Composite Resins, aka Tooth Colored Fillings
Strengthen Your Smile
Are you embarrassed about your smile because of decayed, disfigured or discolored teeth? You may be a good candidate for composite resins. Composite resins, also known as tooth colored fillings, offer a non-invasive way to improve your smile. A composite resin is a mixture of microscopic ceramic and glass particles dispersed in a plastic resin that can be bonded to teeth. The material comes in a wide range of shades and can be molded and sculpted to create almost any shape or contour. The fact that the resin is bonded means a seal is formed to reduce the chance of leakage, which is common with silver fillings. For years, silver-mercury was the primary material used by dentists to fill cavities. Today, tooth-colored restorations are superior, both in appearance and in durability. You deserve only the best, which is why Dr. Puntillo offers tooth-colored restorations. If you have any concerns about the appearance of your teeth, give us a call for an evaluation to see if bonding with composite resin will give you the smile you’ve always wanted and the enhanced self-confidence that goes along with it.
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Bonding
Simple enhancement
Bonding is a tooth-colored material applied and adhered to the surface of the tooth, often without reducing the structure of the tooth. The bonding material is sculpted by your dentist so that it resembles a natural tooth, correcting chips, broken, stained or discolored teeth and in some cases correcting gaps. It is less of an investment than veneers but doesn’t last as long and can stain.
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Porcelain Veneers / Lumineers
Take Your Smile From Average to Dazzling
Can you imagine having beautiful, straight teeth without wearing braces?
Porcelain veneers are a dramatic breakthrough in cosmetic dentistry. In the hands of a skilled cosmetic dentist, like Dr. Puntillo, veneers can transform worn, misshapen, broken and discolored teeth into the most naturally beautiful smiles possible. Veneers are conservative dentistry that can make dramatic changes in your smile. Often, porcelain veneers provide a completely improved and dazzling smile in just a few appointments. You may also benefit from Lumineers by Cerinate -- porcelain veneers that offer a painless way to a permanently whiter and perfectly aligned smile. Dr. Puntillo can apply these contact lens-thin "smile shapers" to your teeth without any grinding of your natural tooth structure, transforming teeth into a naturally beautiful smile. Lumineers can even be placed over existing crown or bridgework without having to replace them. Many people desire a brighter, cleaner, more attractive smile. If this sounds like you, we will be glad to help evaluate your specific situation and listen to the exact changes you have in mind during our complimentary consultation.
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Natural Looking Crowns
Wearing a "Crown": Total Oral Health Renovation
Are you self-conscious about your smile due to cracked, broken, decayed or worn teeth? Porcelain crowns bring back your healthy, natural-looking smile. A filling can restore a small defect in a tooth, but a crown is the most durable way to restore any tooth with extensive damage. With all the materials and techniques modern dentistry has to offer, crowns can be completely natural looking. Additional benefits of crowns are correcting bite problems, closing spaces between teeth, changing the angulations of teeth, and they can be used to replace missing teeth permanently as part of a bridge or over an implant.
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Natural Looking Bridges
"Bridging" the Gaps: Complete Restoration
Face it, we are rough on our teeth. Sometimes we neglect them, take them for granted or simply abuse them. Between physical activities such as sports or chewing hard substances like ice, our teeth can get knocked out, broken, cracked and worn down. Forgetting routine dental appointments and ignoring proper cleaning tactics can result in periodontal disease, tooth decay and ultimately tooth loss. When teeth are missing, your mouth must compensate for the lack of chewing power in that area in order to function normally. So, the chewing force may shift to another part of the mouth, which can cause unwanted spaces and changes in your smile. Through restorative dental procedures smiles are renovated to look pristine using a combination of crowns and bridges to support or replace lost teeth. A crown snugly covers the complete visible surface of your affected tooth to add strength, durability and tooth stability, while restoring your tooth to its natural shape and size. Crowns can be made of porcelain, precious metal and porcelain pressed to metal. A bridge, also known as a pontic, is fused between two porcelain crowns to fill the gaps left by the original missing tooth. The new tooth is then anchored to the two porcelain crowns, renewing your once-damaged smile.
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Cosmetic Contouring
Beautiful, Healthy-Looking Gums
Do you see a lot of your gum tissue when you smile? Many people with “gummy smiles” don’t know that there are treatments available to cosmetically enhance the look of your gums. Dr. Puntillo can recontour the appearance of your gum tissue. With the addition of beautiful porcelain veneers, your gummy smile disappears, revealing a bright, youthful smile that looks natural and proportioned. The entire process takes just a few visits and because of advancements in cosmetic techniques, your comfort is assured. Call Dr. Puntillo and begin transforming your smile today!
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Tooth Whitening Systems
Whiter, Brighter Teeth
Dentist supervised tooth whitening gives you the smile you always wanted.
Anyone can have the confidence that a bright, white smile gives you. Tooth whitening is safe, effective and long lasting. There are two main methods to get excellent results: a custom home tooth whitening kit or an in-the-office procedure.
Your custom home whitening kit from Dr. Puntillo involves a special tray that is customized to fit over your teeth. You also receive prescription whitening gel, which is inserted into the tray before you wear it. Dr. Puntillo gives you detailed instructions about how long you should wear the tray each day and you should expect the entire home whitening process to take between two and four weeks, leaving you with a dazzling smile. If you desire immediate results visit Dr. Puntillo for an in-the-office whitening procedure. Again, the treatment utilizes a special tray that fits around your teeth. However, with Dr. Puntillo’s supervision, a much more powerful whitening gel is used, giving you amazing results in just a few hours!
Are you are thinking of other cosmetic improvements, such as crowns, porcelain veneers or replacing old discolored fillings? Consider whitening your teeth first and any future restorations we make for you will be matched to your whitened teeth, giving you fantastic results.
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Dental Implants
Permanent, Secure Tooth Replacements
While 10-percent of Americans who need dentures can’t wear them, 40-percent of partial-denture patients don’t wear them. Missing teeth cause loss of bone and muscle in the face, which dramatically reduces your ability to chew. Lost bone and facial muscle tone not only affect function, they make you look and feel older.
When permanent teeth are lost, regardless of the reason or number of teeth, dental implants can offer a new lease on life. They are superior to other choices because they are solid, secure and aesthetic. After nearly 35 years of use, they have a 90-95% proven success rate in appropriately chosen cases. An implant is a special, surgical grade titanium post, manufactured to highly precise specifications. Under strict sterile conditions, it is inserted surgically into the jawbone below the gum surface. With proper use of the newest anesthetics and medications you need not be concerned about pain. As the bone bonds to the post, it forms a secure foundation onto which your new teeth are then attached and shaped to match your mouth. The number of teeth being replaced will determine the best kind of restoration for you. Implants can help replace a single tooth or a full set of teeth. If you have been suffering with partial or full dentures, are missing teeth, or feel you need teeth extracted, do not hesitate to call to be evaluated for implants.
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Periodontal Assessment & Therapy Services
Most Americans experience some form of periodontal disease, often without realizing it. Periodontal disease is chiefly responsible for adult tooth loss, bleeding gums, bad breath and receding gums. The truth is, it is easily prevented with proper hygiene, home care and professional treatment. If diagnosed in its early stages, gum disease treatments are easier, less invasive and more effective. Your visit to Dr. Puntillo includes a complete examination of your gums and supportive structures, and you will have access to advanced periodontal therapy to heal and restore your oral health.
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Patient Comfort and Technology
You deserve a relaxing, comfortable dental experience. Personal headphones for music, video goggles for movies and massage chairs are available to give you a more pleasurable experience. If you suffer from extreme dental phobias or special medical issues, you can rest assured that your concerns will be met with understanding and excellent care. These are some of the techniques and services we offer to ensure your comfort and satisfaction.
Air Abrasion (drill-less dentistry)
For certain small cavities, air abrasion can mean NO needles and NO drills. It is a relatively new technology in dentistry. A high powered stream of air, with powder, cleans decay from small cavities on the chewing surfaces of back teeth, allowing a white filling to be bonded in place. In the right circumstances it is quick, painless and conserves tooth structure. If you have any cavities that are good candidates for this procedure, we will certainly bring them to your attention.
Laser Reflection Finds Imperfection—Aids in Correction
The DIAGNOdent is a brand new, high tech tool that allows us to find cavities on the chewing surfaces of back teeth, even when they are just beginning and would have been missed by previous detection methods. The DIAGNOdent® is a small, portable laser unit that detects the cavity and alerts us with an audible signal and a numerical readout, so we have an idea of the cavity’s size. The value is that we can stop cavities in their infancy, whereas in the past they would have to be significantly bigger before we could find and treat them. Just like other areas of medicine and dentistry, early detection and treatment is of immeasurable value in preserving your health.
Intraoral Camera
An intraoral camera lets you see inside your mouth during both treatment planning and dental procedures. Our intraoral camera displays your teeth on a video screen, allowing Dr. Puntillo to walk you through your proposed treatment. The use of this camera allows us to work with you as a team to meet your dental care goals. We are happy to answer any questions you may have and discuss your treatment options with you. We want you to picture how your appearance will improve with dental care, giving you all the more reason to smile.
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Patient Education System (Caesy)
Caesy provides the ultimate patient education system available in the field of dentistry. This system uses high-quality graphics to give you a detailed description of what each procedure entails. Many of our patients find Caesy to be a valuable part of their experience with us.
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