Allegany Dental Care strives to provide a comprehensive state-of-the-art dental experience capable of meeting the needs of patients of all ages, and to do so with competence, compassion and integrity.
Dr. McCafferty, a native of Wallingford, PA, received his B.S. degree from The College of New Jersey, graduating magna cum laude. He received his DDS degree, magna cum laude, from the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, University of Maryland and joined Allegany Dental Care in 2000. Dr. McCafferty, his wife Sarma, and their daughters live in Hagerstown.
Dr. McCafferty has traveled to Cork, Ireland as part of an international dental exchange program. He also spent a month with the Indian Health Service in Tuba City, AZ providing dental care for patients on the Navajo reservation. He has volunteered with the Boy Scouts of America and earned the rank of Eagle Scout himself.
He is a graduate of Class XVI of the Leadership Hagerstown (now Leadership Washington County) program, which has kept him in touch with developments in Hagerstown and Washington County. He has recently been active in Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Washington County and has lectured on items of dental interest at Hagerstown Community College.
Dr. McCafferty is an active member of the American Dental Association, the Maryland State Dental Association, and has served two terms as President of the Washington County Dental Society and is currently serving as the Treasurer.
Dr. Boniface is a native of Middletown, MD. He received a B.A. degree in Biology and Chemistry from St. Marys College of Maryland, and his D.D.S. degree from the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, University of Maryland. Dr. Boniface, his wife Jill, and their two children reside in Middletown.
Dr. Carella, originally from Long Island, NY received his B.S. (cum laude) in Chemistry from The University of Delaware. He earned his DDS degree (magna cum laude) from The University of Maryland Dental School. During his time at the university, he participated in various community service events and held several leadership positions. While attending dental school, Dr. Carella completed a one-year advanced training program in the Special Patient and Geriatric Care Clinic, which concentrated in delivering dental care to a diverse population of special needs and geriatric patients.
Upon graduation, Dr. Carella was accepted into the prestigious Omicron Kappa Upsilon honor society and received several honors, including The Academy of General Dentistry Award. He continued his training by completing a one-year postdoctoral General Practice Residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. During his residency, Dr. Carella studied under world-renowned faculty and specialists in the fields of Oral Surgery, Periodontics, Prosthodontics, Pediatrics, and Endodontics. The program focused on all aspects of dental care with special concentration in restorative, aesthetic, surgical, and implant dentistry.
Dr. James Kiefer is originally from Cockeysville, MD. He received his B.S. degree in Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise at Virginia Tech (magna cum laude). While in college, he worked as a student athletic trainer for the Division I Mens Football team and Womens Lacrosse team.
Dr. Kiefer went on to earn his DDS at University of Maryland Dental School. While at the University of Maryland, he participated in numerous community service activities, including Mission of Mercy and volunteer coaching for Charm City Youth Lacrosse League, and held numerous leadership roles including Vice President of his class. In his final year at University of Maryland, Dr. Kiefer completed a one-year advanced training program in Oral Surgery and was honored with the International College of Dentists award for student leadership upon graduation.
Dr. Kiefer is an active member of the American Dental Association, Maryland State Dental Association, Washington County Dental Society, The Academy of General Dentistry, and the American Association of Dental Sleep Medicine. He strives to provide the highest quality of care while working hard to deliver it in a friendly and comfortable environment.
While not practicing dentistry, Dr. Kiefer enjoys several athletic activities including skiing, beach volleyball, CrossFit, and weightlifting. He also enjoys running and biking on the trails and roads of Washington, Allegany, and Frederick Counties.
Dr. Mirigian is a native of Sudbury, MA. He earned a BS degree from the University of Massachusetts and a DMD degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. He currently resides in Hagerstown with his wife and their son and dog. When not in the office he loves spending time outside, playing and watching sports of all kinds.
Dental implants are often the best option when replacing a missing tooth or several missing teeth. Interested in dental implants but want to know a little bit more about them before making the decision? Here is a quick guide to dental implants.
It is a surgical-grade titanium anchor which is placed in the area once occupied by the root of your tooth. After the implant heals and integrates with its surroundings, your dentist can attach a tooth to the implant/anchor. In most cases, your new implant-supported tooth will look, feel and function just like your natural teeth.
Start to finish, the process can take anywhere from three to 10 months or more. If you're having the tooth extracted, the surgeon will usually allow the site to heal for two to four months after the extraction before placing the implant. Once the implant is placed another two to four months is allowed for the surrounding bone and tissues to heal and actually fuse to the implant.
In some cases, the implant can be placed at the visit that a tooth is extracted. However, for most cases the implant will be healthier long-term if the extraction site is allowed time to heal before the implant is placed.
At Allegany Dental Care, we do not place implants yet. We refer our patients to Oral Surgeons and Periodontists in the area in order to have the implant placed. Then you return to us to have the tooth, bridge, or denture fabricated and placed on the implant.
Most patients report that having an implant placed causes less discomfort than the extraction. When a tooth is pulled, your body must work hard to heal and grow new bone in the extraction site. When an implant is placed, a small amount of bone is removed to make space for the implant, but the space is filled with the implant. Your body just has to work on integrating to the implant and not growing new bone this time.
Implant are a great option for replacing a single tooth space, but can also replace multiple tooth spaces and help if you have no teeth at all. Implants can have attachments added to allow your denture to snap in, helping them to stay in place. We also can make full arch dentures that do not need to be removed.
Not everybody is a candidate for dental implants. There are complex anatomic considerations including bone density and thickness, nerve and sinus location that can affect your eligibility for implants. However, even if you are not a candidate right now, there may be certain procedures that can allow you to have a dental implant. If you are interested, ask your dentist to see if you are a candidate.
Cost:As dental implants are the best/premier option when replacing a missing tooth or teeth requiring specialized and custom parts and equipment. They also are typically the most costly option when replacing a missing tooth or teeth. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for.