Dental Basics

Woodgrove Dental strives to achieve optimum dental health and create beautiful smiles for all our patients.

We provide fully integrated dental care so that you receive the most effective treatment. It is essential that our patients practice good oral health habits between visits to fight off gum disease and infection. This includes daily brushing and flossing as well as other care instructions prescribed by your Dental Hygienist.

By understanding the basics of dental health and practicing good oral habits, you can be sure your teeth are properly cared for in between treatments.

Dental Caries

Dental caries occurs when enamel is worn down and causes tooth decay. A build up of dental plaque produces acids and bacteria which dissolve tooth enamel and dentine.

Dental caries can occur when plaque becomes trapped within the grooves on top of the teeth (fissure caries), between the teeth (proximal caries) or at the root of the tooth when gum recession or bone loss have occurred (root caries).

This requires immediate treatment from our melton dentist to repair the cavity and prevent further decay i.e. a filling. The best way to prevent caries is through regular brushing and flossing.

Gum Disease

Gingivitis is the most common gum disease. It occurs due to incorrect and infrequent oral health care, particularly through a lack of brushing and flossing. This results in plaque build-up on the surface of the tooth, between teeth and at the root beneath the gum line.

Symptoms of gingivitis include irritated and inflamed gum tissue, tenderness and pain. Without treatment, gum infection will occur which can induce bleeding during brushing. However, with immediate and proper care advised by our dentist in Melton, gingivitis is completely reversible.

Periodontitis is another common gum disease. It occurs due to bacteria toxins penetrating the gingival. For more information you can visit free Australian health advice here .

Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth most commonly erupt in late adolescence or early adulthood, usually between the ages of 18 and 24.

A lack of space for the teeth to erupt is a common problem, and can cause the teeth to be impacted. Even when there is enough space, often teeth do not move into the correct position.

Infections, crowding, the formation of cysts and damage to nearby molars are common problems caused by impacted wisdom teeth. If this occurs, the teeth must be extracted.

Extraction can involve some complications, so the Woodgrove Dental team.

Cosmetic Dentistry

Cosmetic dentistry uses simple processes to create a brighter and more confident smile. If you’ve always dreamt of having a whiter, straighter or more even smile, then cosmetic dentistry can achieve this by using one or more of the following treatments:

Bonding – Gaps discoloured and short teeth can be corrected through bonding. This process attaches a white filling to the tooth’s surface, holding a strong bond and camouflaging the tooth so that it is practically indistinguishable from other tooth surfaces.

Crowns – Crowns are fitted over a damaged tooth with a strong root to ensure no further decay occurs.

Bridges – Connecting two crowns to either side of an artificial tooth from bridges. This is applied by connecting the outer crowns to healthy teeth, effectively bridging across the space left by the missing tooth and restoring your smile with natural-looking results.

Implants – Implants are another option for replacing missing teeth, but are completely free standing and are the closest emulation of natural teeth.

Gummy Smile – To lengthen visibility of your short teeth, a minor one-day, one-visit surgery can be performed to remove part of the gums to expose more of the tooth. For more information on any of these treatments, please contact the Woodgrove Dental team.

For more information on any of these treatments, please contact the Woodgrove Dental team.

Whitening

Tooth whitening is a safe and simple process for achieving a whiter and brighter smile.

Although regular brushing keeps teeth and gums healthy, toothpaste removes only external
stains.

At home whitening is achieved by using a whitening gel applied via a unique whitening tray. The tray is created from a unique impression of your mouth which ensures that only the required teeth are treated.

Depending on the type of gel you wish to use, the tray can be worn once or twice a day for two hours at a time over a period of two weeks or overnight for five days.

Alternatively, whitening can be done in our Melton dental clinic but we recommend our patients follow up with at home whitening to achieve the best results.

The results of teeth whitening are usually long lasting but will fade with time, so we recommend 6-12 monthly touch ups to maintain brightness.

Orthodontics

Orthodontic treatment offered at out Melton Dental clinic helps you to achieve a healthy, smile that looks great and can be maintained for life.

Overcrowded or crooked teeth can cause problems such as uneven wear of tooth surfaces, tooth decay and jaw problems. By using fixed braces or a removable application such as a plate, your teeth are moved into their correct position, improving the overall look of your smile and enabling easier cleaning and maintenance.

Orthodontics is most commonly applied during childhood and early adolescence but it is also becoming common for adults to require treatment. Treatment usually lasts 18 to 36 months but varies patient to patient.

Proper oral care at home ensures orthodontic treatment successful and progresses on time. Once our dentis in Melton has applied braces, it can be difficult to keep your teeth clean. But removing plaque is important for maintaining healthy teeth and gums during treatment and to keeps your smile brighter long after those braces come off!

Cracked Tooth

Cracked teeth are one of the most common problems facing modern dentistry. Habits such as clenching and grinding teeth and chewing hard foods, particularly confectionary subject the teeth to trauma that can result in cracking.

An early symptoms of cracked teeth include pain when chewing (due to the crack opening and closing) and sensitivity to hot, cold or sweet foods. When the crack becomes more advanced, you may experience a constant toothache, which indicates the crack has damaged the nerve.

Treatment depends on the kind of crack that has occurred. Simple cracks can be treated with a filling and possibly a crown to reinforce the structure. More complex cracks that have caused nerve damage may require more intense procedures such as root canal treatment or possibly extraction.

If you experience any of the symptoms associated with cracked teeth, it is important you contact the Woodgrove Dental team to seek proper treatment and prevent further damage.

Dental Hygiene Treatment

Woodgrove Dental would like to celebrate the addition of our new Dental Hygienist.

Our Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy and will work with Dr Ten to provide fully integrated dental care. She is also able to treat patients up to 25 years of age for most general dental needs.

She will examine and evaluate your periodontal (gum) tissue, including x-ray discussions and review of your medical history.

Dental hygiene treatment at our Melton dental clinic may also include tooth scaling and polishing and the application of decay prevention agents.

Crowns

A crown is a covering that fits around an existing tooth, commonly made from porcelain to maintain a natural-looking smile.

They can be used to prevent fractures in damaged teeth or to reinforce decayed teeth that have been filled, no longer have the structural strength to support the filling. Crowns can also be used for cosmetic reasons to correct discoloured or misshapen teeth.

Your dentist in Melton will prepare the tooth, then take a unique impression of the tooth which is then sent to a Dental Technician who constructs the crown and returns it for fitting. This process usually takes about two weeks. In the meantime, your dentist in Melton will fit a temporary crown to protect and maintain the look and functionality of your teeth.

Good oral care and regular dental check-ups ensure the success of the crown. Proper maintenance can asure your smile long lasting for 10 to 15 years.

Porcelain Veneers

Porcelain veneers help to achieve your perfect smile by restoring dental imperfections and improving the overall aesthetics of your teeth.

A porcelain shell is applied to either a single tooth or a segment of teeth, eliminating the appearance of stains, cracks, chips, gaps and misalignments.

Through consultation with your dentist in Melton, porcelain veneers are constructed to be larger, smaller or whiter, depending on your particular dental needs. Your dentist will take a mould of your teeth, which is sent to the Caroline springs Dental Technician for special construction according to your specific size and shape requirements and return the veneer for fitting.

The veneer is cemented to the tooth to achieve perfect, natural-looking teeth that will keep you smiling for years to come.

Bridge

Bridges are a strong and durable solution for a missing tooth when there is a gap created by single or multiple missing teeth.

Lost teeth not only affect the aesthetics of your smile but can trigger problems with your mouth
and jaw and cause issues with eating and speaking.

A bridge is achieved by fitting two crowns over the existing teeth with an artificial tooth attached in between so that it literally over passes across the gap.

The two existing teeth are contoured in preparation for the crowns. Your dentist in Melton will then take a unique impression of the teeth, which is sent to a Dental Technician. The technician constructsthe bridge as one single piece comprised of the artificial tooth attached to the two crowns to give the impression of three separate teeth.

Once your dentist in Melton fits the bridge, your smile is restored with a natural look and feel which should last at least 10 years with proper oral care.

Implants

Dental implants are the closest artificial replacement to real teeth and are an effective substitute when teeth are lost or broken. Unlike bridges, dental implants are freestanding and don’t require other teeth to support them.

The process begins by inserting a titanium post into the jawbone, allowing three to four months for a biological process to occur which fuses the bone with the post. After this period, an extension called an abutment is attached to the top of the implant and left for two to six weeks to allow the soft tissue around it to heal.

Next, a dental prosthesis such as a crown is attached on top of the abutment, connected to the underlying implant structures to create a fully functional replacement for the natural tooth.

With proper oral care including brushing, flossing and regular dental check-ups, the success of your dental implants will be long lasting and keep you smiling for decades!

Dentures and Denture Implants

Dentures are another alternative to bridges and implants for replacing lost teeth. Our expert team at Woodgrove Dental clinic can help you in suggesting you the right solution that meets your need.

Full dentures are used when there are no existing teeth on the upper or lower jaws.

Partial dentures are used to replace one or more missing teeth, using the remaining teeth as a supportive structure.

Another alternative is denture implants, which can overcome some of the problems incurred from full and partial dentures.

A colour match of your existing teeth and gums can be achieved to best camouflage the dentures.

Dentures are uniquely moulded and fitted to your mouth to have you chewing, chatting and caring for your new pearly whites with absolute comfort in no time.

Root Canal Treatment

Root canal treatment is required when the root or nerve of the tooth becomes infected.

Pain, deep cavities, tenderness during eating, dramatic discolouration and sensitivity to hot and cold foods are all indicators that you require a dental check-up and possibly a root canal.

This procedure involves removing the nerve pulp and cleaning the nerve space.

Then tooth becomes more fragile following root canal treatment, so a crown is often required at
the end of the procedure.

Root canals require a high level of skill and several visits to our Melton Dental clinic. They’re traditionally thought to be rather painful, however modern technologies and anaesthetics have improved the level of comfort for patients which is often no more painful than any other dental treatment.