Restoring the Power of a Smile
Main Line dental specialist Dr. James A. Vito takes pride in restoring and enhancing patients’ smiles, sometimes in as little as one day.
A smile should be balanced, symmetrical, radiant, friendly, and welcoming. But what if it’s not and you are faced with the prospect of losing all your teeth?
For almost 40 years, Wayne-based dentist James A. Vito, D.M.D., has been restoring and enhancing the smiles of thousands of his patients. Having been in practice since 1987 and starting his own practice in 1990, his focus has been on advanced restorative, cosmetic, and dental implant dentistry.
He received both his dental education and post graduate education in Periodontics and Periodontal Prosthesis-Fixed Prosthodontics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, with certificates in both Periodontics and Periodontal Prosthesis–Fixed Prosthodontics. He is also dual board certified in dental implants by both the International Congress of Oral Implantologists and the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry. He is consistently recognized as one of the best dental specialists of the Main Line.
Dr. Vito is proud of the fact he has been trained and mentored by the best in his profession and continues his studies to stay up to date on the most current trends and techniques.
So what is Dr. Vito’s favorite part of his work? “Well,” he says, “my favorite thing is giving patients who are faced with the prospect of losing all their teeth back their smile in as little as a day. We see people with severe periodontal disease who have little to no bone holding their teeth in their mouth, or patients due to some of the medications they take, especially cancer medications causing issues with the teeth where they are ready to fall out. This adds insult to injury. Solving one problem creates another.
“Dental implants and specifically the ‘All-on-X’ or ‘Teeth in a Day’ process has been a huge game changer in helping these individuals out,” says Dr. Vito. “It used to take months back in the 1980s, ’90s, and into the ’00s where we would extract teeth and allow them to heal, then place dental implants and allow them to heal, then we would move onto multiple fitting visits, which could take weeks before the final implant restoration was inserted. Now all this can be done in as little as a day—24 hours.”
The All-on-X process starts with a 3D X-ray called cone beam computed tomography, or CBCT. This scan is then reviewed by a restorative dentist, the dental surgeon, and the dental laboratory where the decision is made as to where implants can be placed and how surgical guides are designed so that the dental implants can be placed into these specific sites, followed by a restoration designed to fit over these implants. Then the restoration is affixed to the implants, the bite is adjusted, and the patient goes home. Again, what used to take months can now be done in 24 hours.
“This process not only restores one’s smile, but also restores their self-respect, their confidence, and in some cases a new lease on life,” says Dr. Vito. “I do not believe there is any other procedure that can give patients the immediate gratification this procedure can. The number of people that have told me that this one procedure has been life changing for them is unbelievable.
“Of all the different procedures I do,” he continues, “none is more gratifying and satisfying to me than this one for that reason. No procedure produces the tears of joy the way this procedure does because I am able to take what seemed to be an impossible, hopeless situation and in 24 hours restore the function, aesthetics, phonetics, and health of their mouth as well as give them back their smile, self-esteem, and confidence. Saying this procedure is life changing is an understatement.”
When asked about the important factors that aid in this process, Dr. Vito says, “it all starts with the medical history. What are the patient’s ailments, what medications are they on, what medications are they allergic to? Patients, especially compromised patients, should speak with their physicians to make sure this procedure does not put them at increased risk, and also to see if there are special precautions their doctors want me to take prior to doing this type of procedure.”
Also, a capable clinician should know how to draw blood and spin it down to obtain the healing potential that is contained within the blood called platelet-rich fibrin, or PRF. PRF aids in helping the implant sites and surrounding soft tissue to heal more quickly and uneventfully. In addition, a clinician should utilize tried-and-true bone-grafting materials and techniques that have demonstrated over time the ability to deliver consistent and predictable results. The individual should also have knowledge of other biologics that are available to aid in the healing of dental implants in compromised bone.
The same is true of dental implants—specifically, knowing when to use titanium implants versus ceramic implants. There are 196 dental implant companies, and not all of them are created equally.
Finally, a dental lab that is up to date with current concepts and has the ability to work quickly and predictably to fabricate aesthetic, functional, and reliable restorations is key. Dr. Vito says his lab not only complements the work he does but also “makes me look good by providing a natural-looking restoration that is undetectable.”
Dr. Vito has been doing simple and advanced dental implant surgery and restorations for close to 40 years and the All-on-X procedure for the past 15 years. Anyone considering this procedure should contact his office for a consultation to learn more. He can be reached at (610) 971-2590 or drjamesvito@verizon.net. His office is located at 523 East Lancaster Avenue in Wayne, Pennsylvania. Visit www.jamesvito.com for more information.
Photo by Jody Robinson
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life, June 2025.
