Blog

Our patient, Mr. S, was in need of some new dentures. His old dentures were severely worn down. They also did not fit properly, especially the lower denture. They both needed loads of denture adhesive to stay in place. Mr. S has also heard about dental implants to help secure his dentures. Here are steps he went through to get his new implant-retained dentures.

Here are his old dentures:

Dentures are an excellent solution for replacing an entire arch of missing teeth. You might be surprised to find that they date back to around 700BC when Etruscans crafted them out of human or animal teeth.

Dentures were on the rise as sugar entered into our diets causing tooth decay and loss. In the 1700's dentures were made of ivory, and even George Washington was a denture wearer, although his were not actually made of wood contrary to popular belief. They were crafted from ivory, human teeth, and animal teeth.

Around the year 1774, the first set of porcelain dentures were made, although porcelain tended to chip so human teeth were still ...

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.

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. ...

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 ...