Blog | Trusted Wantirna Dentist | Studfield Dental Group

How to Treat an Abscessed Tooth

Dental abscesses typically mean one thing: an infected nerve inside of your tooth. If you don’t treat it soon enough, you may lose the tooth entirely. In extremely rare situations, abscesses can spread to other parts of the face or even into the brain. Although this is not extremely common, it does re-emphasize the importance of timely care for our Wantrina South patients. Because an abscess is inside of your tooth, it’s important to access the nerve and remove the dying tissues inside of the hollow chamber that extends through the root. Generally, this endodontic procedure is referred to as … Continue reading “How to Treat an Abscessed Tooth”

Four Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Tooth Decay

Does it seem like no matter what you do, you’re constantly getting new cavities each year? Although there may be some genetic and hereditary reasons behind an elevated cavity risk, there are several things you can do to reduce the frequency and amount of developing tooth decay. Here are a few of the tips that we recommend to our Wantrina South patients: Drink Water Whenever Possible Most of the drinks we consume tend to feed oral bacteria, including fruit juice, milk, sports drinks, sweetened tea or coffee, and soda (whether it’s regular or diet.) Hydrating with water cleans your teeth … Continue reading

Am I a Candidate for Dental Implants?

Replacing your missing teeth has never been so successful than it is with the modern dental implant. Studfield Dental Group offers comprehensive implant treatment in Wantrina South. The catch? You need to be a candidate for treatment! Your Current Oral Health Status We choose to place implants in mouths that are healthy and stable, to prevent infection and failure of the prosthesis. If diseased teeth need to be removed, we will want you to have adequate healing time to minimize the risk of infection. Or if adjacent teeth are affected by gingivitis and gum disease, we may choose to address … Continue reading

Symptoms of Periodontal Disease

Gum disease is a broadly used term that describes infection in the gingiva (gums) around your teeth. Mild cases start out as gingivitis, but if the inflammation and bacterial levels aren’t addressed, it can bridge into moderate to severe periodontal disease (periodontitis.) Why does any of this matter? Because periodontitis is the #1 cause of adult tooth loss. Know the Signs The best way to prevent gum disease and stop it early is to know what symptoms to look for. In general, gingivitis will start to cause complications such as: • Mild swelling • Possible redness along the gumlines • … Continue reading “Symptoms of Periodontal Disease”

Do I Need a Crown?

It’s time for your next dental checkup, but it’s been years since you saw a dentist last. You’re starting to suspect that one of your teeth needs a filling or some other type of treatment; after all, it feels a little funny when you bite down and chew on it. To your surprise, you learn that you don’t need a filling at all…but rather a full coverage dental crown. How can this be, especially since there’s nothing visibly wrong with your tooth and you’re not in pain? Looking Inside of the Tooth Thanks to digital X-rays, our Studfield dentists can … Continue reading “Do I Need a Crown?”

Planning a Smile Makeover

When you feel embarrassed about the way your teeth look, it can affect your self-confidence and even your social life. Investing in yourself to make improvements in your smile may help you feel more relaxed when you’re smiling or laughing around other people. Even if your teeth are very healthy, there are several things you can do to boost their appearance. Talking to Your Dentist about What You Want to Change The first step to any smile makeover is talking to your dentist about your teeth. What do you like or not like about them? Are there specific … Continue reading “Planning a Smile Makeover”

Five Signs You Might Have a Cavity

You felt something funny inside of your mouth…could it be tooth decay? Although not every cavity causes pain or obvious symptoms, there are some things that definitely indicate a problem is occurring. Before you pick up the phone to call our Wantrina South dentists, ask yourself if you’ve been experiencing any of the following: Feeling a Rough or Sharp Edge Run your tongue across your teeth. Do you notice a jagged or sharp area that irritates your tongue? Is this area unlike any others inside of your mouth? It could be structural damage to one of your teeth. Something … Continue reading

Should You be Wearing a Bite Splint?

Bite splints, mouth guards, night guards, or protective dental appliances: should you be wearing one? We’re not talking about an athletic mouthguard that you see on football or lacrosse players. What our Watrina South dentists mean by a protective bite splint is one that you wear when you’re sleeping or clenching your teeth during the day. Here’s why: Protect Your Investments Have you recently acquired new dental work? Maybe porcelain veneers, an implant crown, or other restorative work. Do you want your investment to last? Being too rough on your teeth can cause abrasion making porcelain to chip away. Wearing … Continue reading

Four Reasons to Consider Sleep Dentistry

At Studfield Dental Group, we offer sleep dentistry in our Wantrina South office. Here are a few reasons why we choose to make it available to our patients: You Need a Lot of Dental Work If it’s been a long time since you saw a dentist last, there’s a chance that you have several cavities that need to be filled. Being able to “get it all over with at once” is a great way to get back into a prevention focused routine, so that you can enjoy less treatment between checkup appointments. Fewer Appointments Dental work is usually broken up … Continue reading

Do My Wisdom Teeth Need to be Removed?

Wisdom teeth usually start to erupt into the mouth during the late teen years to early 20’s. By around age 30, they’re fully developed. Although it may seem a “rite of passage” into adulthood to have them pulled, it isn’t always necessary. When Wisdom Teeth Cause Pain Perhaps the biggest reason why people ask our Wantrina South dentist if their wisdom teeth need to be extracted, is because they’re in pain. The intermittent pressure or discomfort felt may be due to reasons such as: • Eruption cysts • Decay or infection around the tooth • Lack of space in the … Continue reading