Blog

This week I delivered two dental implant crowns to one of our patients and it made me think how great it is to have an option like dental implants available today. It truly is a life-altering procedure. This is especially the case with our patient, who I'll call Emily to protect her anonymity. 

Here is Emily when she first came to our office. She was missing both upper left bicuspids. I got her to smile for the photo, but this wasn't something she felt comfortable doing in public. She is getting married this year and wanted to be able to smile in her wedding photos.

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Recently, our office purchased a fantastic new laboratory machine with the capability of producing custom fabricated athletic mouthguards, nightguards to prevent tooth grinding, and clear orthodontic retainers. It's called: the MiniSTAR.

With the ability to fabricate these dental appliances in our office, we can deliver them to our patients faster and at a lower cost than sending them to a commercial dental laboratory. 

Our athletic mouthguards can be made in a variety of colors. Upon request, we can add custom logos and names. They are multi-layered, durable, and will help protect against fractured teeth and concussions. If you or your children are playing sports, a custom athletic ...

On Friday, July 21, 2017, Dr. Joe Santelli hosted the 7th Annual Golf Outing at Indian Pond Country Club in Kingston. It's a free golf event for friends of Dr. Santelli and open to patients of our practice. We had a record 60 golfers this year due to increased demand. The weather was perfect once again, 90 degrees and sunny. The BBQ was held indoors this year due to the heat.

The tournament is just for fun and the "best ball" format reflects that goal. Each foursome is a team. Every player tees off and the team chooses the best drive of the four. Then each player will hit a shot from ...

As 2016 comes to close, I wanted to take a moment to reflect back on our year at Center for Progressive Dentistry. First, I would be remiss if I did not thank all of our patients, both new and old, for putting your trust in our office to take care of your dental needs. We do not take this lightly and we couldn't be a great office without great patients. Of course, our entire team needs a big "Thank You" as well. Julie, Kathy, Stevie, Joanne, Bertha, Loretta, and Bridget are all part of what makes our dental office special. Both I and Dr. Santelli truly appreciate the hard work ...

This afternoon, my chairside dental assistant Stevie and I (Dr. Scardella) will fly to Raleigh, North Carolina to learn more about obstructive sleep apnea. During the 2-day long course, we will learn about the causes, symptoms, complications, and treatment of sleep apnea using dental appliances. Sleep apnea is a growing area of concern as many connections have been discovered between sleep apnea and other medical conditions. For instance, sleep apnea has been related to high blood pressure and other heart problems, acid reflux, tooth grinding, diabetes, and more.

We look forward to learning how we can use dental sleep apnea appliances to improve the lives of our patients. Have a great ...

It was a great pleasure to see my very first article published in the online dental magazine Dentistry IQ (Click here to read the article). The article talks about the importance of using 3-D x-rays in our practice, Center for Progressive Dentistry. It was a costly investment in technology, but it provides our patients with the very best dentistry has to offer. Our main use for the 3-D x-ray, or Cone Beam CT, is for planning dental implants. It allows us to digitally plan the position and size of the dental implant to perfectly fit the patient's jaw. It enables us to avoid important anatomical structures, like nerves and sinuses, making ...

There have been so many important advancements in dentistry in recent history, from fluoride toothpaste to minimally invasive bonded fillings, from braces to digital x-rays. As a profession, we have expanded awareness of best oral hygiene practices and the power of prevention when it comes to tooth decay and gum disease.

But one persistent problem dentists and patients are facing is that our teeth were not designed to last as long as we are living. The life expectancy of someone born in the United States today is over 79 years old. In 1960, the average life expectancy was a full 10 years younger than it is today. And if you were ...