Dental Health Guides
DiPietro Family Dental Care offers a wide range of services, both preventative and restorative. Some of these services include cleanings, sealants, fillings, cosmetic bonding, crowns and bridges, dentures, root canal therapy, and implant restorations. We are concerned with the health and function of your teeth as well as the quality of your smile. To this end, we offer extensive cosmetic services including tooth whitening (bleaching), bonding, laminate veneers, ceramic crowns and esthetic tooth contouring.
Patient Safety To protect our patients and ourselves, our clinical staff wear masks, gloves, glasses, and protective uniforms. We strictly observe all Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines. We are also under contract with MedSafe, Inc., which monitors and trains our staff about OSHA’s requirements. All instruments are cleaned, disinfected and sterilized as recommended by the American Dental Association and the Centers for Disease Control. Whenever possible, disposable single use items are used to ensure your safety. Handpieces (drills) are sterilized with a state-of-the-art sterilization unit specifically designed for this purpose. All surfaces in the treatment rooms are cleaned and disinfected after each patient.
Patient Education We feel it is crucial for patients to completely understand their specific dental condition and the various treatment options available to them to maintain and achieve optimal dental health. To this end, we utilize an intra-oral camera and a DVD interactive education system to promote better understanding of dental conditions and procedures. The intra-oral camera is a small camera that can take close-up pictures of teeth in order to better explain why treatment is necessary. It can also assist in diagnosis of dental problems due to its extremely high magnification capabilities. Utilizing pictures and animation on a video monitor, the DVD system demonstrates different dental conditions and various options available to treat these conditions.
Hygiene An integral part of maintaining your teeth for life is the removal of plaque and tartar on a regular basis. The frequency of your visits is based upon your individual needs and oral health. During your visit, we will update your medical history, perform an oral cancer screening exam, check your teeth for cavities, review oral hygiene instructions, and monitor your periodontal (gum) condition. Fluoride treatments are provided for children under the age of thirteen and for adults where appropriate.
Oxyfresh Homecare Program Since excellent home care is the key to a clean, healthy mouth between visits, we recommend the complete line of Oxyfresh preventive home care products for everyday use. The Oxyfresh toothpaste and mouth rinse work together to eliminate bacterial toxins responsible for bleeding gums and bad breath. To provide you with a choice, we offer the mouth rinse and multi-use Oxygene gel with or without fluoride. For those who have difficulty flossing, the Oxycare 3000 irrigator is designed to remove hard-to-reach plaque between and around the teeth. It uses the advanced technology of hydromagnetics to remove soft plaque and prevent stubborn tartar buildup. There is no more effective way to maintain your periodontal health and protect your investment in major dental work.
Sealants Highly effective in preventing decay on the biting surfaces of your chewing teeth, sealants are a simple procedure in which a tooth-colored acrylic "coating" is painted onto the surface of the tooth. This effectively "seals" the deep grooves where decay is most likely to start. For further protection, we use sealants that release fluoride.
Periodontal Disease This is the major cause of tooth loss in adults. Bacteria can build up on the surfaces of the roots and cause the loss of the supporting bone of the tooth. Because the early form of periodontal disease is painless and has few symptoms, regular dental visits are essential for early diagnosis and treatment. We utilize the advanced PSR system (periodontal screening and recording) at each cleaning to determine which patients may need further treatment for their gums. We also utilize the Oxyfresh Preventive Homecare System, which allows you to maintain your periodontal health between visits to the dentist. While periodontal disease is caused by plaque, a number of other factors, including poorly fitting bridges, badly aligned teeth and defective fillings, contribute to the development of this condition. Our hygienists are available to educate you about your periodontal condition, and with thorough cleaning and home care instructions, to help you to save your teeth for a lifetime.
Tooth Decay and Repair Utilizing an intra-oral camera gives both you and us the opportunity to see potential problems occurring in your mouth such as decay or fractured teeth. Often a tooth will not start bothering you until there is significant loss of tooth structure. With the help of the intra-oral camera and current x-rays, problems can be detected earlier, before your experience a toothache.
Cosmetic Dentistry Recent advances in dental materials and techniques allow the color, shape and alignment of your teeth to be improved. Cosmetic dentistry encompasses reshaping your teeth, veneers or bonding, natural looking, tooth-colored fillings, and bleaching.
Root Canal Therapy If a tooth's pulp (nerve and blood supply) becomes infected or inflamed, root canal treatment may be the only way to save the tooth. Root canal therapy removes the nerve from the tooth, allowing the hard portion of the tooth to remain in place, and once restored, to become functional again.
Crowns A "cap" or "crown" will restore a broken, heavily filled or cracked tooth to its original size and shape. Sometimes, in fact, the result is better than the original tooth. This may also be recommended after root canal therapy to help strengthen and protect the remaining tooth structure and improve the appearance of your teeth. Crowns can be made from a variety of materials, including all ceramic(porcelain) and porcelain fused to metal (PFM).
Bridges A non-removable bridge can restore your teeth to normal function by replacing missing teeth. Replacing missing teeth will improve the entire health of your mouth by keeping the surrounding teeth in position and can also help maintain the structure of your face and jaw. Due to the advent of extremely strong tooth-colored materials, we are now able to do not only bridges with a metal framework but also all ceramic bridges containing no metal framework. This option allows for the most esthetically pleasing result.
Dentures Dentures are a cost-effective way to restore one's appearance as well as function. Full and partial dentures that look natural can restore the ability to chew more effectively. Many people believe that once they have dentures, they no longer need regular dental care. However, denture wearers require regular exams to ensure their health, comfort and appearance. Gum tissues are in a constant state of change. Periodic relining of the dentures may be necessary to ensure a tight and comfortable fit. Due to the changes in the jaws and gums, patients should be considering new dentures every five to seven years.
Implants A remarkable procedure, implants can replace any or all of your teeth. The implant becomes integrated with the bone and acts like an "anchor" that will ultimately support a new tooth or dentures. The advantages of implants for patients with dentures are denture stability and increased patient comfort and confidence. Implants require close communication between our office, the periodontist or oral surgeon who places the implants, and the dental lab that will actually fabricate your new smile.
Oral Surgery The goal of modern dentistry is to prevent tooth loss. When a tooth cannot be saved, extraction (removal) of the tooth may be the only course of treatment. Most minor surgeries are performed at our facility; how
Tooth Whitening/Bleaching If you want to improve your smile, you will be happy to know that many people can benefit from tooth whitening. We utilize an at home bleaching kit or an in-office procedure, which we have seen produce remarkable results. With the home bleaching system, we create a custom made tray from a mold of your mouth and you use a bleaching gel in the tray that you wear for several hours each day or night over a course of two to three weeks.
The in-office procedure ZOOM WHITENING is performed with a special gel that is brushed on to your teeth and illuminated with a special light for three20 minute sessions during one appointment. Below are some examples of what can be achieved in certain cases:
Athletic Mouthguards We provide custom-made athletic mouthguards for all patients requiring protection during athletic competition in "at risk" sports. Store-bought, over the counter mouthguards do not fit as well, nor do they provide the anticipated and necessary protection to help prevent dental/facial injuries. The only mouthguard that should be worn is one made from a model of the mouth. Patients have individual requirements for fit, comfort, level of competition, and compliance. The professionally designed, custom-made mouthguard satisfies these requirements.
DiPietro Family Dental Care 123 Revere Street Revere, MA ... 781-284-6826
Serving the Revere,Boston, Winthrop, Saugus, and North Shore area for Two Generations