While a typical dental patient presents with only one or two problem areas, other patients may have a complex combination of oral problems, which can compromise a final treatment outcome if things are addressed only as single unrelated entities.

Comprehensive Oral Rehabilitation refers to dental treatment involving a complex set of circumstances, which have usually resulted in an alteration of the way that the teeth fit together. This involves treating multiple oral problems by treating individual problems as they interrelate to one another. To state it simply, the goal of oral rehabilitation is to treat the mouth as a whole, which is aimed at restoring a person's mouth to a state of health and function.

Proper treatment consists of tailoring an approach which may involve several disciplines (e.g root canal treatment, periodontal treatment, crowns, bridges, and implants), and properly sequencing the treatment.

One example of this would be a patient who has lost several teeth which were never replaced, resulting in tooth shifting and overclosure of the bite (i.e. increased overbite, although a slight overbite is normal). If the teeth which are lost are simply replaced without treating the overclosure, other problems can manifest themselves later, such as wrinkles and folds developing at the corners of the mouth. When skin overlaps in this manner, inflammation and soreness develops due to bacterial infections in the skin at these sites. This condition is called angular chelitis.

Many people suffer problems with chewing and pain due to a variety of circumstances. This may be the result of an accident, or more commonly, only seeing a Dentist when pain develops and treating the source of the pain only, without having other issues addressed because they do not happen to be bothering the patient at that time.

This approach can be a slippery slope, however, because over the course of time, many people slowly reach a point where their oral health has degraded significantly, without their even knowing it. Often, it only becomes apparent later in life, when a person begins to realize the true importance of being able to chew efficiently without pain. Unfortunately, many of these people have avoided dental treatment except when necessary due to fear. This is often a very rational fear, especially with older individuals, because they may have memories of bad dental experiences from before dental techniques were as refined as they are today. Fortunately, modern Dentistry has surpassed even our wildest expectations. It is extremely gratifying for us, as Dentists, to see a person who was once terrified even to sit in a dental chair, become completely relaxed with the knowledge that almost universally, procedures can be performed without any discomfort. And it is from these patients, frequently, that we derive our greatest sense of satisfaction.

When evaluating a patient who is a candidate for comprehensive oral rehabilitation, our first step is to perform a thorough clinical examination, take a set of full-mouth x-rays, and to take impressions of the teeth for making plaster study models. With the data gathered, the bite is evaluated, along with the health of the gums plus the health of each tooth individually. Using this information a treatment plan will be formulated to best fit the patient's needs. Often, we are able to provide different treatment approaches aimed at achieving the same goal. We then thoroughly explain the treatment and its rationale, so that patients can make educated choices regarding their own treatment.

In providing treatment, both Dr. Provenzale and Dr. Provenzale, Jr. are highly proficient in most of the various disciplines of Dentistry, therefore it is usually unnecessary for a patient to see a specialist. Since our goal is to achieve the optimum result in treatment, from time to time, however, we will refer a patient to a specialist if the nature of a problem is unusual. But we have found that most patients appreciate not having to be sent around to different offices when possible.