Ep # 173 - Implants, Comfort, And Care Explained

What if your next dental visit felt easier, smarter, and genuinely comfortable from start to finish? We sit down with Dr. Cara Minichetti of Englewood Dental to unpack how modern technology and a comprehensive care model can transform your experience—no goopy impressions, less anxiety, and clearer, faster paths to a healthier smile.

Dr. Cara shares how dental implants work in plain language—the titanium root, the abutment, the crown—and who benefits most, from adults replacing failing teeth to younger patients who’ve lost a tooth after a root canal. We talk candidly about maintenance after implants, the difference between cosmetic upgrades like veneers and true tooth replacement, and why prevention beats waiting for pain every time. The conversation also digs into the art of dentistry: the eye for symmetry, the dexterity that shapes natural-looking restorations, and the training that helps clinicians balance science with aesthetics.

Beyond the chair, we explore the mouth-body connection. Dr. Cara explains how gum disease starts, why gingivitis is reversible, and how chronic oral inflammation can worsen heart health, diabetes, and even cognitive decline. We tackle the flossing vs water pick debate, offer realistic ways to restart healthy habits, and highlight digital dentistry advances and comfort tools that make appointments less daunting. Finally, we turn to sleep apnea and TMJ, showing how custom oral appliances and bite-aware care support better sleep and jaw health without relying solely on CPAP.

If you’ve put off a cleaning, are curious about implants, or want practical steps to protect your gums and overall health, this conversation gives you the playbook. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a nudge to book, and leave a review with the dental habit you want to master next.

Englewood Dental
Dr. Cara Minichetti
370 Grand Avenue, Suite 200 Englewood, NJ 07631
(201) 871-3555
info@englewooddental.com
englewooddental.com

Transcript

Welcome And Practice Origins

Intro/Close 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Doug Drohan.

Doug Drohan 0:10

Hey, good morning, everyone, and welcome to another episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast. Coming to you live from Bergen County. I am your host, Doug Drohan, and the owner of the Bergen Neighbors Media Group. Today we are joined by Minichetti. She is one of the great dentists of the Englewood Dental Practice based in uh funny enough, in Englewood, New Jersey. Cara, welcome to the show, Doctor.

Dr. Cara Minichetti 0:30

Thanks so much for having me. Happy to be here.

Doug Drohan 0:33

Yeah, no, thanks for having me. So I've seen you guys around, like uh, you know, social media. I think I've seen you like, you know, um, this is a familiar when I when I you know look at the photos of everybody. Uh, you know, you guys seem to do a lot of maybe social media or you have a lot of impressions across different platforms. Um, so tell me a little bit more about the practice. So, you know, you're not the only minichetti who who works in uh Anglo Dental, correct?

Dr. Cara Minichetti 1:00

That's right. Um, my father started the practice uh maybe like 30 plus years ago.

Speaker 1:06

Oh, nice.

Dr. Cara Minichetti 1:06

Um and I joined the practice five years ago. But in addition to me, we've got two other general dentists, an orthodontist, two hygienists, and we're a comprehensive dental office. We treat patients of all ages, from pediatrics to senior patients. Um, we do all kinds of dentistry, restorative, cosmetic, uh, emergency care. Um, but we have a special focus on implant surgery and implant restorations.

Doug Drohan 1:38

Okay. Who are the typical like candidates for implants? There's people that are older that their teeth have just like out outlived their uh lifespan, so to speak.

Who Needs Dental Implants

Dr. Cara Minichetti 1:49

Well, you know, that is a big topic in implant dentistry because we're living longer than we were in the past. Um, and way back when the the classic thing was that you would lose your teeth as you got older and you would have to transition to things like removable dentures and have your teeth in a glass of water at night. Yeah. Classic uh misconception. And in the past 50 or 60 years, dental implants have really changed the game because we can give patients teeth that stay in their mouth, that are comfortable, feel like their own teeth. Um, and with dental implants becoming more and more popular and more mainstream, it's more common to see younger patients too getting dental implants because sometimes we we lose a tooth. If you had a root canal when you were a kid or something, the tooth just doesn't last forever. And uh it's easier now more than ever to replace a tooth and really feel comfortable.

How Implants Work And Last

Doug Drohan 2:41

And what is the uh, you know, the composition of this uh implant? Is it uh what is it made of?

Dr. Cara Minichetti 2:47

Well, there's kind of three components to a dental implant. So um one is the implant body, and that's what replaces your tooth root after you've had the tooth extracted. That's made out of primarily titanium. Um the next component is an abutment, it goes on top of the implant and sticks out through the gums and replaces a tooth, and then we put a crown on it, kind of like how we put crowns on natural teeth sometimes.

Care And Maintenance After Implants

Doug Drohan 3:13

Right, got it, got it. Okay. And you still have to care for them like you would normal teeth, right? You brush and floss and everything else.

Dr. Cara Minichetti 3:19

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Once you get a tooth replacement with an implant, the the work doesn't quite stop there. You still need to maintain your your teeth, your you can floss and brush on your implants just like you do with your natural teeth, um and still see your dentist every six months or as recommended in order to maintain everything. Make sure all that work you put in doesn't uh have problems down the line.

Doug Drohan 3:41

Right. And I and I guess um, you know, for people that are replacing people don't do it purely for cosmetic reasons to have wider teeth, right? That would be more of getting veneers.

Dr. Cara Minichetti 3:50

You wouldn't that's a common misconception. I mean, there's it's all jargon and it's hard to understand all the terms for different things. Right. Um, but implants can improve your cosmetics, that's for sure. Um primarily they're for replacement of teeth uh after they've had to come out. Um, we have a variety of ways to improve cosmetics on natural teeth, veneers, crowns, or even just whitening or shaping.

unknown 4:15

Right.

Choosing Dentistry And The Artful Eye

Dr. Cara Minichetti 4:16

Ponding, things that are simple. The best way to find out how to which is the best option for you is to come see us for a free consult and we can talk about all the options.

Doug Drohan 4:25

Right. So obviously, having a father who is a dentist, is that what inspired you to become a dentist yourself?

Dr. Cara Minichetti 4:32

Yeah, for sure. You know, I I often question whether I would have found dentistry if I hadn't been exposed to it. Um, the answer is probably yes. Um, but I grew up in Bergen County my whole life, and even as like a young teen, I was working at Englewood Dental.

Speaker 4:51

Okay.

Dr. Cara Minichetti 4:53

And then worked my way up to assisting and just kind of fell in love with it. Dentistry involves so many things that I love and passionate about, interacting with people, helping people. There's art and there's science to it. Um, and it's really rewarding and fun.

Doug Drohan 5:10

Well, what would you say is the art behind it?

Dr. Cara Minichetti 5:13

Yeah, well, so it definitely involves art more than most uh other areas of healthcare, I'd say, because you need to have dexterity of the hands. You've got to be able to shape teeth, um, really see symmetry in the mouth. Um, there's a lot of you know scientific protocols behind how we design a smile, but if you don't have the eye for it, um it you don't really get the same results. And it's kind of interesting when you do your DAT, which is kind of like the MCAT for dental school, they they make you do these kinds of artistic uh examinations, like looking at at angles and and despite which one's biggest. It's kind of an interesting field of healthcare in that way.

Training, Dexterity, And Specialties

Doug Drohan 5:55

Yeah. So I mean, so you could presumably go to dental school and then get to a certain level in your studies and realize I don't have the dexterity, I don't have that kind of uh eye for symmetry, and and maybe now you have to go into research or something else. Like is there is there a point when you decide I want to go to dental school that you know early on whether or not you have the hands for it? Oh yeah, yeah.

Dr. Cara Minichetti 6:19

Um, it's kind of a scary thing when you start dental school because your first two years are very um med school related. Right. Um in those second two years you start working on patients, and I think that's when pay people really start to to measure whether this is really for them. Um, there are many fields of dentistry that don't involve that art aspect as much. There's pathology, there's radiology, there's always ways that you can go. Um, but that's why they build those kinds of tests in early. Like, do you have an eye for this sort of thing, or else you're gonna hate it?

Doug Drohan 6:51

Right, right. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it's interesting. You know, when I go to the dentist, and now with the technology, they can show you, you know, photos of your mouth and your teeth. And I'm like, oh god, no, I don't know what can side my mouth.

Tech In The Chair And Patient Comfort

Dr. Cara Minichetti 7:03

Don't show me that. Some patients say, Oh, that's so cool. Let me see, let me learn about it. Other people say, Don't show me that.

Doug Drohan 7:09

I don't want to. Yeah, it depends how nice your teeth are, I guess. You know, but no, it's interesting. So, you know, I mean, obviously, you guys have a whole list of different um types of uh, you know, I guess specialties or services that you provide, but just the general dentistry where when someone uh needs to come in for a checkup. And I I know that when I was in college, um you know, I was I went to college in the city and I didn't have health insurance. I used to go to NYU, uh, had like a free dental uh program where you can go in. I I think it was patient, you know, it was students that actually, you know, uh give you a checkup and and stuff like that. But I know I had gone a long time uh, you know, between seeing a dentist. It wasn't a normal six-month checkup, it was probably a year or more. Like, what do you say to people that like haven't been in the dentist for a while and everybody has their own reasons, I guess, health insurance, or you know, in my case, you know, it's being a student and being off on my own and not having insurance and things like that. So what do you say to people that haven't been to the dentist in a while? Um, I'm sure there's some trepidation because it's like, oh my god, my teeth are, I probably have cavities, or you know, um, God knows what my uh kind of plaque I have built up. Like, what do you what do you say to people like that that are just haven't been to the dentist in a while?

Lapsed Visits And Getting Back On Track

Dr. Cara Minichetti 8:32

Yeah, so I mean the first thing is to not be embarrassed. It's normal to feel that trepidation. Um, but life gets in the way pretty easily. Um, the first, the the hardest step and the most important step is to get back in. Um, just schedule an appointment. Um, I hear from patients all the time, like, I'm gonna have the worst mouth you've ever seen. And I can promise it's never true. Um, so I mean that's the first step. Get back in. We can get you on a nice uh routine schedule of every six months. Um, it's a lot of people think that if there's nothing bothering in them in their mouth at that time, that everything's fine. Um, but a lot of dental issues can go without being noticed. Um, and it's always better to treat things before you can tell that they're there. Smaller cavities before they're causing you pain, uh, gum disease before you notice anything wrong with your gums. Um, because it's easier to treat and more predictable. So getting in before waiting any longer will save you investment and time and money down the line because it can prevent larger issues.

Digital Dentistry And Pain Control

Doug Drohan 9:38

Right, right. Yeah. And I think, you know, I've I've spoken to some uh optometrists and ophthalmologists, and they wish that people would come see them like they go to see their dentist. You know, I think most people, once they get into a routine with their dentist, they go every six months. You know, it's something that I think from an early age you're kind of you know ingrained in you that you should go every six months for your checkup. Um, but other, you know, uh medical services like your eye health, a lot of people or or your hearing, right? How often? When was the last time you had your ears checked? You know, so at least at least the dental industry has implanted pun intended in us the need to um you know see your dentist every six months. Um but yeah, you know, just from personal experience, one if you get out of that routine for whatever reason, it does, you know, make it a little bit more daunting to to find and and listen, you know, like um going to the dentist may not be the top five things you want to do in your day, right? Um like let's talk about that. Like, how do you and I know that the technology in dental care and and treatments has changed a lot since you know when I was a kid. Um, but what what has changed when it comes to say you need a cavity? Uh, you know, back in the day it was Novacaine, you know, we used to have that magic carpet gas, they called it. Um so like what's changed in in the times like when you were going there as a child watching your dad to today when it comes to the technology of making a dental visit a bit more um, you know, not as not as scary and daunting or painful.

Dr. Cara Minichetti 11:14

Yeah, for sure. Um, I mean, digital dentistry is the biggest thing that's changed in the last maybe 10 years, really. Um, I mean, that's that's most important when we're designing things like crowns that are a little more involved. And you can see um a three-dimensional model of your teeth that we can get just from taking pictures of your teeth. Um, so you don't need to go through all those gaggy, goopy impressions that we once had to do for like awful. Um, so that's one big thing. Um, but other things, I mean, we don't use Novocaine anymore, that specific drug, but we have a variety of um local anesthetics with really good topical anesthetics, so you can kind of really not feel the injection as much. Um, we've got TVs on the ceiling that you can watch Netflix on, kind of pass the time, um, and even pop in a podcast on your AirPods. That's like a new great thing. I see patients do. I'm like, yes, that's awesome. Look, pass the time a little bit. Um, so it's not the dentistry, it's not really the same uh barbaric field that it might have been. Right, right.

Doug Drohan 12:22

Yeah, it's not uh marathon man with Justin Hoffman.

Oral Health And Whole-Body Links

Dr. Cara Minichetti 12:26

Yeah, right. All the movies, little shop of horror and whatever. But I hear I hear horror stories from people's childhoods like, oh, my dentist wouldn't use any numbing agent on me and just do fillings. That is a thing of the past. Um dentistry can really be very comfortable today.

Doug Drohan 12:42

Nice. So um there's a bunch of other things that come into oral health, right? I mean, uh, and you mentioned like when you go to the dentist, it's you know, you don't just go when you have pain. Are there other health implications that affect the rest of your body if you don't have great oral health, like if you have an infection or a cavity, how that could affect other parts of your your um health?

Dr. Cara Minichetti 13:08

There certainly are. And um research keeps coming out like day up to up to today. Um the so we have a microbiome in our mouth, kind of like how we hear a lot of buzzwords about our gut microbiome today.

Speaker 13:23

Right, right.

Dr. Cara Minichetti 13:24

Um meaning we have bacteria that live in our mouth, and some people have more of the good bacteria or more of the bad bacteria. Um, and our body reacts to those bacteria that are in our mouth. Um, we're finding that there's connections between that biome and our body's chronic reaction to them, um, with that can relate to the heart, the brain, um, diabetes in particular. Um, so poor oral health will worsen those medical conditions. Um, so patients that have diabetes, if they have poor oral health, their diabetes will get worse, and vice versa. Um, poor like gum disease can increase your risk of heart attack and stroke. Um, and the newest thing is that we've found a relation between gum disease and Alzheimer's. Um, which is really it's crazy. So um cleaning up your mouth, it does seem so isolated. Um, like, oh, who cares? I have a tooth issue, whatever, I'll leave it, it's not bothering me. But it is part of your body. Um, and if you had a cut on your toe, you wouldn't leave it for a year because you know it's like more visible to you. Um, you wouldn't understand that that's that's you know, uh affecting your overall health. Um, it's the same thing to clean your oral health up is to to improve your overall health.

Gum Disease: Causes And Prevention

Doug Drohan 14:44

Right, okay. And then, you know, you hear about gum disease, but um, like what are the best uh ways to prevent or reverse early like gum disease? And and what is gum disease anyway?

Dr. Cara Minichetti 14:56

Yeah, gum disease, okay, so um well, we've all heard of gingivitis, right? Um, so that's an early form of gum disease. We have that biome in our mouth, so we have bacteria that live in plaque. As plaque builds up, um, it will sit on the teeth. Plaque contains all these bacteria, and our body goes on defense in order to fight off the bacteria. Um, some people have hyperreactive um immune systems when it comes to their gums. Um, so when they're fighting off this bacteria, they uh elicit damage on their nearby tissues, and the gums get puffy, the bone might even start to recede. When the bone recedes around the teeth, um, that's when you've progressed to more uh severe gum disease, which we call periodontitis instead of gingivitis. Um, so there's a lot of factors that go into it. Some of your health conditions, like diabetes, um, will worsen your risk of uh gum disease. Um, but some people just have uh genetic factors. Some people say I floss every day, like I don't understand why I have these issues and it's just genetics, it's just bad luck. Um there's a lot of factors to it, but poor hygiene is a big one. Uh, if you've got a lot of those bacteria, then the process is more likely to occur. The best way to reverse it or stop it is to get it early because gingivitis, that early form of gum disease, is fully reversible. Um, so we like to notice it early. Um, so coming to your uh cleanings to remove all that bacteria from your mouth and diagnose it early is the best way to stop it where it is, reverse it and get you back to health before you have those irreversible processes of losing bone around the teeth happen.

Doug Drohan 16:44

Got it, got it. So another reason why you should be going every six months for your checkup.

Speaker 16:48

Yeah.

Flossing, Water Picks, And Habits

Doug Drohan 16:48

And then, you know, I I I recall a few years ago in the New York Times there was an article about the um questioning the effectiveness of flossing, whether it was really, I mean, maybe there's like you know, rinsing and things like that or to the job, but where do you stand with flossing and then flossing versus um like water picks? Like, should you is one better than the other, or is it just a matter of preference to you?

Dr. Cara Minichetti 17:16

What did the article say at the end?

Doug Drohan 17:19

Uh, you know, this is a couple years ago, and I remember bringing up to my dentist back then, he's like, Yeah, that's ridiculous.

What Sets Englewood Dental Apart

Dr. Cara Minichetti 17:25

I'm curious, I'm gonna look it up after this. Um, well, you know, one of my uh teachers in residency have a great analogy um about flossing and stuff. Um, so if you have a dirty bathtub, you could spray Clorox on it and leave it, and it will be slightly cleaner. Um, but the best way to really clean your dirty bathtub is to spray the Clorox and scrub it down. So that's kind of my analogy for flossing. There's nothing really that can beat it because flossing gets the plaque and bacteria out from between the teeth where our toothbrushes can't reach. Um, and it it manually scrubs those teeth. Um, so it does get it, there's like a manual debridement of that area of our mouths that we really can't do with adjust rinses or even with the water pick. I know a lot of my friends love the water pick, and you know, I always say the best that the best adjuncts are the ones that you're gonna use. If you're really physically not able to use floss, I mean, particularly for patients with arthritis, if it just can't get done, um, the water pick is great, but really nothing beats that string floss. And there are so many different kinds of um floss, tiny brushes, floss picks are really popular now that um I'd encourage people to try different products out and see what is easiest for them to incorporate.

Doug Drohan 18:53

Yeah, there's some floss that feels like uh piano wire. It's like I notice if you don't floss for a while, um, your gums might bleed. And if you're flossing more on a daily basis or certainly five times a week, then you don't see the bleeding as much.

Dr. Cara Minichetti 19:11

That's right. So it could be like uh an obstacle to start again when you've been off for a while and now it's a little uncomfortable, you see bleeding, but you gotta just get over that hump and then you'll become addicted to it. I tell all my patients soon enough, you won't be able to go to sleep without it.

Doug Drohan 19:27

Yeah, that's great. So, what is it? Um, you know, listen, if I type in dentist near me, I know like in some towns, um, you know, I'll say Rivervale, because I live next to Rivervale, there is a dentist on every corner, like there's a bagel shop on every corner.

Speaker 19:44

Yeah.

Doug Drohan 19:45

Um, you know, what's different about Anglewood Dental that you think uh separates you guys from from, you know, many of your colleagues? I won't call them competitors, we'll say colleagues.

Location, Scheduling, And Access

Sleep Apnea, TMJ, And Night Appliances

Dr. Cara Minichetti 19:57

Yes, colleagues is better. Um, well, you know, I'd say the biggest thing is the truly comprehensive care that we offer at our practice. Um, so I don't know how many patients have had this experience, but you go to your dentist for your cleaning and your checkup, and they tell you that maybe you need a root canal. So now you've got to go to another practice and figure out the parking and meet a new person, go for their consult, then go back to get the root canal, etc. Um, we really offer comprehensive care for entire families. So we can do treatments for your child, and then also your cleaning, your fillings, your root canals, periodontal, uh, gum treatments, uh, oral surgery, emergency care. We have a doctor that's on call 24-7 in the case of emergencies that's willing to come to the office and meet you. Um, and then we also offer sedation services for patients who are very anxious or even special needs patients. We do a lot of care for patients who I've heard can't have a hard time finding treatment elsewhere. Um, so that's really nice. A variety of different sedation options. Um, and we're not just because we focus on implants, you know, we're not just oral surgeons, we are general dentists first. So we always focus on saving teeth. Patients can really feel comfortable that we're giving the recommendation that is the most long-lasting.

Doug Drohan 21:24

Got it. So if you need root canal, you don't need to see an oral surgeon. So I've always, you know, there are so many different um types of dentists, you know, periodontist, and then what's that maxofascial?

Dr. Cara Minichetti 21:37

Yeah, maxofacial oral surgeons.

Doug Drohan 21:40

Right.

Dr. Cara Minichetti 21:40

Um, I know there's a it's a lot of different words and jargon for people to understand.

Speaker 21:45

Yeah.

Dr. Cara Minichetti 21:46

Um, no, not necessarily. Uh a root canal specialist is called an endodontist.

Speaker 21:52

Right. Okay.

Dr. Cara Minichetti 21:53

Um, and I mean, it's not to say that we wouldn't refer patients if that's what's needed. Um But we are able to do a lot of treatment in under one roof, which is very helpful for patients. Patients like to, you know, kind of stay where they're comfortable. Every time you go to a new place, it's a little bit of like a stressful scenario. So it's nice to get comprehensive care in one's body.

Doug Drohan 22:17

So when you say it's all under one roof, where is that roof located?

Dr. Cara Minichetti 22:21

At 370 Grand Avenue, Suite 200 in Englewood, New Jersey. Right next to the Jackson Hole Diner.

Doug Drohan 22:29

Oh, yeah, sure. Sure. I know it well. And so what's the best way to make an appointment? Is it um go online? Is it call? Is it Yeah?

Dr. Cara Minichetti 22:38

Variety of ways. You can give us a call at 201-871-3555 to schedule a free consult. Um, we'd have be happy to take a look and discuss your options, what might be good for you. Um, you can also make an appointment online at englewooddental.com. Um, we can uh schedule something.

Closing And How To Learn More

Doug Drohan 23:00

That's great. Yeah, that's that's amazing. Well, Dr. Minuchetti, I really appreciate you sharing all your knowledge. I mean, obviously you you've got an extensive, I could go on and on and on when I go through all your we didn't even touch on sleep apnea or yeah, that's something we treat.

Dr. Cara Minichetti 23:17

And TMJ issues, that's something we treat in our practice as well.

Doug Drohan 23:22

Right, okay. Yeah, because I'd imagine there's some new, not newer, but there's some you know other ailments that people have been dealing with that are related to, you know, dental and and uh you know dental health, I guess, and sleep apnea is one of them.

Dr. Cara Minichetti 23:37

That's a huge one. Yeah, talking about how your oral health can affect your overall health, sleep apnea is a big um health concern. Um, and it has to do with your bite, your jaw, your airway. Um, so there are dental appliances. A lot of patients aren't able to sleep with those big CPAP machines on with all the noise and the pressure and dark vader, yeah. Yeah, so there are oral appliances, things that you can bite, like mouth guards at night that can help to position your jaws in a good way to alleviate the sleep apnea. So that's something we do in our practice. Um, yeah, it's so hard to fit all these topics into such a short conversation, but you know, we want back and we can come back and focus on another one.

Doug Drohan 24:18

But for anyone with questions, go to englewooddental.com. You can see a list of all the different patient services, and they have some great blogs there as well. Um, so Dr. Minichetti, thank you so much for joining us. We're gonna just have Chuck say a few words and then you and I will be right back.

Dr. Cara Minichetti 24:31

Thanks so much.

Intro/Close 24:33

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpbergen.com. That's gnpbergen.com or call 201 298 8325.