foundation upon which the Blende Dental Group is built, and over the years, their reputation has earned them a spot among the most recommended dental practices in the world.

Today, patients travel from all over the world to seek treatment from the esteemed team of San Francisco based dentists and dental specialists at the Blende Dental Group. To date, they have provided dental care to people from over 30 U.S. states and 18 different nations around the world.

San Francisco Dentist

San Francisco is one of the most famous cities in the world. Millions of tourists come through our beautiful city by the bay every year to see world-renowned attractions like the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, the original Cable Cars, and Lombard (the crooked street).

But some visitors come for more than the sights. They come to see a dedicated, world-class, San Francisco dentist who is committed to helping special needs patients achieve and maintain dental health.

To learn more about the Blende Dental Group’s work with special needs patients or to schedule an appointment with a San Francisco dentist, please call 1.800.575.3375 or visit our contact page to send us a message.