Dr. Anthony Martini Ceccacci, DDS

Interview with Dr. Anthony Ceccacci
Originally from Toronto, Canada, Dr. Ceccacci studied at the University of Toronto (B.Sc.) and the New York University College of Dentistry where he received his D.D.S. On the Dean’s List at N.Y.U., he followed graduation with a General Practice Residency at Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery King’s County Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y.
From 1991-1998, he served as Associate Clinical Professor at New York University's College of Dentistry. He has been in private practice since 1988.
Q: What have been the most exciting and interesting advances in dentistry in the last 10 years?
DR. CECCACCI: Several exciting developments occur to me:
The first is bleaching and whitening -- procedures have improved dramatically in just the last few years.
The second is the diagnostics, in the diagnostic tools we use -- particularly advances in the use of digital films to detect cavities.
A third is implants -- the techniques have evolved to a point where everything is …highly predictable, to the order of 95% or greater. And the materials used in doing implants have vastly improved.
Q: Tell us first about advances in teeth bleaching and whitening.
DR. CECCACCI: In the past, whitening was a time consuming process, one part of which was take-home gel trays that the patient did at home over a period of weeks to achieve results. Sapphire is a whitening system that is only one 90 minute appointment and brightens your teeth 5, 6, 7 sometimes 12 shades brighter than the shade you currently have.
Sapphire combines a whitening gel with a special blue plasma arc light. This procedure is done in-office. Results are immediate.
As a clinician, it’s very fulfilling for me to see a patient’s reaction to their teeth whitening experience. Its usually one of renewed confidence and excitement, which in our profession we don't see a lot of. Whitening is a harmless procedure in which you can walk out in 90 minutes and feel better about yourself. It’s a fun problem to solve as a dentist. It's a positive experience on both sides.
Q: Some people wonder whether bleaching is completely safe.
DR. CECCACCI: Safety in tooth whitening is a number one priority. It has been studied extensively for the past 5-7 years. The Sapphire procedure does not have any deleterious effect on the hard tooth substance or any irreversible effects on the soft tissue as best we know. 
The concentration of solutions in the Sapphire procedure is equal to the products used for the take-home tray kits. Sapphire uses 15% concentrated peroxide. It is the combination of the gel with the blue plasma arc light that makes whitening extremely effective.
With whitening, the teeth themselves are not "eaten away" by the acidic nature of the peroxide. The surface is only affected in that the stains which are existing on the surface area are allowed to be bleached out by the effervescence of the peroxide that is activated by the proprietary blue plasma arc light.
I, myself, have been a Sapphire patient and am very happy with my result. My shade difference was 9 shades. I went from a B3 to an A1.
Q: What about the effects of Sapphire on fillings and other dental work? 
DR. CECCACCI: Sapphire whitening will only lift off surface stains. It will not change the inherent color of the tooth restoration.
If you come to us for a brighter smile and you are happy with the end result of the whitening, that may perhaps prompt you to make changes in your existing dental restorations. In most cases, restorations last about 10 years. If a restoration is reaching the outside edge of that time period, you may want to change it. 
But a lot of restorations are in the back regions of the mouth and if you don't have an extraordinarily wide smile, you won't see them. If the restorations can be seen when you talk or smile, ideally you should change them out once your tooth shade has been whitened.
As far as the filling restorations are concerned, if you have tooth colored fillings, you might get them to be a little bit lighter. However, they are susceptible to re-staining again. Yo