Hole you see it, Hole you don't.

Sometimes a hole can be a very bad thing.

Sink Holes, Black Holes, etc. etc.

A hole in a tooth is no exception.

Unlike a sink hole or a black hole however, 

a hole in the tooth isn't quite so bad.

A patient came in today with this hole in their tooth.

Here they are after getting the hole filled. 

Hole you see it, Hole you don't.

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Dental work is hard with my bad gag reflex.

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.

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 Okay. So my tooth had this HUGE metal filling in it. 

Well, now most of what was left of the tooth broke off.

What now?!

Well there are a couple of options.

One of the best options to to do an implant.

There are a number of reasons for this but that

would take more time then we have right now.

First step is to extract the broken tooth. 

In this case we placed a bone graft and waited a few weeks 

but that doesn't always have to be the case.

After the healing time we place a titanium implant.

Looks scary? 

It's not.

It's basically just an artificial tooth.

If we can replace hearts and hips then why not a tooth?

O

In about 6 weeks we will put a beautiful white (no metal)

crown on this implant and the patient should have no more troubles.

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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.

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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

Gagging

What is gagging?

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

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