www.BestOgdenDentist.com Blog

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Which electric toothbrush is better?

Okay, because you asked.

When the topic of electric toothbrushes comes up there are two big questions that I always get asked.

Questions.

#1 Do I need one.

#2 Which one is the best.

Answers

#1 No. You do not need an electric tooth brush. If you are a diligent brusher then it does not really matter if your tooth brush uses batteries for power or uses you for power. The results can be the same. This is not to say that the results will be the same in the same amount of time. Because they wont. The manual tooth brush will take a little longer but it is capable of doing the same thing.

# 2 This question is like asking which car is the best. Well, a Ferrari is the fastest and looks the best, but a Toyota Camry will do you just fine. The same is true for tooth brushes. There are tooth brushes out there that can run you over $300. They have timers to tell you when to stop. they will talk to you and tell you to switch sides of the mouth. They have pressure sensors to tell you if you are brushing too hard. And they look really cool. However, the electric toothbrushes that cost $10 can do just as much for cleaning your teeth. The whole idea behind cleaning your teeth is just to get the bristles to remove the plaque. Little timers are nice but if you are capable of getting your teeth clean without a timer then what is the point.

So what do I use?

I use an Oral B electric. I like the way it feels when it cleans and it seems to work well for me. My wife uses a Sonicare, and can't stand my Oral B. Conversely I have used her Sonicare and that thing drives me up the wall. So there is a lot to be said here about personal preference.

Dr. Ellis Facebook

Dr. Ellis Website

Dr. Ellis on Google+

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

What is wrong here?

There could be many things wrong, but the thing

that I am choosing to focus on is the missing teeth.

Many people think that it is okay to just remove one tooth.

That nothing could possible happen.

Well, that is just not the case.

Teeth are held in place, in large part, by the teeth around them.

Teeth are only so tall because they run into the teeth in the other jaw.

Teeth are only so far forward in your mouth because of the teeth next

to them in the same jaw.

By pulling a tooth you may set in motion a whole lot of tooth movement

that you did not want and or plan on.

Your speech patterns.

Your ability to chew properly.

And the look of your smile may all be negatively effected.

Here is a picture of someone who had front teeth extracted.

Their other teeth are no shifting sideways.

This is an x-ray of someone that had back teeth extracted.

This shows the teeth further back tipping into the open spaces.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Closed the gap.

Hey everybody.

This is Jeff.

Jeff is one heck of a guy.

He is married to one heck of a woman.

And has some great kids.

Only problem Jeff had was a gap in his teeth.

(That, and pigeons in his chimney. But that's another story.)

Anyway, we got Jeff in today to close the gap in his teeth.

No need for braces.

No need for shots.

Cheap as fillings.

Done in about an hour.

Totally reversible.

Jeff Before

Jeff after.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Cosmetic Bonding

This is Ms. W

Ms. W had some lateral incisors that came in smaller then they should have.

She wanted to change the way they looked so we helped her out.

Picture of the side tooth that was too small.

and the side tooth after.

The whole smile before.

and the whole smile after.

1 hour - no shots - no drilling into the teeth - one happy patient

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

What is wrong with my tongue?!

It's called geographic tongue.

Geographic tongue is a condition where the tissue of the tongue will vary in

appearance from one section of the tongue to another.

The location, size, color and duration of the variations is different from person to person

and can even change within the same person over time.

There is no real threat with geographic tongue. Most people with geographic

tongue don't even know they have it. All they know is that they have always

had this funnysection of their tongue that changes texture and color from time to time.

The only main side effect coincidental with geographic tongue is a heightened

sensitivity to spicy foods form time to time. These episodes will occur as

the spots of the geographic tongue go through their phase of appearing and

then disappearing.

Dr. Ellis Google+

Monday, January 23, 2012

Mr C. came to our office one day with a failing root canal.

Like other medical procedures, root canals can fail.

After weighing the options Mr C. decided to have

the tooth extracted and an implant placed.

(Before the extraction.)

Showing the root canal and a pretty decent sized infection.

Tooth was extracted and a bone graft was placed in the site.

Waiting time will be about 3 weeks.

Day of the surgery went very well.

Head of the implant is flush with the bone so our aesthetics should look great.
Infection now gone and infected area even starting to fill in a little.

8 weeks from now we will have a beautiful new tooth on there.

Dr. Ellis Google+ Page

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Billie

This is Billie.

Billie didn't like the gap in her front teeth.

Billie didn't want to spend years and money with braces.

We told Billie that cosmetic bonding might be right for her.

Here are Billie's before and afters.

30 minutes

No shots

Cheap as a regular filling.

Billie is a happy patient

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Which Dentist Is Right For You?

Well, that's kind of like asking if all apples are the same. Apples come in different colors. Apples come in different sizes. Apples come with a variety of flavors.

So what apple is right for you? That depends on the situation. Is it a hot summers day and you just want an apple that will taste good? Or are you looking to make a pie and need an apple that is good for baking? The answer to these two questions would lead you to two very different varieties of apples. Yet they are both still called apples.

The same can be said for dentists. Every dentist has had to go to a qualified dental school to get his/her degree. Every dentist has had to take the same national examinations to prove that they are proficient at certain types of dentistry. Therefore, anyone that legally can be called a dentist is pretty much the same thing.

So what dentist is right for you. Like the apples, that depends on what you are looking for. If you want convenience then do an internet search for dentists and you can find the absolute closest dentist to you by mileage. If you want the cheapest dentist then call dental offices and ask what their cost is on a certain procedure. You can then find the cheapest dentist out there.

These factors are the easy ones. But what if you want a dentist that is good with kids. What if you want a dentist that has a good cosmetic eye and can not only fix your teeth but make them look attractive as well. What if you want a good bedside manner, etc. etc. etc.

These are some of the tougher ones. For this you need to do a little more homework. Go online and read reviews. Ask neighbors, friends, and family. Ask to see before and after pictures of work they have done. Ask if they have gotten any extra training in any particular aspect of dentistry. Ask if there are procedures that they choose not to do. Even though every dentist can do a root canal, some choose not to.

Once you have found all of this out you can choose which dentist is right for you. Last thing you want is to take a bite thinking you have a golden delicious and end up with a granny smith.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Implant case

Here is as straight forward of an implant case as you will see.

Patient had a failing root canal on a pre-molar tooth.

Tooth was extracted and a single implant placed.

After healing had occurred then a solid zirconium crown was put in place.

Patient is very happy with the result.

Dr. Ellis on Facebook

Friday, January 13, 2012

There has been a large push in the media over this issue but we are still

seeing it in the office so I think it bears repeating.

Early childhood cavities are bad news.

These cavities are costly to fix, it is harder to keep them intact,

and drilling on children gives them a bad perception

of what going to the dentist is all about, which will stay with them

for a long long time and effect how they view dental care in the future.

Simple rule of thumb here.

Do not give your children anything to drink, that is not water, in between meals.

At meal time they can have lots of stuff.

Juice, milk, koolaid, etc.

After the meal is over have them brush their teeth or swish with a glass of water.

This will help clean the sugars out of their mouths that they got form the meal.

ANY other time you should be giving them water.

It is the child that is continuously exposed to sugars that will get the cavities.

And for the love of all that is good and holy do not, under any circumstances,

put your child to bed with a bottle of juice, milk, or anything else.

Dr Ellis on Facebook

Dr Ellis Website

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Does my child need braces?

We get this question a lot.

And the answer is directly related to the definition of the word "need".

There are very few things that we "need" in life.

Water, food, and shelter being among them.

You only "need" to have braces if the misalignment of your teeth

is so great that is causing you health problems.

Health problems such as the inability to eat properly,

trouble speaking clearly, and/or experiencing extreme

amounts of tooth decay because your teeth are simply to hard to clean properly.

Other then these instances braces are a "want" and not a "need".

It is simply a cosmetic issue at that point.

Do women "need" to die their hair when it turns gray?

Do men "need" to trim their eyebrows when they get over 3 inches long?

So the determination of whether or not your child "needs" braces is

pretty much up to you and your child.

For more information on braces and all other things orthodontic

you can talk to your dentist or contact an orthodontist directly.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Cosmetic Bonding - Before and After

Cosmetic bonding is such a wonderful treatment.

Things that people have been dealing with for years can

be corrected in a matter of minutes without any shots and

at relatively low cost when compared with the alternatives.

This is Nancy.

Nancy had always hated the gaps in her front teeth.

Nancy has 3 kids and did not want to go through braces.

She also did not want to spend gobs of money on crowns or veneers.

So we did a procedure called cosmetic bonding.

Cosmetic bonding simply means placing a small white filling

on the side of each tooth that makes up the gap.

The fillings simply glue on, like all other fillings,

and are very durable.

Nancy Before.

Nancy After

Monday, January 2, 2012

Do I brush too hard?

Some patients will tell me that they are noticing little

grooves at the base of there teeth, right by the gums.

They wonder what they are, and if anything can be done to prevent

them from getting worse and/or to stop them from happening on their other teeth?

Here is what is going on.

The white stuff that covers your teeth is called enamel.

The enamel only goes as far as the gums however.

If you start to feel a little groove at the base of your teeth

or start to see a band of discoloration both of these may be

due to something called "Gum Recession".

As your gums start to recede the root structure of your teeth

starts to be uncovered.

The root structure of your tooth is much more sensitive to

hots and colds, is much softer and more prone to cavities, and

has a much darker color then the enamel.

The number one cause of this is brushing too hard, too long, and/or too often.

Nothing can be done to fix what has happened.

Fillings can be placed over the effected area to cover it up

but the gums will never grow back up to the enamel line.

To stop this from happening in the future I recommend using the softest toothbrush

you can find, the mildest toothpaste you can find, and making sure that you

use very light pressure as you brush.

These things will aid in keeping your gums as healthy as possible without beating them up too bad.

Sometimes this gum recession is simply due to genetics and there is nothing

that can be done about this. In those instances the same steps should be

used to slow the progress on the recession for as long as possible.

Friday, December 30, 2011

I just broke my front tooth. Now what?

Okay so you, your child, your mom, your brother, etc. etc. just fell face first into something, over something, under something, etc. etc. and broke the corner of your/their front tooth off.

What do you do now?

Well, that depends. Lets break this down into 3 simplified categories.

The nerve of a tooth is in the middle of the tooth.

#1 If you just broke off a small corner of the tooth and it didn't reach the nerve then a simple filling is probably all you would need.

#2 If you broke off a larger corner but still didn't reach the nerve then you more then likely would need a crown.

#3 If you broke your tooth so severely that you got down into the nerve then you will need a root canal AND a crown.

And although all of this may be a traumatic experience don't worry. Your cracked and broken smile can be completely repaired and have you back to being the model you know you were born to be.

Dr. Ellis on Facebook

Dr. Ellis Website

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Can anything be done about my teeth grinding?

Teeth grinding is a tough thing to deal with.

The problem here is that most teeth grinding is done while you sleep.

Thus, you are doing it subconsciously.

Well, unless you can control your subconscious then you might be out

of luck in making yourself stop grinding all together.

So what can be done?

The only thing that can be done is an attempt to stop the damage being

done from the grinding.

Serious damage can occur as you grind your teeth.

Chipped teeth is one of the biggest things.

To help avoid chipping, and even completely breaking, your

teeth we recommend a night guard.

Its not complicated.

Its just a piece of plastic that is made to fit your teeth.

The fit needs to be fairly tight so that it does not fall off into your mouth at night.

You will still be doing the grinding but instead of grinding teeth on

teeth you are now grinding teeth on plastic.

Over time the plastic will wear out and you will need a new one.

It is however, much cheaper to replace a piece of plastic then it is to replace your teeth.

Dr. Ellis Facebook

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Are Clear Plastic Braces for You?

Everyone calls these types of braces Invisalign.

However, another product is out on the market that

does the exact same thing except less expensive.

This product is called Clear Correct.

The trays are still clear.

Your teeth still move.

You can still take them out.

If you have orthodontic insurance you are still covered.

So are there any differences?

Yes

You pay less.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

What kind of teeth bleaching is right for me?

Teeth whitening is a very hot topic these days.

It seems as though everybody and their dog is offering to have your

teeth whitened for life, by tomorrow.

So what is real and what is hype?

As a disclaimer let me just say that tooth whitening can be accomplished successfully with ANY of these methods and that the following is based on fact with my opinion thrown in for flavor.

There are basically 3 ways to whiten your teeth.

#1 With the whiteners you buy in the stores.

This includes strips, trays, paint on stuff, etc.

Couple of things to consider here. The strength of the bleach has to be over the counter strength which is going to be less then bleach you can get form your dentist. Its like buying Tylenol from the store vs getting Lortab from the dentist. Next is the way the bleach is delivered. Below is a picture of a bleaching strip. Since this strip is sold to everyone, it then by nature, fits no one. Administering bleach to the masses can be a very inexact science that could lead to burned gums or uneven bleaching of the teeth.

#2 Is custom trays made by your dentist and you do the bleaching at home.

This way of bleaching has a lot of up side.

First the strength of bleach is prescription strength which will allow you to bleach faster. Second while bleaching faster it is still slow enough to stop when you begin feeling too much sensitivity. Lastly the trays are made specifically for you. They will fit no one else and thus deliver the bleach right to where it is needed.

#3 In office light whitening.

This option is nice because it is the fastest. But there are some draw backs. The machines to do the bleaching are expensive so the cost must be passed on the the patient. Next, you can't stop bleaching when you begin to feel sensitive. You will lay back being one shade and be several shades lighter when you sit up. If you happen to have lightened up too much and your teeth are very sensitive to even breath you are kind of out of luck.

So again, there are probably many of you reading this that have gotten your teeth whitened by any of the ways just mentioned and it has worked well for you. And that is great. I personally have chosen to offer only the 2nd option in my office as I feel it is the best bang for the buck and offers the least chance of complications for my patients.

Dr. Ellis on Facebook