Dr. Cilento believes that a thorough dental exam with intra-oral photography and dental cleanings are the cornerstone of maintaining your oral health. Dr. Cilento believes in order to avoid expensive treatments it is best to take a proactive approach and catch dental problems when they are very small, and in most cases, easy to treat – and the best way to be proactive is with regular dental exams right here in the Lehigh Valley, at Lehigh Prosthodontics.

Dr. Cilento uses a light cured composite resin and all porcelain materials instead of a darker amalgam metal to restore teeth. Composite  and porcelain materials mimic the look, feel, and function of teeth and actually bond directly to the remaining enamel and dentin. White fillings can preserve more of the natural tooth so that less repair work is necessary immediately and in the future. When placed using the proper technique, these modern filling materials look so natural that it’s almost impossible to tell that your tooth has a filling.

Many adults already have existing metal fillings. ADA research indicates that there is no risk associated with those types of restorations. Almost all restorations done today are tooth-colored, but amalgam is still used in certain situations where it is difficult to use composite resin

Dental implants are essentially surgical grade titanium screws used to replace the roots of missing teeth. They can be designed to replace a single tooth, a few teeth, or all of the teeth in the upper or lower arch. Your bone fuses with the implants to provide a solid foundation that will never decay and can for decades.

Dental implants have been in existence since 1965 and they have a success rate between 90-97%. Health of the patient, location of the implants and the quality of the bone can determine the success of the implants.  Implants are one of several options for replacing missing teeth. When restored properly,  it is possible for implant-supported replacement teeth to look, feel and function like natural teeth.

When a patient is considering dental implant therapy it is essential that the treatment plan  is carefully planned so that the final result looks and functions perfectly. A prosthodontist  has 3 additional years of specialty training beyond dental school to handle to most difficult dental complications.

A crown or a “cap” is fabricated for a tooth for many reasons. If the tooth has fractured or has decay beyond the capacity of a filling, has had a root canal, or needs to be aesthetically enhanced. Crowns are made from a variety of materials, porcelain fused to metal, zirconia ( a white metal) or all ceramic. Typically the tooth is specifically prepared to make space for the needed materials. Impressions are taken and the crown is fabricated at a dental laborartory. The crowns are permanently cemented to the remaining tooth structure.

A bridge is a permanent prosthesis used to replace one or more missing teeth. The adjacent teeth are precisely prepared and they are “capped” or crowned to support a false tooth. The bridge can be made from a gold based metal or a white metal called zirconia. Both of these metals are then covered in porcelain to make them look like teeth. The bridge is cemented permanently into place. It can only be removed by a dentist and requires careful cleaning underneath the false tooth. Bridges can also be supported by dental implants.

When a patient has several missing teeth in either arch, and the remaining teeth are healthy, a removable partial denture may be recommended. This type of denture uses the remaining healthy teeth to hold the false teeth in place. There are many different designs and materials for partial dentures. Traditionally, they are made of a very rigid metal framework with pink plastic to replace the gum tissue with plastic or resin denture teeth. Other versions can be of either rigid or flexible plastics. The number of missing teeth, their location and health can determine which type of partial you will receive. Dental implants can also be used to increase the stability and comfort of a partial denture and may eliminate the need for visible metal clasps.

Complete dentures are fabricated for patients who have no remaining teeth. They can be made for either the upper or lower jaw. Dr. Cilento only makes custom dentures. The process takes several visits and the patient gets to see the final denture before it is processed to approve of the aesthetics. Dr. Cilento is very experienced at making immediate dentures also. These are made prior to the removal of a patient’s teeth and they are delivered to the patient the same day of their extractions. 

Complete lower dentures are one of the toughest prosthesis to use. Because of their lack of retention, products like denture adhesives are used. With the advent of dental implants lower dentures can be made to be sinificantly more retentive than in the past. With just the placement of two implants in the lower canine sites, lower complete dentures are no longer non- retentive.

With the placement of four to six lower implants the patient has an option of either a bar over denture or a fixed implant hybrid bridge. The hybrid bridge is not removable by the patient and is the highest functioning implant prosthesis. With this prosthesis your teeth are screwed to your jaw.

There are numerous options and types of implant prosthesis and each one has specific requirements and limitations. Dr. Cilento can explain these options and which one may be best for you during your consultation visit.

Dr. Cilento offers fluoride treatments for his patients that have a high degree of getting cavities. They maybe patients who have a dry mouth from oral cancers, radiation therapy
or patients that take medications with the side effect of drying their mouths. Fluoride is placed in a tray and allowed to soak into the teeth for several minutes. Dr. Cilento can also make custom fluoride trays and the patient applies the material to their own teeth on a regular basis.

All patients at Lehigh Prosthodontics receive a free oral cancer screening at each visit. Whether it is a routine exam during a cleaning visit or during a procedure our patients are continuously screened for oral cancer.

Porcelain veneers are very thin pieces of porcelain that are bonded to the front of your teeth which will modify their shape and color. It is the restoration of choice for those individuals who are looking to make slight position alterations, or to change tooth shape, size, and/or color. The teeth still need a slight amount of tooth preparation , usually less than a millimeter. This makes space for the veneer without creating a bulky looking tooth.
Porcelain veneers are bonded onto the enamel. The resin cement bonds best with enamel, so if too much of the original tooth has been filled, a different restoration such as an all ceramic crown may be a better option. For a beautiful outcome, choose a prosthodontist, the only dental specialty that includes cosmetic restorations.

Most natural teeth can be whitened to a degree and there are a number of ways to lighten teeth. Tooth whitening is sometimes referred to as bleaching, even though the gel used does not contain any bleach. Most professional kits are a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide and are significantly stronger than over-the-counter products. Dr. Cilento takes impressions of your teeth and fabricates custom trays for your teeth. You then take home your kit and apply the material to your teeth over several applications to whiten them. Some temporary tooth sensitivity can occur and it is recommended that you avoid staining foods and beverages to maintain the results. Touch-ups and re-bleaching are easy and safe.
While some people’s teeth will whiten more readily than others, almost all natural teeth will lighten with whitening treatment. Crowns and other composite restorations will not get lighter with bleaching.

Dr. Cilento only makes cast gold post and cores. A post and core is placed in root canalled teeth to help support a crown. Most prefabricated posts on the market today require bonding material to rebuild the core of the tooth. That junction of the bonding material and the post is the most common site of failure and that is why Dr. Cilento does not do them. His cast post and cores are one solid piece of cast gold and they do not fracture. His belief of a solid foundation for his work is the reason why he has only ever fabricated cast gold posts under his crowns and bridges.

A root canal is needed on a tooth when a cavity has gotten so big that it has infected the nerve inside the tooth. If the tooth is still restorable then a dentist will open the nerve canal and remove the infected nerve tissues. The inside of the tooth is disinfected with a bleach product and it is sealed with a rubberish type of material called gutta percha. Once the tooth is stable and the patient is out of any discomfort then the tooth should be restored properly. This might require a post and core and a crown. If the tooth is not restored properly it may fracture and the tooth could be lost.

While training to be a prosthodontist , Dr. Cilento also spent a large amount of time learning Maxillofacial prosthetics. He has restored hundreds of patients with oral cancer defects. He routinely works with surgeons from the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia areas.
An obturator is a prosthesis which is fabricated for the upper jaw after cancer surgery. Typically Dr. Cilento works with the head and neck surgeon from the very beginning by taking initial impressions. At the time of surgery Dr. Cilento will have a surgical stent ready for the surgeon to place. After weeks of healing the surgeon removes the stent and Dr. Cilento fabricates an interim obturator. This is worn by the patient during the healing phase and during any needed radiation or chemo therapy. Once all of the oral tissues are healed completely Dr. Cilento then takes impressions for the definitive obturator.
The definitive obturator hooks on to the existing teeth and closes the defect in the palate. Removal of oral and sinus cancers will often result in an opening from the mouth into the sinus or nose. An obturator covers and fills this area. It allows the patient to speak properly, and prevents food and liquid from coming out of the patient’s nose when they eat.