A letter from Dr. Monique Sison, DDSOwner, mend dental · Irvine
Honest about what you need. Gentle about how we get there.
That's my promise to every patient: the truth about your teeth, even when it's "let's wait," and care that treats you like a person, not a schedule. Here's how I make decisions.
"My goal is simple: I want you to keep and use your own teeth for the rest of your life. Every decision I make in the chair comes back to that."
The obvious part
Most people dread the dentist. I take that personally.
Almost everyone who sits in my chair has a story: the lecture, the surprise bill, the shot that hurt. I've spent my career trying to retire that, one visit at a time.
Injections you barely notice.Topical first, then slow and steady. Patients tell me it's the part they don't remember.
Nothing happens before you understand it.Your scan and X-rays on the screen, explained in plain language.
A written plan, at your pace.Take it home. Get a second opinion. I'll still be here.
A few things most people assume before they sit down.
Years of bad experiences have taught patients to expect certain things from a dental office. Most of them don't hold up. Tap a card to see what's actually true.
The pattern: good dentistry is usually less treatment, explained better.
The mend philosophy
Four principles behind every recommendation.
01 / 04
Your enamel has to last the rest of your life.
Every time a tooth is drilled it gets a little weaker, and dentistry can't put enamel back. So we remove only what is damaged and leave the rest. That is why we reach for an onlay instead of a crown when the tooth allows, even though it takes more time and precision.
Same tooth, two ways to fix it
Your natural tooth that staysMost of it
What I remove
Only the decayed or broken part
How it feels for you
A longer, more precise appointment
Down the road
More of your own tooth left for the future
When I choose it
My default when the tooth allows it
Illustrative. Some teeth genuinely need a crown, and I'll tell you when yours does.
Why this needs saying at all
Corporate chains are built around production. mend is independently owned.
Most dental offices today belong to corporate groups that measure dentists on production per hour. mend is one office, owned by the dentist who treats you. That changes how the schedule is built, what goes in your mouth, and who you see each visit.
The momentA corporate chainmend, independently owned
01The schedule
Double-booked. Two or three patients per hour so the numbers work, which means a rushed cleaning and a dentist who pops in for two minutes.
One patient at a time. Cleanings get the full appointment, and Dr. Sison sits down with you at every visit.
02Who you see
Often a different dentist each time. Associates come and go, and no one owns your history.
The same dentist, every visit. She knows your teeth, your history and what you decided last time.
03What goes in your mouth
Materials chosen by a purchasing department to hit a cost target. The dentist rarely has a say.
Materials chosen by the dentist who places them, from the manufacturer, because they last longer and are better for the tooth.
Where this comes from
I learned in the chair, not just the lecture hall.
I trained at the University of the Pacific's Dugoni School of Dentistry, the only three-year D.D.S. program in the country, which puts students in the clinic earlier and for more hours than most. Since then I've kept going: I'm certified in Supragingival Minimally Invasive Dentistry through the Los Angeles Institute, the approach behind everything on this page.
A letter from Dr. Monique Sison, DDSOwner, mend dental · Irvine
Honest about what you need. Gentle about how we get there.
That's my promise to every patient: the truth about your teeth, even when it's "let's wait," and care that treats you like a person, not a schedule. Here's how I make decisions.
"My goal is simple: I want you to keep and use your own teeth for the rest of your life. Every decision I make in the chair comes back to that."
The obvious part
Most people dread the dentist. I take that personally.
Almost everyone who sits in my chair has a story: the lecture, the surprise bill, the shot that hurt. I've spent my career trying to retire that, one visit at a time.
A few things most people assume before they sit down.
Years of bad experiences have taught patients to expect certain things from a dental office. Most of them don't hold up. Tap a card to see what's actually true.
The pattern: good dentistry is usually less treatment, explained better.
The mend philosophy
Four principles behind every recommendation.
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Same tooth, two ways to fix it
Your natural tooth that stays{{ cmp.keptLabel }}
What I remove
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How it feels for you
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Down the road
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When I choose it
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Illustrative. Some teeth genuinely need a crown, and I'll tell you when yours does.
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A real conversation
"If we put veneers on now, they'd just chip. Your bite isn't lined up. I'd be making it look good without making it work. Let's straighten first, and then see how little we actually need."
Teeth don't just fall out. The bone around them goes first, quietly, and it doesn't grow back.
Almost everything on this page is really about bone: keeping tooth structure, treating gum disease early, and never pulling a tooth that could have been kept. Bone is the one thing I can't give back to you.
Corporate chains are built around production. mend is independently owned.
Most dental offices today belong to corporate groups that measure dentists on production per hour. mend is one office, owned by the dentist who treats you. That changes how the schedule is built, what goes in your mouth, and who you see each visit.
The momentA corporate chainmend, independently owned
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Where this comes from
I learned in the chair, not just the lecture hall.
I trained at the University of the Pacific's Dugoni School of Dentistry, the only three-year D.D.S. program in the country, which puts students in the clinic earlier and for more hours than most. Since then I've kept going: I'm certified in Supragingival Minimally Invasive Dentistry through the Los Angeles Institute, the approach behind everything on this page.
