General Dentistry & Periodontal Care 

 

 

 

 

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Routine checkups and cleanings

Regular dental checkups and cleanings, along with good home care, are the cornerstone of optimal dental health.

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Dr. Ciuffreda always  schedules an hour for a new patient examination; during which time we will review your medical and dental history including any particular issues or concerns you may have, perform an oral cancer screening, take and review a set of digital radiographs (x-rays), and conduct a full soft tissue/periodontal (gums) and hard tissue (teeth) exam.

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Dr. Ciuffreda then will review his findings with you, discuss different treatment options, and take whatever time is needed to thoroughly answer your questions about your treatment plan.  Most times you will also receive a professional tooth cleaning (prophylaxis) at this visit.

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Dr. Ciuffreda will recommend a frequency for you to return for regular checkups and cleanings based upon his findings.  Generally speaking, we advise seeing our patients at least every 6 months to maintain excellent oral health.

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Periodontal Care

Periodontics is dentistry dealing with diseases of the gums and other structures around the teeth. There is a growing body of research that demonstrates a relationship between periodontal disease and systemic health issues.

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Periodontal Disease encompasses a progressive range of conditions that  has its beginnings as gingivitis – inflammation of the gums surrounding the teeth as a result of bacteria and plaque buildup. Chronic inflammation of the gums can then result in deterioration and loss of the bone that supports the teeth, and ultimately lead to tooth loss.  Dr. Ciuffreda is passionate about maintaining the periodontal health of his patients because that is the foundation for any other dental treatment.

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Initial treatment of periodontal disease most often involves scaling and root planning, otherwise known as “deep cleaning.”  This involves gently numbing the region to be treated, and removing plaque and calculus underneath the gum line.

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Dental Fillings

Smaller areas of tooth decay are usually restored with fillings.  Dr Ciuffreda almost exclusively uses tooth colored, bonded filling material (also known as “composite”) for these procedures.

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The advantages of bonded fillings include (as the name implies…) actual bonding of the restoration to the tooth; most times the ability to do a much smaller restoration, thereby conserving natural tooth structure; and of course outstanding esthetics.  One aspect of cosmetic dentistry that Dr. Ciuffreda finds particularly rewarding is when he is able to blend a bonded filling into a tooth so that you can’t even tell that a restoration was done at all.

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Crowns

Crowns involve the reduction of more tooth structure and may be warranted for several reasons, including inadequate remaining tooth structure, following endodontic (root canal) therapy, or for cosmetic enhancement.  

 

Crowns are most often fabricated of either special all-porcelain materials (such as zirconia and e-max) or porcelain fused over high gold content metal (PFM).  All-porcelain crowns typically provide the best cosmetic result as they allow for a degree of translucency as with natural tooth structure, and also eliminate the possibility of the “dark line” effect at the gum line that may sometimes occur with PFMs. 

 

Dr. Ciuffreda  reviews an x-ray is taken of all crowns prior to final placement and cementation to ensure that they are perfectly fitting and provide the best possible seal to the underlying tooth structure.

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Bridges

Bridges are one treatment option for the restoration of missing teeth (or failing teeth that require extraction) and are comprised of multiple crowns joined together.  Teeth on either side of the space are prepared (reduced) which serve as the anchoring points for the restoration.

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As with single crowns, bridges are most often fabricated of either special all-porcelain materials (such as zirconia) or porcelain fused over high gold content metal (PFM). All-porcelain bridges typically provide the best cosmetic result as they allow for a degree of translucency as with natural tooth structure, and also eliminate the possibility of the “dark line” effect at the gum line that may sometimes occur with PFM bridges.

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Dr. Ciuffreda  reviews an x-ray is taken of all crowns prior to final placement and cementation to ensure that they are perfectly fitting and provide the best possible seal to the underlying tooth structure.  Bridges provide an esthetically pleasing, strong and functional solution to restore spaces due to tooth loss.

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Dental Implants

Restoration with dental implants is perhaps one of the most predictable and satisfying treatment alternatives available for patients today!  Implant restorations may be used to for single or multiple teeth, or even the complete dentition. Options may consist of restorations that are cemented and/or screw-retained  (fixed) or can be taken in and out of the mouth retained with various types of attachments (removable) .  Providing coordinated treatment together with a dental surgical specialist and best implant dentist Manalapan NJ , Dr. Ciuffreda is able to replace non-restorable or missing teeth with state-of-the-art implant technology that has an outstanding long-term success rate.

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There are numerous benefits to dental implants :

 

- Restoration of dental implants isroutinely an extremely comfortable stage of treatment, almost never

   requiring dental anesthesia (i.e. “novocaine”).
- In comparison to the significant reduction of tooth structure that would need to be removed from adjacent 

   teeth for a bridge, neighboring teeth do not require any drilling or preparation for an implant restoration.
- The surgical component of the implant contributes to the preservation of bone in the area by acting as an

  “artificial root”. Bone in the jaw will otherwise be lost over time without forces acting on it (through a tooth or

   an implant). Such loss of bone can become a cosmetic or functional concern.
- Implant components consist of all non-organic components, such as titanium and porcelain.  This of course

   means that implants are not subject to decay (getting a cavity).
- Implants have an outstanding long-term success rate, with some studies reporting as high as 98%.
- Implants more closely duplicate our natural biology of having individual teeth supported by a root-type

   structure, as compared with a bridge where two or more teeth are joined together with a connected tooth or

   teeth in the middle.
 

The typical procedure for single tooth dental implant restoration:

Following the  extraction of the non-restorable tooth – with either local anesthesia (“nocovaine”) or under IV conscious sedation –   a titanium implant (“artificial root”) will be gently and comfortably placed into the upper or lower jaw by a dental surgical specialist.  Generally within  3-4 months the implant will have successfully integrated with the bone and is now ready for Dr. Ciuffreda to begin restoration.

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The restoration phase is almost always extremely comfortable, almost never even requires a numbing injection, nor is any drilling necessary! At the initial restorative visit , Dr. Ciuffreda will gently remove a cover screw, take some impressions, and replace the cover screw. At the final appointment, the cover screw is again comfortably removed, the implant abutment (or “post”) is placed, and a dental x-ray is taken to be sure it is positioned perfectly.  The abutment (‘post”) and crown are then placed.  While the abutment is always screw retained, the implant crown may either be cemented to the abutment or fabricated in conjunction with the abutment to be entirely screw retained.

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Dr. Ciuffreda is highly experienced in dental implant restoration, encompassing single tooth cases to complete upper and lower full mouth implant restorations / reconstructions.

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Full & Partial Removable Dentures

Whenever advisable, Dr. Ciuffreda definitely prefers fixed (that is, non-removable) treatment options such as crowns, bridges and fixed implant restorations because of the superior chewing ability that they provide.  However, there are instances where partial or full dentures are indicated clinically, such as if there is inadequate bone for a surgeon to place implants or too few remaining good support teeth for a bridge.  Additionally, full or partial dentures may provide a less expensive financial alternative, or they may be used as an interim (temporary / transitional) restoration as part of your overall case.

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Root Canal Therapy

Root canal (endodontic) therapy is generally indicated when the nerve of the tooth becomes compromised by decay, irreversibly irritated / inflamed, or becomes necrotic (dies).  What is often confusing to patients is that teeth that may require root canal therapy are not always painful, but they certainly can be.  After making sure the patient is numbed comfortably, root canal therapy involves the removal of the tooth nerve/pulp, cleaning of the canal(s), and filling / sealing of the canals.  Following endodontic therapy restoration with a crown is almost always indicated for structural stability and restoration, as the absence of the internal blood vessels within the tooth now leave it dry and brittle, thus more susceptible to fracture.

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Get the beautiful, healthy smile you deserve.

Call us today at 732-792-0605 and see how Dr. Ciuffreda

can enhance your Remarkable Grin.

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