My eye!!!

Everyone knows that having dry eyes are bad.

If its caused by hot dry weather, medication, allergies,

age, etc. its no fun when your eyes are dry.

And it seems as though people seem to have a pretty good handle 

on stopping their eyes from being dry.

People will take their allergy meds, or reach for over the counter

solutions to place directly into their eyes to moisten them.

But what about dry mouth?

It seems as though people do not realize what to do about

dry mouth or even know what causes it.

Dry mouth is bad. 

And it can be very bad.

Dry teeth are essentially dead teeth waiting to happen.

Saliva plays a huge roll in protecting your teeth from the 

effects of the bacteria that cause cavities.

Without the saliva (dry mouth) the teeth are sitting ducks for the 

effects of the bacteria.

The causes of Dry mouth are varied.

Age, medications, and genetics are all part of the equation.

And just like treating dry eyes there are things that can, 

and should be, done in relation to treating dry mouth.

First is to identify the cause.

If its medications then talk to the doctor that is putting you on those

meds and discuss other possible options and medications.

If it is age or genetics then there are steps you can take. 

First is to always carry a water bottle with you.

It is not the quantity of water you drink but the frequency 

with which you drink it.

Always keeping your mouth moist is key.

There are also several over the counter medications 

to assist people with dry mouth.

Toothpastes, mouthwashes, mouth sprays, etc, are all available.

Take home point here is that if you suffer from dry mouth

do not let things go too long before you address the situation.

Dry mouth, just like dry eyes, if left untreated can have very long lasting

and severe effects. 

Dr. Ellis Website

Dr. Ellis on Facebook

Dr. Ellis on Google+

Do I just have a cavity or do I need a Root Canal?

So your tooth hurts. 

But how do you know if its just a cavity that needs filling

or if it's progressed to something much more serious and 

needs to have a Root Canal Treatment preformed on it?

First thing is to determine when the tooth hurts.

Cavities typically hurt only on exposure to hot or cold temperature changes.

Teeth that need root canals will hurt on biting, hot, cold, and 

perhaps most importantly, they may start hurting for no reason at all.

If you are just reading a book and your tooth starts hurting, 

you may be in trouble.

Another indicator would be the presence of an abscess. 

An abscess is a little bump next to the tooth on the gums.

This is a sign that there may be infection and that a root canal 

may indeed be in your future.

These are all general guidelines.

No matter what, if you feel any discomfort in your teeth you should

seek professional advice as soon as possible.

Dr Ellis Website

Dr Ellis on Facebook

Dr Ellis on G+

Dr Ellis on Twitter

Dr Ellis on Youtube

Can Floss be Replaced?

Houston, we have a problem.

No one likes to floss.

Some people do it but even those folks don't find it to be the highlight of their day.

Floss manufacturers know this and so they have been coming out with floss alternatives to try to entice people.

One of these alternatives that is really catching on is a little thing that looks like a piece of pipe cleaner. You take this little pipe cleaner job and push it back and forth at the base of you tooth.

These things are called inter proximal brushes, proxi brushes, etc. But they all do the same thing.

Here are some examples.

So what's the problem?

The problem is that although they do a great job of getting things out from the space right above the gum line, they absolutely do not get to the most important spot in between the teeth.

This most important spot is the spot where the floss snaps.

That spot that snaps is where the bugs that cause the cavities are hiding.

They wedge into the hardest spot to get to in order to cause cavities.

If you do not feel that snap then you are not getting that spot clean.

Don't get me wrong here.

I love it when people use the little pip cleaner jobs.

However, I am starting to see more and more folks that are getting cavities that say to me, "how is that possible?! I am using those pipe cleaners all the time."

Use these cool new gadgets just don't let them replace the floss.

Dr. Ellis on Facebook

Dr. Ellis Website

Dr. Ellis on Google+

Are all wisdom tooth extractions the same?

Not even close.

Below is an example of why wisdom tooth extractions

differ in complexity, even from side to side in the same person.

Try getting a tooth out with a big old fish hook at the bottom.

If tooth roots are straight and tapered then they 

are relatively easy to remove.

However, if they look like this tooth then that is another story.

The above picture is half of a wisdom tooth that we took out just this morning.

Dr. Ellis Website

Dr. Ellis on Facebook

Dr. Ellis on Google+

Tongue Scrapers

I was asked today about tongue scrapers.

I personally do not use a tongue scraper but there is never 

a time when I am brushing my teeth that I do not also brush my tongue.

The tongue is just like any other place on the human body.

It can collect bacteria and needs to be cleaned.

It may even more needful then other places due to the 

fact that the tongue is in an environment that is moist, 

warm and has a constant supply of food.

All of these factors are great for bacterial growth.

And bad bacterial is something that we do not want to see happen.

So whether or not you use a tongue scraper to clean your tongue, to me, 

does not matter too much. 

What does matter to me is that you simply get your tongue clean

one way or the other.

Dr. Ellis Website

Dr. Ellis Facebook

Dr. Ellis on Google+

Dad's Dentures are loose : (

What can be done for a denture that won't stay in?

First of all the age of the denture needs to be considered.

If the denture is over 10 years old, without having been re-fit,

then a dentist needs to look at it.

Secondly, was the denture made properly?

Even the newest denture won't fit if it was made improperly.

Third, what is the overall health of the person wearing the denture?

If the patient has experienced severe weight loss over a short period of time

then the denture may quickly become unwearable do to an ill fit.

Many loose fitting dentures can be solved by taking care of

one of the previously mentioned problems.

However if that doesn't fix the problem then there is another solution.

Two implants placed in the lower jaw with a couple of snaps

placed in the denture may be just the trick.

The snaps placed in the denture will grab onto the implants

(just like a snap on a shirt).

The denture will now be be much more able to stay in place.

Contact your dentist and see if this is the right option for your loved one.

Or you.

Dr. Ellis on Facebook

Dr. Ellis Website

Dr. Ellis on Google+

How do you tell someone they are old?

Almost everyday I have to tell someone, that has

never had a cavity, that they have a cavity.

Many of these people are in the 50's or 60's.

They spend lots of time brushing and flossing and have never had a

cavity and don't understand how they now are getting cavities when

they are doing the same things that they have always done to keep their teeth clean.

At this point I have to be very diplomatic.

The simple answer is...... you are getting older.

As we age things will begin to break down.

These people have no problem accepting that their eyesight isn't what is used to be.

Or that their hearing may be a little worse then it was when they were younger.

But for some reason, the fact that their teeth are also wearing down is a new concept.

Every part of our bodies will break down over time.

Teeth will follow right along with the rest of it.

The forces of a lifetime of chewing mixed in with the fact that salivary flow

rates decrease as we age (thus less protection for our teeth) means that

an increase in cavities over time is almost inevitable.

Dr. Ellis on Facebook

Dr. Ellis Website

Dr. Ellis on Google+

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 on Facebook

Dr. Ellis Website

Dr. Ellis Google+

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.

Dr. Ellis on Facebook

Dr. Ellis Website

GAG!

What is gagging?

Gagging is simply a defense mechanism that your body has to keep you from chocking.

Now this is typically a good thing. No one wants to get something down "the wrong pipe".

This however, can cause problems at the dentist office.

Having a bad gag reflex can make it almost impossible to get certain dental work done.

The picture below will show several items.

The soft palate is what we are interested in for this discussion.

When something touches the soft palate the bodies natural reaction will be

to close your throat off and prevent whatever it is that just touched the

soft palate from continuing down your throat and choking you to death.

Another spot where the gag reflex comes into play is tongue.

This can be a little more problematic then the soft palate gag reflex.

Not much will ever touch your soft palate but your tongue gets touched

all the time as you eat or whenever you go to the dentist.

Not much can be done for the soft palate gag reflex but there is help for the tongue.

Take your tooth brush and find the spot that makes you gag.

Start brushing your tongue at a spot that does not make you gag and

work your way toward that spot. Keep doing that day after day until you

can brush anywhere on your tongue without gagging.

Another trick would be to place a little bit of salt on your tongue, where it

makes you gag, before going to the dentist. That will, hopefully,

distract that spot long enough for you to get done what is you need done.

Dr. Ellis on Facebook

Dr. Ellis Website

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

Oh the dreaded New Years Resolutions. 

We all make them and then by February we have all broken them.

My opinion is that we set our goals to high. 

Start small, get that nailed down then up the goal throughout the year.

So what awesome goal could I be suggesting as your dentist.

Well its not awesome but it is a goal that most of us need to set.

Its flossing.

I know, boring.

But the number one cause of cavities in my office is due to a lack of flossing.

You can brush 5 times a day and still have a mouth full of cavities.

The reason for this is because no matter how hard you push the 

bristles on your toothbrush will NEVER get in between your teeth.

Flossing is the only way.

Now remember not to set the goal to high.

If you don't floss everyday lets start at 3 times a week. 

That will be enough to fight off most of the cavities.

After you get that down then we can move on to loftier goals.

Dr. Ellis on Facebook

Dr. Ellis Website

Tooth Replacement in a Day?

"Painless tooth replacement"

"Teeth in a day"

We have all heard these claims and typically they are accompanied by promises that the doctor can,

almost magically, take out all of your teeth, put implants in, and place crowns on the teeth

with little to no pain, in just one day.

They may even show the patient biting into an apple right after the procedure.

In very rare and unique circumstances this MAY be the case. But for the other 99.7% of us, its not.

Anytime you have surgery of ANY kind you need to heal.

The picture below shows a site where a tooth was recently extracted.

This site will be very tender for several days while the body heals.

That's just the way it works. Blood will rush to the site of any injury thus

creating inflammation (swelling) and moderate discomfort.

If implants are placed that too will cause some type of discomfort.

To say that teeth can be extracted and implants placed and that you can begin

eating right away with no pain whatsoever is just not true. What is typically

happening is that these people are trying to suck you in and then sell you on something else.

Simply do lots and lots of homework before letting these places touch your mouth.

Dr. Ellis On Facebook

Dr. Ellis Website

Free I-Pod with Brain Surgery

Would you get your brain surgery from a surgeon who advertised that

you would get a free I-Pod if you got your surgery from him?

Would you get a knee replacement from a guy who offered a free

DVD player with every knee replacement?

Of course not!

These things are too important to trust to someone who may be doing

a terrible job on people and is simply trying lure people in with free stuff.

Please use this same logic when you choose your dentist.

Your teeth mean more to you then you will ever know.

Good looking teeth will help in your self confidence, relationships, getting a job,

respect of co-workers, neighbors, etc.

What do you think of when you see someone with no teeth, missing teeth,

badly stained teeth, etc?

You may place labels on them that are not all that flattering.

These labels may not be true but someone that has a horrible looking

smile may be overlooked for someone, less qualified, but with a better looking smile.

Getting freebies is cool.

But get the freebies from Old Navy or some place like that.

DO NOT get your freebies from someone that will be providing medical or

dental care to you that may effect you the rest of your life.

Ask around.

Get referrals.

Ask to see before and after pictures.

Know before you go.

If you really want the free I-Pod that is great.

Just don't be shocked if the teeth you end up with don't match your expectations.

Dr. Ellis on Facebook

Dr. Ellis Website