Dr. Bernadette DeSantos was born and raised in Houston, Texas. She became interested in orthodontics while wearing braces herself during her middle school years. It was at this point that she decided to focus on her goal of becoming an orthodontist.
She received her Bachelor of Science in Biology, graduating Summa Cum Laude, from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. She then got her dental training at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Texas. Immediately after dental school, she moved to the Pacific Northwest for her orthodontic residency training at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Oregon. Upon her completion of her two-year orthodontic residency, she received her specialty certificate in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics.
While attending the University of Texas, Dr. DeSantos was recognized with various awards such as the Academy of Dental Materials Award, Margaret Jones Chanin Award, Quintessence Award for Clinical Achievement Restorative Dentistry, American Association of Public Health Dentistry Award and the American Association of Orthodontists Award.
Dr. DeSantos practiced orthodontics in the Pacific Northwest for about seven years before moving to Southern California. It was there that she gained experience with the multi-disciplinary approach. This approach includes working along other dental professionals. She worked side-by-side with general dentists, dental hygienists, pediatric dentists, periodontists, oral surgeons and endodontists. This experience has helped her provide the best possible treatment for her patients. She moved to California in 2006 and two years later opened her orthodontic practice, La Costa Orthodontics, in Carlsbad.
Dr. DeSantos and her husband, Stephen, and her two children, Haley and Hayden and their corgi named Hazy live in San Elijo Hills. They love living in North County San Diego. Besides her passion in orthodontics, Dr. DeSantos enjoys family time, traveling, the beach, water sports, and reading.
Invisalign is an alternative orthodontic treatment tobracesthat uses a fundamentally different methodology to move the teeth. Instead of stainless steel brackets and archwires, Invisalign utilizes a series of clear, removable orthodontic aligners to move the teeth. The aligners sit directly on the dental arch, are virtually invisible when worn, and are removable for eating, drinking, brushing, and flossing.
The aligners are worn 22 hours a day, with removal only as necessary for eating and oral hygiene. Each set of aligners is worn for about 1-2 weeks before moving to the next set. With each new pair of aligners, the teeth move closer to their final alignment in a beautiful smile. At the end of the treatment, the patient achieves a gorgeous smile.
Invisalign is a fundamentally different alternative to braces, and patients who choose Invisalign receive a number of benefits. While not everyone is a candidate for Invisalign, advances in the technology mean most patients can receive Invisalign and achieve a gorgeous smile. Some of the benefits of Invisalign include: