General Dentistry
General Dental Care At It’s Finest
The team at Mooroopna Dental Practice ensure you get the best from your dental appointments so you remain healthy and have a beautiful smile for life. We take the time to understand your needs and provide comprehensive dental care for not just you but your whole family.
Our general dental services in Shepparton and Goulburn Valley regions include:
Dental Check-Up and Clean
When you come in for a dental check up and a clean, we assess each tooth to identify any early signs of tooth decay or deterioration while also looking at your gums to identify early stages of gum disease. We then proceed to clean your teeth and gums, in order to ensure your oral hygiene is well maintained. Cleaning teeth is sometimes known as a dental scale & clean. Our friendly team would then provide you with personalised dental advice and comprehensive treatment plans based on their observations.
Tooth Fillings
An important part of saving teeth and treating tooth decay & cavities in your teeth is to have a dental filling.
Fillings are used to replace decayed portions of tooth and can also be used to repair cracked or broken teeth, although it is a more temporary solution to Veneers and Dental Crowns.
If you have tooth decay it is very important that we treat the cavity before the decay reaches further into the tooth. Our experienced dentist will first remove any tooth decay or portions of teeth that have decayed after which they will proceed with filling that part of the tooth.
Modern dentistry has come a long way. In the past if you needed a filling or a crown, the options were limited to silver amalgam (black metal fillings) or gold restoration. Advances in dental materials now allow our dentists to repair cavities using modern, tooth-coloured fillings or composite restorations.
At Mooroopna Dental Practice, we avoid using amalgam fillings and prefer the safer resin composite fillings for teeth. White fillings of composite resins, result in restorations that look and feel just like the natural enamel of a tooth. Best of all, they are bonded directly to the tooth, making them strong and long lasting.
Root Canal Treatment
Root Canal Treatment can save and restore your teeth
Root Canal Treatment or Endodontics is a procedure that enables us to save teeth by removing the infected or diseased nerve from inside the tooth. Root canal treatments are typically needed when the tooth dies as a result of untreated bacteria from tooth decay, that has reached into the nerve of the tooth.
At Mooroopna Dental Practice, we make root canal treatments as comfortable as we can for our patients, with fast acting pain relief options and updated technology and techniques.
Root canal therapy usually requires two to three visits. During the first visit, the diseased pulp tissue is removed, the inner chamber cleansed and disinfected, and the tiny canals reshaped. The tooth is filled with an anti- inflammatory and anti-bacterial medicament after which it is sealed temporarily.
Once the infection has subsided these canals are then filled with tough Gutta Percha and sealed permanently.
X-rays are taken during the procedure and sometimes a dental crown may be required after in order to restore its strength and appearance.
Dentures
Bringing your smile back with specially designed dentures
At Mooroopna Dental Practice, we understand that the loss of teeth can have negative effects on self-confidence and ability to chew food. Since teeth provide structure and support to the cheeks, tooth loss can result in the sagging of cheeks and make us appear older than we are. It is essential that missing teeth are replaced as soon as possible.
Dentures are removable replacements for teeth, designed to look and function like our own natural teeth and surrounding gum tissues. Modern-day dentures can look very realistic and natural while being comfortable.
Types of Dentures
A full, or complete, denture replaces all missing teeth. A simple removable denture is a very common, cost effective option for alot of our patients, however with advancements in dentistry, dentures are now fast becoming fixed with dental implants which has a dramatic affect on improving the quality of life and function of the mouth.
A patial denture replaces certain missing teeth. The dentures are either made from an acrylic resin frame or have a full metal frame. It is a great options for patients who are missing one or more teeth and need a cost effective, quick replacement.
How should I look after my Dentures?
It is important to keep dentures clean at all times. Remove dentures at night to give your gums “rest” and the chance to be exposed to natural saliva, which will keep them healthy. It is recommended to brush dentures and soak them in cold water or special soak solution.
Always brush dentures before putting them back into your mouth. It is important to visit your dentist regularly to ensure that your dentures are in good condition and continue to fit your gums. As the shape of your gums and underlying bone change with time, loose fitting dentures can cause irritation and inflammation of your gums resulting in problems with eating and speech.
If you are considering dentures, we invite you to come in for a consultation. We will do an assessment of your condition and provide you with a list of options tailored to your individual needs.
Mouthguards
Protect your smile with a sports mouthguard
Contact sports such as Football, Basketball, Soccer, Hockey and Martial arts are a part of our healthy active life, but they can involve heavy knocks to the teeth and mouth. If you or your child is playing a sport where there is a chance of being hit in the jaw or head, wearing a Custom-made mouthguard will help prevent common dental injuries such as chipping, breaking or knocking out teeth, as well as soft tissue injuries such as split lips, cheeks and gums.
If your child is undergoing orthodontic treatment, a mouthguard is critical to help protect their braces and mouth from damage.
Your mouthguard can be professionally made incorporating your favourite colours or can be made clear to be less visible.
If you love your sport and want to protect your child’s smile from sporting injuries, come in to Mooroopna Dental Practice for a Custom-made mouthguard.
Wisdom Teeth Extractions
Our dental surgeons at Mooroopna Dental Practice are experienced in removing wisdom teeth of all levels of difficulty, from a simple extraction to a surgical procedure.
Wisdom teeth can sometimes cause a significant aching pain from the back of your mouth, especially if there isn’t enough room for them to erupt. It is common to have wisdom teeth removed between the ages of 18 and 25, as the jaw bone is less dense when you are younger and recovery time is less.
An OPG (Panormaic x-ray showing all of your teeth) is used to detect wisdom teeth and diagnose any issues relating to them.
Our Mooroopna Dental Pratice dentist, Dr Vijay Devayya, performs minor oral surgery to remove wisdom teeth under General Anaesthesia. If it is assessed that your wisdom teeth need to be surgically removed, it is done so in the hospital whilst you are asleep. This is a very common procedure and a team of extremely trained hospital nurses and aneasthetists ensure you are well looked after before, during and after your surgery.
In some circumstances where specialist treatment is necessary, referral to an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon is readily available in within the region.