Anthony J. Tabone, DDS

Dr. Tabone and his hygienists each take part in formal continuing education courses each year as well as personal study. They are committed to maintaining and enhancing their skills and their knowledge of cosmetic, restorative, preventive, orthodontic and general dental procedures.

We welcome anyone referred by other dentists or by our current patients. We appreciate your referrals because we like to serve like-minded people who are looking for the comprehensive dental care philosophy we are proud to provide.

Our participation with a variety of insurance plans is continuously evolving. At any given time, it is best to call our office to see what our relationship with your particular insurance company is. Remember, your dental insurance policy is always a contract between you and your insurance company. Depending on your insurance policy's coverage, you may have an out of pocket expense for some procedures.

During the office visit when you receive your temporary crown, we'll explain what to do if it breaks or comes off. Generally, the best thing to do is call our office and ask to come in; we'll either remake it or cement it back in place. Always take extra care with temporary crowns as they are secured with a soft cement only. If you dislodge the temporary, we suggest that you gently push it back on the tooth. It will fit precisely and will hold until you can get to see us. Please do not attempt to glue it onto the tooth in any way.

Bleeding gums are an early warning sign of periodontal or gum disease and should not be ignored. Our dental hygienist has been specially trained to treat periodontal disease and to get it under control.

It is important to clean every surface of every tooth every day. So yes, daily flossing or interdental cleaning with small brushes truly is that important to your overall oral health.

You have several choices, any of which may be the right answer to whiten your smile. First, a process called bonding restores teeth that are chipped, cracked, misaligned or discolored. We simply use a porcelain material to rebuild your teeth and make them look natural. For dramatic and durable results, we can place thin ceramic shells called porcelain veneers onto the surface of your teeth. Alternatively, bleaching can lighten stains caused by tea, coffee, food, smoking or age, using an at-home bleaching kit or an in-office supervised treatment. We can help evaluate your potential for whitening your teeth, based on their current color and the causes of any discoloration.

People with diabetes are more likely to have gum disease than people without it. This is probably because diabetics are more likely to get infections in general. People who do not know they have diabetes, or whose diabetes is not under control, are especially at risk. If you do have diabetes it is important that any gum disease is diagnosed, because it can increase your blood sugar. This would put you at risk of diabetic complications. Also, if you are diabetic, you may find that you heal more slowly. If you have a problem with your gums, or have problems after visits to your dentist, discuss this with your dentist before dental treatment. New research has also shown that you are more likely to develop diabetes if you have gum disease.

Smoking can make gum disease much worse. People who smoke are more likely to produce bacterial plaque that leads to gum disease. The gums are affected because smoking means you have less oxygen in your bloodstream, so the infected gums do not heal. Smoking can also lead to tooth staining, more teeth lost because of gum disease, bad breath, and in more severe cases oral cancer.