Quality Dental Restorations in New York
Even if you take great care of your teeth, dental damage can still happen. Fortunately, Dr. George Sferra Jr. provides first-rate dental restorations to help repair, rebuild, and replace teeth to make your smile healthy and complete.
Dr. Sferra and his team take great care to ensure that your restorations are strong, aesthetically pleasing, and made of high-quality materials. Schedule your visit to our Manhattan or Somers office today to get the restorations that will help you smile with confidence!
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What’s Included in Restorative Dentistry?
Restorative dentistry involves treating cavities to prevent further decay, replacing missing teeth with dental implants, bridges, or dentures, and strengthening broken teeth with fillings or crowns. Here are some of the comprehensive services we provide to transform and restore your teeth.
Dental Implants in New York
A dental implant is a popular way to replace a missing tooth. In this procedure, Dr. Sferra uses the implant post to replace the root by anchoring the implant into the bone, where it becomes a strong, permanent part of your jaw. A tooth-colored crown is then fitted on top of the implant.
Benefits of Dental Implants
Since implants fuse to your jawbone, they provide stable support for your artificial teeth. Bridges or dentures mounted to implants won't shift or slip in your mouth, a critical benefit when eating or speaking. This makes the implants appear and feel more natural than conventional dentures or bridges.
Other benefits of dental implants include:
- Improved Appearance – Implants look and feel like natural teeth and protect your youthful facial features.
- Improved Speech – Since they fit like real teeth, they’re easier to speak with.
- Improved Comfort – Implants aren’t bulky, and won’t slip out of place.
- Easier Eating – The support of the implant post allows you to bite into any type of food with ease.
- Improved Oral Health – Implants protect against jawbone loss and shifting teeth.
- Durable – Implants can last up to 10-15 years.
Who Can Get Dental Implants?
Dental implants may not work for every patient. You need healthy gums and adequate bone to support the implant. So if you have prevailing gum conditions, Dr. Sferra will likely address those first before placing dental implants. Additionally, you must commit to keeping your mouth and gums healthy at all times. Regular dental visits and meticulous oral hygiene are important to the long-term success of dental implants.
The Dental Implant Process
When you schedule an appointment for a dental implant consultation, Dr. Sferra will examine your teeth and recommend appropriate preparation treatments. This may include treating gum disease or performing a bone graft to strengthen the jaw.
Once your treatment has been carefully planned out, you’ll come to our office to have your implants placed. Dr. Sferra precisely places the implants using a combination of experience and advanced technology, with the location, angle, and depth of each implant chosen to provide the best support. Your implant placement may take one or more visits depending on your unique situation.
You’ll need time for the mouth to heal and the implants to fuse with the bone, so we’ll provide a temporary restoration to help you eat and speak in the meantime. Once healing is complete, your custom restoration will be attached, and you’ll have a strong, fully-functioning smile once more.
Will I Need a Bone Graft?
If your jawbone is too brittle or thin, you may need bone grafting before a dental implant surgery. The reason is that the powerful chewing action of your mouth can put too much pressure on the bone, and if it can’t effectively support the implant, the surgery won’t be a success.
A bone graft provides a more solid foundation for the implant. Dr. Sferra may recommend either a natural bone graft (bone transplanted from other locations in your body) or synthetic bone graft (using bone-substitute materials to provide a support structure for new bone growth).
Dentures
Dentures are false teeth used to replace your missing teeth and are often secured with an adhesive to prevent them from slipping out of position. There are two main types of dentures – partial dentures and full dentures.
Partial Vs Full Dentures
A partial denture consists of replacement teeth attached to a gum-colored or pink plastic base. Partial dentures are used when one or more teeth remain in the jaw. They help to replace missing teeth and prevent the remaining healthy teeth from shifting out of position. A partial denture uses clasps to connect to adjacent teeth, and they can be removed regularly for cleaning.
Full dentures, on the other hand, cover the entire gum line. Conventional dentures are made when all the teeth have been removed and the gum tissue has begun to heal. They could be placed about 8 to 12 weeks after the teeth are removed.
Implant-Supported Dentures
An implant-supported denture is a special type of denture that is supported by and attached to dental implants. It’s a great option for someone without any teeth in the jaw who has adequate bone in the jaw to support implants. An implant-supported denture is made with special attachments that snap tightly on an abutment secured to the implant post.
Dentures vs. Dental Implants
Dental implants and dentures are both effective methods for replacing missing teeth. Dentures are false teeth that replace missing teeth and secured with an adhesive to prevent them from sliding off. They are great options for people with weak or unhealthy jaws and gums.
A dental implant, on the other hand, is implanted surgically into your jawbone. With good oral hygiene, implant-supported restorations can last for as long as 20 years or more without the need for replacement. Dental implants can be a secure alternative to dentures if you have multiple missing teeth and your gums and jaw are healthy enough to support implants.
Caring for Your Denture – 7 Simple Tips
Both partial and full dentures require proper care to keep them looking great. Here seven simple denture caring tips to observe:
- Remove and rinse your dentures after every meal.
- Handle your dentures carefully to avoid bending or damaging the plastic or the clasps.
- Clean your mouth before you wear your dentures.
- Brush the dentures daily using a soft-bristled brush.
- Soak dentures overnight in mild denture-soaking solution or clean water.
- Schedule regular dental checkups.
- See Dr. Sferra whenever you notice a loose fit.
Fixed Bridges
If you’re missing one or more teeth, you may need a bridge to fill the gap. A false tooth is fitted to take the place of the missing one, and crowns on the adjacent teeth are used to hold the bridge in place. It’s a great way to eliminate the gap in your smile, restore your bite, and keep your whole mouth healthy.
What Do Bridges Do?
When you have a missing tooth or teeth, it can leave an embarrassing gap in your smile. A bridge helps to restore the situation by doing the following:
- Restoring your smile
- Enhancing your ability to chew
- Restoring your speech and pronunciation
- Enhancing the shape of your face
- Re-adjusting your bite to efficiently distribute the force when chewing
- Preventing your other teeth from shifting out of position
Composite Fillings
Dental fillings are the most common type of reconstructive dentistry. They’re a great way to replace decayed portions of your tooth that results in cavities. With the right filling material, Dr. Sferra can restore your smile through a simple procedure. When done properly, a filling will last for several years and provide the appearance and functionality of a natural tooth.
A composite filling is especially popular thanks to its tooth-colored appearance made to match your enamel. Composites can effectively repair your damaged tooth and mimic the color of a natural tooth. The process involves cleaning the cavity, filling it up with composite resin, and hardening the composite using a specialized light. Dr. Sferra will then finish by reshaping the composite and polishing it to prevent staining and early wear.
Composite fillings are aesthetically appealing and bond to your tooth to support the existing tooth structure. This prevents breakage and insulates your tooth from excessive temperature changes.
Why You May Need a Filling
Fillings are generally meant to treat cavities. It’s done by removing the decayed portion of your tooth and filling up the area with a composite filling. Other than treating cavities, you may need a filling to achieve the following:
Restore Cracked Tooth
If you or one of our dental professionals discover a small crack in your tooth, Dr. Sferra will be able to treat it just like cavities. The crack is cleaned to get rid of bacteria and then filled up with composite.
Replacing Worn-out Fillings
A dental filling isn’t permanent. You may need to redo the filling if the initial one is worn out over time.
How Long Do Fillings Last?
How long your fillings last will depend on its size and location, as well as how well you take care of your teeth. On average, a composite filling will last upward of ten years, though fillings used in the back molars may need replacing sooner due to daily wear. Be sure to visit our dental office every six months so that we can monitor and maintain your dental filling.
Porcelain Crowns
A crown is a tooth-shaped cap that is used to cover a damaged, decayed, or cracked tooth. Crowns can restore a tooth’s shape, size, strength, and aesthetics all at once. Just like fillings, crowns come in different materials, with the most popular one being tooth-colored porcelain for its natural appearance.
Why Is a Dental Crown Needed?
You may be a good candidate for a dental crown if you need the following:
- To protect a weak tooth from decay or breaking or to hold together a cracked tooth
- To restore a severely worn out tooth or an already broken tooth
- To cover and support a tooth with large amounts of damage
- To hold a dental bridge in place
- To cover severely discolored or misshapen teeth
- To complete a single dental implant
- To cosmetically modify a tooth
How Long Do Crowns Last?
On average, a dental crown lasts between 10-15 years. The life span of a crown will greatly depend on the amount of wear and tear the crown is exposed to, how well you follow good oral hygiene, and your oral habits. If you have a habit of grinding or clenching your teeth, biting fingernails, or chewing pens or ice cubes, your crown may not last as long. Be sure to ask Dr. Sferra about how you can protect your crown and ensure it lasts as long as possible.
The Crown Process
Applying crowns is a straightforward process. Dr. Sferra will begin by shaping your tooth to accommodate the crown and make an impression of the tooth.
The next step is to send the impressions to a dental lab where your custom crown is made. You’ll be given a temporary crown to wear in the meantime so that your tooth is protected. It takes two weeks on average to have the crown ready, and then Dr. Sferra can arrange another appointment to fix it into place.
Inlays & Onlays
Inlays and onlays are alternative restorations for repairing decayed or damaged teeth. Made from porcelain, they are used in situations where the tooth needs more strength than a filling, but not an entire crown. Like crowns, inlays and onlays are designed and created in a dental laboratory.
The filling is referred to as an “inlay” if the material is bonded to the central chewing surface of your tooth, and an “onlay” if the filling covers one or more corners of the tooth or the entire biting surface. Inlays and onlays work well if your tooth has mild to moderate decay or when there is not enough tooth structure to support a filling.
Rebuilding Healthy Smiles Across New York
It’s important to schedule a checkup with Dr. Sferra at least twice every year to ensure that your teeth and gums are healthy. It’s a great way to discover oral issues before they escalate into bigger problems. However, if you already developed a situation that led to cracked, damaged, or missing teeth, Dr. Sferra will walk you through your options so that you can decide on the right treatment plan.
Restorative dentistry can help you get your dental health in tip-top shape, restore your smile, and boost your self-esteem.
Call our office nearest you today to experience the benefits of quality restorations for yourself!
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