Athletes and Mouthguards

Mouthguard use has been shown to reduce the risk of sport-related dental injuries. Imagine playing a sport that you love and suddenly your teeth get knocked out. Smiling, talking and eating would be difficult and it will probably take you some time to recover. When it comes to protecting your mouth, a mouthguard is an essential piece of athletic gear that should be part of your standard from an early age. Fortunately, Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro can provide patients of all ages with custom-fitted mouth guards for proper protection.

Custom-fitted mouthguards are made from exact and precise models of an individual’s own teeth. They are also made of resilient and tear-resistant materials ensuring a proper fit. A properly fitted mouthguard absolutely must be protective, comfortable, resilient, tear resistant, odorless, tasteless, and allow room for you to breathe. Because our custom-fitted mouthguards are made for your mouth and your mouth only, they are more reliable than over-the-counter mouthguards.

If you think you may benefit from a mouthguard, please give us a call. To learn more about the services we provide at the practice, visit www.josephdallessandro.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro in our New York, NY office, call 212-988-1089.

Beat Bad Breath

If you don’t brush and floss your teeth daily, food particles can remain in your mouth, promoting bacterial growth between teeth, around the gums, and on the tongue. This promotes bad breath and it can be embarrassing in social situations and additionally cause lack of self-esteem. Medically called halitosis, bad breath can not only result from poor dental hygiene, it may also be a sign of other health problems. This is why it’s important to schedule regular dental exams with Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro to keep your mouth healthy and rule out serious medical conditions.

In most cases, Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro can treat the cause of bad breath, but prevention is always key. In addition to visiting our office twice a year, you should brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste to remove food debris and plaque. Don’t forget to brush your tongue too. It also helps to rinse with a bacterial mouthwash at least twice a day. Always remember to floss so that you reach places where the toothbrush can’t reach.

If you suffer from bad breath, please give us a call to discuss your treatment options. To learn more about the services we provide at the practice, visit www.josephdallessandro.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro in our New York, NY office, call 212-988-1089.

Seal out Cavities with Sealants

Dental sealant is a thin, plastic coating painted on the chewing surfaces of teeth – usually the back teeth (premolars and molars) – to prevent tooth decay. At the dental practice of Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro, our staff applies dental sealants as a barrier to prevent cavities in pediatric patients. Though cavity prone adults can benefit from sealants too, the likelihood of developing pit and fissure decay begins early in life, so children and teenagers are primary candidates.

Although thorough brushing and flossing can remove food particles and plaque from smooth surfaces of teeth, they cannot always get into the grooves of the back teeth to remove the food and plaque. Sealants protect these vulnerable areas from tooth decay by “sealing out” plaque and food. The sealant acts as a barrier, protecting enamel from plaque and acids. As long as the sealant remains intact, the tooth surface will be protected from decay.

If you think you may benefit from dental sealants, please give us a call. To learn more about the services we provide at the practice, visit www.josephdallessandro.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro in our New York, NY office, call 212-988-1089.

Do You Suffer from Sensitive Teeth?

Have you ever sipped a hot or cold beverage and felt a sharp pain shoot through your tooth’s nerve? If you’ve answered yes, then you may be suffering from the common problem known as sensitive teeth. This is because the inside of your tooth is primarily made up of a material called dentin, which contains microscopic tubules filled with tiny nerve endings and dentin hypersensitivity or nerve irritation occurs whenever this material loses its protective covering of enamel, exposing these nerve endings to hot, cold, acidic or sticky foods, leaving you in pain. If this sounds all too familiar, having a conversation with Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro is the first step in managing your sensitivity.  

What causes sensitive teeth is a mystery you can solve with Dr. Dallessandro. However, most causes include worn tooth enamel due to brushing aggressively, tooth erosion due to highly acidic foods and beverages, tooth decay, and/or gum recession. After Dr. Dallessandro determines the reason for your sensitivity, he will treat the underlying cause. To prevent sensitive teeth from recurring, twice a day, you should brush your teeth with a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. In addition, you should schedule dental checkups twice a year, or more depending on the severity of the issue.

If you are experiencing tooth sensitivity, please give us a call to discuss your treatment options. To learn more about the services we provide at our practice, visit www.josephdallessandrodds.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro, DDS in New York, NY, call 212-988-1089.

What is a Tooth Abscess?

When a tooth persistently throbs and keeps you up at night with pain, it could be more worrisome than a simple tooth ache. An abscessed tooth is a painful infection at the root of a tooth or between the gum and a tooth. It occurs when the pulp, the soft tissue inside the root canal, dies and becomes inflamed after being left untreated. If an abscessed tooth has you bothered, Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro, DDS can usually resolve the problem with endodontic therapy.

The abscess itself is a pocket of pus that’s caused by a bacterial infection. The most common symptom is an ache in the bone around the tooth, but you may also experience pain when chewing. Other causes of a tooth abscess are trauma to the tooth, such as when broken or chipped, and periodontal disease. The goals of treatment for an abscessed tooth include strategies to eliminate the infection, preserve the tooth, and prevent further complications.

If you are experiencing inflammation of your gums, give us a call to discuss your treatment options. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro, DDS in our New York, NY office, give us a call at 212-988-1089 or visit our website, www.josephdallessandrodds.com for more information about the services we provide. 

How Effective Is Your Brushing Routine?

Even though we’ve been brushing our teeth for our whole lives, many of us are surprised to learn that we’re not doing it properly. How many of you think it’s a race when you step in front of the sink? You may brush for less than a minute, leaving a layer of plaque behind. Plaque that isn’t removed can harden into tartar, making it harder to keep teeth clean. That’s why it is important to utilize these brushing tips in between professional cleanings and dental checkups with Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro, DDS.

• Place the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gums.


• Move the brush back-and-forth gently in short strokes.


• Brush the outer surfaces, the inside surfaces and the chewing surfaces of all teeth.


• To clean the inside surfaces of the front teeth, tilt the brush vertically and make several up-and-down strokes.


• Brush your tongue to remove bacteria and keep your breath fresh.

If you have further questions regarding your oral hygiene routine, give us a call. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro, DDS in our New York, NY office, give us a call at 212-988-1089 or visit our website, www.josephdallessandrodds.com for more information about the services we provide. 

The Proper Flossing Technique

Flossing should never be painful. If you floss too hard, you could damage the tissue between your teeth. However, if you’re too gentle, you might not be removing the food from your teeth. Floss removes food trapped between the teeth and removes the film of bacteria that forms there before it has a chance to harden to plaque. Plaque buildup causes gingivitis, which can lead to a more serious form of periodontal disease. Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro can’t monitor how often you floss (once a day) but he can give you some flossing tips to utilize the next time you get the job done.

• Starting with about 18 inches of floss, wind most of the floss around each middle finger, leaving an inch or two of floss to work with.


• Holding the floss tightly between your thumbs and index fingers, slide it gently up-and-down between your teeth.


• ·        Gently curve the floss around the base of each tooth, making sure you go beneath the gum line. Never force the floss, as this may cut or bruise delicate gum tissue.


• Use clean sections of floss as you move from tooth to tooth.


• To remove the floss, use the same back-and-forth motion to bring the floss up and away from the teeth.

If you have further questions regarding your oral hygiene routine, give us a call. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro, DDS in our New York, NY office, give us a call at 212-988-1089 or visit our website, www.josephdallessandrodds.com for more information about the services we provide.