Expert Dental Services in South Amboy, New Jersey

Dr. Peter L. DeSciscio has been caring for patients for over 34 years. His dedication to patient care and dentistry remains as strong as it was when he graduated from New Jersey Dental School in 1985.

Dr. DeSciscio and the team in South Amboy provide their patients with the highest quality dentistry, utilizing the most up to date dental technology. Their services range from exam cleanings and check-ups, to dental emergencies and complex cosmetic cases.

Cleaning & Prevention Services

Keeping a regular preventative maintenance schedule with your hygienist and Dr. DeSciscio helps you prevent not only tooth decay and periodontal disease, but also avoid costly procedures and extra time in the hygiene chair.

A regular home prevention routine usually consists of brushing at least twice a day and flossing at least once per day. But did you know there are other tools to make taking care of your mouth a little easier? Depending on your needs, there is special toothpaste, rinses, and even flossing aids that can help you keep your smile bright and healthy for years to come. Amboy Dental Arts can help you find the best tools to enhance your daily hygiene routine making your professional cleaning appointments shorter and less stressful.

Another significant factor in your oral health is your diet. Acidic foods and drinks can erode enamel just as a balanced diet can help keep your teeth and gums strong and healthy.

Regular professional exams and cleanings, a dedicated at-home hygiene routine, and a healthy, balanced diet can help prevent minor issues from becoming major procedures.

Oral Cancer Screening

At each visit, our team does an oral cancer screening, medical history update and reviews any changes (even subtle ones). Even the smallest change in the soft tissues of your mouth will be examined closely. Early detection of oral cancer saves many lives each year, and our team is highly trained to detect even the smallest abnormality. At every hygiene visit, we examine all the tissues of your mouth including gums, cheeks, lips, tongue, and jaw. Many patients are surprised at the large amount of surface area that we examine during an oral exam. It is just as important to have regular soft tissue screenings as it is to have a professional dental cleaning.

We understand tobacco holds strong addictive powers over even the most health-conscious people. If you’re determined to quit, we want to support you in your efforts. Talk to your hygienist or Dr. DeSciscio about the strategies and resources we have available so you can kick the habit.

Home Care

While excellent oral health is a partnership between you and our team, we depend on you to make sure your teeth and gums stay strong and healthy between appointments. Together we can create an individual plan with the latest tools and knowledge to help protect your smile.

Teeth Cleaning

While dental emergencies can strike anyone, anytime, our patients who commit to regular preventive care appointments usually experience fewer problems over time. Professional cleanings with a registered dental hygienist allow us to take a proactive approach to your dental health, addressing issues while they are small and potentially avoiding issues altogether. Despite your best efforts, deposits of mineralized plaque, known as tartar, adhere to areas of the teeth. These deposits create a nice home for millions of harmful bacteria. Left unchecked, they flood toxins into the gums resulting in devastating chronic problems, even resulting in the loss of teeth.

Periodontal Therapy

Periodontal disease, commonly known as gum disease, affects about 30% of the adult population, and it’s the number one cause of tooth loss in adults. Many denture cases begin because of this chronic condition. While not curable, with a dedicated professional hygiene regimen and consistent at-home care, it is controllable.

Gum disease can advance with few signs or symptoms in early stages. Many patients diagnosed with this condition experience no pain and are surprised by the quiet yet swift damage that periodontal disease leaves in its wake. In simple terms, consider the gums and bone around your teeth as the foundation of a house. Just like a house, the foundation must be sound regardless of the beauty of the home. When the foundation crumbles, the rest of it does too.

Regular dental exams, professional cleanings, and good oral hygiene practices at home are essential to detecting and strategically managing periodontitis.

Family Dental Services

When you step into Amboy Dental Arts in South Amboy, NJ, you’ll know you’ve found the perfect place for your family’s care.

Our team loves helping kids grow into healthy adults. Dr. DeSciscio knows that early experiences influence the value children place on their oral health as adults. One negative experience can affect a child’s outlook on dentistry for the rest of their life. You can be sure your child will have a great experience at Amboy Dental Arts.

The services offered at Amboy Dental Arts ensure that patients of all ages feel welcome. From the earliest check-ups to orthodontic evaluations, Dr. DeSciscio will listen to your concerns and guide you through every stage.

Children’s Dentistry

Tooth decay often begins at an early age, making young children particularly susceptible. Nearly half of children between the ages of 2-11 have experienced tooth decay while 32% of kids between the ages of 9-11 develop cavities in their permanent teeth. Major contributing factors to this public health problem include baby formula with added sugar and heavily-sugared fruit juices. Even breast milk can cause cavities in baby teeth because of the natural sugars present.

Care for baby teeth should begin as soon as the first tooth appears. We recommend that you bring your child in for an exam no later than his or her first birthday. Regular six-month checkups will put kids on a schedule like most adults, establishing a routine that will last a lifetime.

Teen’s Dentistry

Dental health during the teen years offers another set of challenges. For most parents, this doesn’t come as a big surprise. A dizzying number of changes strike during these formative years, and parents often experience a few frustrations along the way.

Teens listen more than we realize, and pestering parents can make a tremendous difference in the dental future of your young adult. You might feel like you’re nagging, but teens are always listening and believe it or not, the constant reminders to brush, floss, and eat well will sink in. Don’t underestimate any encouragement given to help your teen avoid the long-term effects of cavities and gum inflammation.

Preventive visits every six months provide us with an opportunity to coach your teen and reinforce the efforts you’re making with them. Sometimes the rapport we establish in a professional, yet friendly, setting proves especially effective. Plus, we can share problems with them through visual aids while reinforcing any positive efforts they’re making.

Ortho Screenings

A variety of tooth and jaw issues can be resolved through orthodontics. Dr. DeSciscio may point out that your child’s baby teeth appear crowded, or the relationship between the upper lower teeth isn’t ideal. While it’s not generally a time for treatment, it may help you prepare for the possibility of future corrective care. As permanent teeth start to appear, usually around age 6, Dr. DeSciscio monitors the process further and helps you decide if early orthodontic treatment makes sense.

Although many orthodontic wearers are teenagers, braces play a role for some children in their earlier years. Since permanent teeth are typically larger than baby teeth, space may need to be opened with the gentle force of braces or a device called a palatal expander. This allows adult teeth to move into place correctly, helping avoid more extensive treatment later.

A narrow jaw or a large overbite may create a similar dilemma. Gently guiding your child’s jaw growth while they are developing can make a tremendous difference down the road. Once the growth stops during teen years, the only corrective measure often involves surgery which is always a scenario to avoid when possible.

Sealants

Our goal is for our patients to require as least amount of dental treatment possible. Children who enter adulthood with the fewest restored teeth will enjoy the lowest risk of future problems.

Sealants can dramatically reduce the number of cavities a child might develop over the course of their childhood. On the chewing surface of molars, deep grooves run into the center of the teeth. Under a microscope, these crevices might look like a deep canyon. In fact, most of them are narrower than a single toothbrush bristle but wide enough for bacteria to hide. It’s easy to see how cavities can form in such a perfect hideout.

If the grooves in permanent molars are sealed at a young age, the risk of decay occurring on the chewing surfaces decreases dramatically. Fortunately, this procedure can be done quickly and without any discomfort or anesthetic. The sealant material creates a smooth surface, filling in the grooves, making the biting surface easier for little hands to keep clean. A resin material is flowed over the grooves and sealed quickly with a blue activating light. Within a few minutes, your child’s teeth are protected against cavities.

Sealants only last a few years and may need to be repaired or replaced periodically. But research confirms a 90% reduction in tooth decay along the chewing surface in sealed molars. This cost-effective, simple step may help your child enter adulthood with fewer fillings and less risk of significant dentistry in the future.

Cosmetic Dental Services

Smiles matter, probably more than we realize. Volumes of research confirm the influential role of smiles in our relationships and our self-esteem. If you’re confident, you smile more. If you smile more, you feel more confident. But what if you don’t want to flash those pearly whites because you’re embarrassed? The effects of a bad smile may ripple through your life. Fortunately, a growing range of options enables anyone to enjoy a stunning new smile. Dr. DeSciscio’s passion for enhancing smiles brings you the best in modern dentistry.

Cosmetic dental treatments can:

• Brighten stained or discolored teeth
• Repair cracks or fractures
• Fill gaps between teeth
• Correct overcrowding
• Reshape teeth
• Replace missing teeth
• Replace old metallic restorations, such as fillings and crowns

Learn more about Cosmetic Dentistry +

Porcelain Veneers

At Amboy Dental Arts, watching patients see their brilliant new smile for the first time highlights our days. Veneers can dramatically transform a smile, sometimes referred to as “instant orthodontics.” A set of veneers can correct chips, stains, and even deeply discolored teeth. But they can also alter the length and size of teeth or help give the appearance of a straight tooth where there is not. While it may sound dramatic, it isn’t. Veneers provide a highly conservative approach to esthetic smile makeovers.

Veneers are one of dentistry’s ultimate combination of dental art and science, handcrafted and customized to fit your smile. These paper-thin pieces of porcelain bond to the outside of your natural teeth. But just because they’re thin, don’t be fooled. Veneers are highly versatile and can replicate all the complex nuances of a natural tooth.

Composite Fillings

Cavities and small fractures can cause much larger issues if left untreated. In the past, metal restorations called amalgam fillings (or silver fillings) served a need but left many teeth discolored and strained from the wedging effect of the metal. Today, tooth-colored composite resins blend into the tooth structure and are chemically bonded to the tooth providing a strong, permanent restoration.

Composites serve both functional and aesthetic roles, often at the same time. For example, a cavity invading the front of a tooth along the gum line may be visible in your smile line. By gently cleaning out the soft, discolored area and replacing it with a tooth-colored filling, the tooth is restored and looks better than ever.

Composites contain a mix of liquid resin embedded with finely ground glass particles. After being molded to the prepared tooth structure, a blue light applied directly to the composite hardens the filling material within seconds. Once it’s shaped and polished to a high shine, the restoration is complete.

Teeth Whitening

If you’re confident, you smile more. If you smile more, you feel more confident. But what if you don’t want to flash your smile because you’re embarrassed by yellow teeth?    

Sometimes a new smile emerges from the simplest steps. Teeth whitening removes years of dingy stains from your teeth. Coffee, tea, wine, tobacco, and chocolate can dull white enamel surfaces. A brilliant boost along with some gentle polishing and reshaping of chipped, uneven edges can create an easy transformation.  Simple and safe, most patients don’t realize how much discoloration embeds into their teeth until they see a new shine emerge.

Teeth whitening offers a predictable boost to your confidence through the power of a smile.  Numerous factors need consideration and evaluation before starting any whitening procedure.  Your Amboy Dental Arts team draws on years of experience to help deliver a smile boost safely and comfortably.

Porcelain Crowns

Modern dentistry offers more options than ever to help you restore and maintain an optimal level of health. While the strength and beauty of materials continue to advance, the skill of the practitioner makes a significant difference in every outcome. Dr. DeSciscio focuses on utilizing the best techniques for comprehensive care, returning even the most damaged mouths to full health.

Sometimes teeth undergo significant damage due to cavities, heavy bite forces, trauma, or even normal functioning.  If a root canal is needed to salvage a severely compromised nerve, the tooth may be especially fragile. Many situations can leave teeth in danger of loss if treatment is bypassed. Dental crowns, or caps, allow these teeth to be rebuilt and covered with materials that mimic nature. Not only are most “capped” teeth indistinguishable from natural teeth, but they’re also extremely secure and comfortable.

Crowns can be crafted to repair a single tooth, multiple teeth (including the entire mouth), or in conjunction with dental implants to fill a space. In fact, when missing teeth enter the equation, special consideration might be given to placing a dental bridge or implants.

Learn more about Porcelain Crowns +

Tooth Replacement Services

Not many years ago, losing a tooth left you with few options for replacement. While permanent teeth should provide a lifetime of function, it doesn’t always end up that way. They may be lost from an accident, decay, or gum disease. Since teeth start as a full set, even one missing tooth may affect the whole makeup of your mouth’s delicate balance. As teeth slowly lean and migrate into extra spaces, wear and cracking from excessive forces often create escalating problems.

When it’s time to replace missing teeth, whether it’s one or a full set, several options might be available to you. Dental implants often give you the best opportunity to enjoy normal chewing and a full smile, although there are other options that deserve consideration.

Full or Partial Dentures

Dentures are an affordable way to replace any number of missing teeth in your mouth. They have a long history of success and continue to earn a place in the list of options for rebuilding your smile.

Dentures are removable substitutes for missing teeth. Full dentures are used when a person is missing all their natural teeth, while partial dentures replace only a few missing teeth here or there to eliminate gaps and improve chewing. Denture treatment is customized specifically to each patient, and Dr. DeSciscio can help you decide which option works best for you.

Porcelain Bridges

Whenever you cruise across a bridge over the water, you’re being supported by the same principles that hold a dental bridge. Crowned teeth on either side of a space are called abutments. They support an artificial tooth, called a pontic. While a bridge lasts for many years, sometimes the strain of supporting one or more missing teeth can cause the abutments themselves to weaken and may lead to more missing teeth.

Tooth Extractions and Preservation Services

While our goal is to help you maintain your teeth for a lifetime, sometimes teeth need to be removed. Wisdom teeth, extra teeth, or very crowded teeth present situations that may mean treatment involving removal. In some cases, severely decayed or cracked teeth, or those missing large amounts of supporting bone leave extraction as the only viable option.

Regardless of your dental needs, your comfort is always our number one priority. We’ll discuss your unique situation and determine the best way to help you receive the treatment you need. Few patients look forward to any minor surgical procedure, but today’s methods provide the safest, least invasive care possible.

Extractions

Despite your best efforts, teeth sometimes need to be removed to protect your health. When we’ve discussed all other possibilities, and you’ve decided on extraction, we’ll take every step to help you. Your well-being always takes priority in any treatment decision. Some patients prefer  sedation to help with oral surgery, and we can review these options in your treatment plan. You can trust we take every measure to make sure even minor surgical procedures are as comfortable as possible.

Some teeth are removed more easily than others, but the Amboy Dental Arts team takes pride in helping every patient get numb with modern anesthetics to start every procedure. Once anesthesia settles in, Dr. DeSciscio uses specialized instruments to elevate the tooth out of place. You will receive specific post-op instructions to help you care for the area after your procedure, with prescriptions for any medications needed during the healing period.

While our immediate concern is the short-term management of your care, we will also discuss your long-term plans for replacing missing teeth. Leaving a space is always an option, but spaces in your smile can create appearance and function challenges that are important to consider. Teeth slowly shift or migrate into open spaces, and minimizing the effects of an unbalanced bite can prevent issues later in life.

Although our primary goal is to help your teeth stay healthy and functional, an extraction is sometimes the best way to preserve the overall health of your mouth. Since teeth help nourish our bodies and support our confidence, we will help you find a game plan that fits your short and long-term goals.

Root Canals

Toothaches are a vivid reminder that teeth aren’t just pieces of hard tissue floating around in the gums. They’re intricately formed sensory organs with layers of dentin and enamel overlaying a living pulp. Coursing through the tooth’s pulp is a vital bundle of nerves and blood vessels providing nutrients and sensation to each tooth. As long as the pulp stays healthy, you’re rarely aware of the systems at work.

Tooth pain can be especially alarming, but it’s meant to warn you that something’s not right. Pain tells us that the bundle of nerves and vessels inside your tooth is irritated, damaged, or under attack.

A deep cavity can give bacteria access to the inner nerve bundle. In some cases, a significant infection, called an abscess, may develop in your jaw without any symptoms at all. If Dr. DeSciscio determines that the nerve won’t recover or if an infection is present, then root canal therapy may be suggested.

Modern anesthetics provide powerful numbing for gentle removal of the inflamed nerve inside the tooth. The nerve canal undergoes disinfection and careful shaping, and a sealer fills the internal space. A filling or crown over the tooth helps return the tooth to its original function.

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Bone Grafting

We can only imagine what our bodies would look like without bones. This scaffolding provides support, form, and protection to our organs and delicate tissue. The bone around your teeth, called alveolar bone, holds the teeth firmly in place. The particular height, shape, and density of this specialized bone can be compromised due to gum disease, tooth removal, and other forms of trauma.

If bone shrinks away from your teeth, it never grows back. In some cases, bone can be encouraged to fill in with grafting materials placed by Dr. DeSciscio. Every situation presents a different scenario, but more options than ever exist to promote bone repair in the jaw. For example, when a tooth needs removal, a large hole then exists in the bone. While it will eventually fill in naturally, the site tends to shrink, drawing bone away from the area jeopardizing surrounding teeth. Grafting materials can be placed at the time of tooth removal to help preserve the existing bone level. Bone grafts are especially beneficial if you are considering an implant-supported restoration in the future.

Even areas that have already suffered bone collapse can often benefit from specialized grafting material, bolstering nearly any part of the jaw bone. It’s important to note: bone destroyed by gum disease often leaves significant defects around teeth. While some of these areas are grafting candidates, many of them experienced irreversible bone loss and compromised support of the teeth. Controlling gum disease with your Amboy Dental Arts team will serve your health much better than corrective surgical grafts.

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Our Dental Technology

Technology in the dental field is ever-changing and Dr. DeSciscio enjoys learning how to integrate state-of-the-art equipment into his practice. Utilizing the latest advancements in dentistry allows Dr. DeSciscio to treat patients with less pain and in fewer visits which equals less time in the dental chair and a more comfortable experience from start to finish.

Dr. DeSciscio and his team spend many hours each year training and taking advanced courses to ensure they deliver the best care, safely. Employing the latest technology means consistent results, so you’ll know what to expect at each visit. You’ll find that modern dental care with Amboy Dental Arts leaves you smiling.

At Amboy Dental Arts in South Amboy, NJ, you’ll discover dental care at its highest level; technology, advanced training, and compassionate service blended perfectly together.

Intra-Oral Camera

Intra-oral imaging gives you a detailed view of your mouth in pictures and videos. Words come to life so you can see what we see.

Putting specific problem areas onto a computer screen lets us see with a clarity and detail not possible with a traditional mouth mirror. Specialized hand-held wands quickly capture the details of your teeth and gums. In fact, even small cracks that often lead to broken teeth appear vividly, with the click of a button. We can explain the need for treatment more clearly, by showing you what we see and with greater detail. 

As an added benefit, dental insurance benefits frequently pay easier with the visual proof of a captured image in our records.

Digital X-ray

Digital sensors capture detailed x-ray images with a fraction of the exposure found in traditional film x-rays.

Technological advancements in x-ray technology provide multiple benefits, from safety to improved treatment results.

Benefits:

• Safety – Although traditional dental films require minimal radiation for image development, our digital x-ray system provides unsurpassed safety: up to 90% reduction compared to most older film-based systems.
• Time Savings – Images captured instantly with a digital sensor lessen the time you spend in the dental chair.
• Better Outcomes – Improved image clarity increases Dr. DeSciscio’s ability to diagnose and treat conditions. Software tools bring detailed magnification and detection tools into focus.

Soft Tissue Laser

Laser technology continues to transform many procedures in healthcare. Once the subject of sci-fi movies, lasers now clearly provide benefits for mainstream treatment in medicine and dentistry. Shorter procedures, less discomfort, and quicker healing are just a few of the benefits of modern lasers.

The soft tissues of the mouth cover about 30 square inches of surface area. Annoying lumps or bumps may need removal with any unusual patches of tissue requiring further microscopic analysis. Traditionally, a surgical procedure involving incisions and sutures would be required to produce a biopsy sample. Today, a pen-shaped wand allows Dr. DeSciscio to remove suspicious or bothersome bumps within a couple of minutes. The healing stimulated by laser energy leads to rapid healing and little to no discomfort, without the need for stitches.

Similarly, gums can be quickly reshaped without bleeding, and some gum infections are now treated with rapid results. Even cold sores or mouth ulcers can undergo faster healing when laser energy passes over the surface. Better yet, the days of pain associated with these recurring ulcers can be dramatically decreased. Lasers are also safe for use with children and can help with growth and development issues or help wisdom teeth move into place.

A soft tissue laser offers a valuable benefit to many commonly treated conditions in the mouth. Dr. DeSciscio’s specific training in laser protocols opens up numerous possibilities using one of modern dentistry’s most versatile tools.

Schedule an Appointment in South Amboy, NJ Today!

For more information about our practice or to schedule an appointment at Amboy Dental Arts – A Dental365 Company, call 732-826-1530.