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Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Cosmetic Dentistry Bonding Case

This patient had wonderfully straight teeth.

Except for the front 2.

This is rare, but is also a perfect situation for some cosmetic bonding.

30 minutes later.

No anesthetic.

One very happy patient.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

The trouble with braces.

If you are in braces right now, or have a family member that is in

braces right now then this is something you need to read.

One of the biggest problems we see with braces is the

amount of cavities that people have right after the braces are removed.

There are a couple of reasons for this.

#1 Is that braces trap food.

There are lots of nooks and crannies where food can get trapped

and hide out even without having braces.

Once braces are placed the amount of food that can be trapped can triple.

Residual food hanging around in your mouth will feed cavity causing bacteria.

#2 Its harder to floss.

Trapping food is bad enough. But the fact that its even harder to get the

food out because flossing is now much harder makes it even worse.

Tomorrow I will discuss some things that can be done about this.

But for now just know that those with braces must be more diligent

then the average person when it comes to caring for your teeth

when you have braces on.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Do dentists lay your upside down at the office??

It's funny how there is perception, then there is reality.

The first picture illustrates how most people are positioned

when they are getting work done at the dentist office.

This second picture is how people think they are positioned when they

are having work done at the dental office.

I PROMISE, dentists (at least this dentist) does not

put anyone, even close, to upside down when you

are in the office getting work done.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

A Brand New Smile!!

This is Mrs. B

When Mrs. B was young she got into some trouble with her two front teeth.

From that point on she has been dealing with on and off discomfort.

She finally decided it was time to do something.

She decided it was simply time to part ways with her 2 front teeth.

She also decided that while she was at it she would get a whole new smile.

Here is Mrs. B before.

Here is Mrs. B after.

Mrs. B now has plans to bleach her bottom teeth so that

everything will match up nicely.

She is very happy with her new smile.

If you have teeth that have been bothering you for a long time

and you just don't know what to do, maybe something like this

could be in your future.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Closing the gap.

Here are some pictures of a patient that we saw today.

The patient has always wanted to get the gaps in his teeth fixed

but has been hesitant to go through the process of braces.

Today we only did the front two teeth in order to see

if the patient wanted to proceed with filling the rest of the gaps.

Before

After

This procedure took about 30 minutes and the patient needed to shots at all.

Dr Ellis on Google+

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Some "Dental" things to be thankful for.

Something to be thankful for

As it is still the Thanksgiving season I thought that I would put down some things that I thing we would all be grateful for when it comes to dentistry.

First off is anesthetic. Yes, I know that everyone hates that numb lip and tongue feeling. And that no one likes to drool all over themselves.

However, before the invention of anesthetics it was just, wait until you are in so much pain that you can barely stand it and then hang on for dear life as your tooth got ripped from your head.

Another thing that we can all be thankful for is the creation of schools where dental professionals can be educated and trained.

Before Dental Schools it was typically the duty of the local barber to take out your teeth. Now don’t get me wrong, I love the local barber. But, the only reason that it was him taking out the teeth was not due to his dental ability. It was because he was the only one in town that had a chair that would lay back. Yikes.

Technology is another thing to be thankful for. The first dental implant ever recorded was in 600 A.D. by the Maya people of America. It was a 20 year old women who had pieces of seashell stuffed into the sockets of her lower jaw after getting her teeth taken out.

The first dental x-ray took 30 minutes of radiation exposure. Some folks are worried about 100ths of seconds of radiation. Imagine having the dentist put the x-ray tube up against your head, turning it on, and leaving for a quick lunch?!

Moral of the story is that we have a lot to be thankful for.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Is there anything wrong with Gold Tooth Crowns?

No there certainly is not.

In fact, gold is probably still the best material to have in your mouth.

It won't crack.

It won't wear down the opposing teeth.

It fits around the tooth exceptionally well.

So why don't people do them these days?

Two reasons.

#1 The look.

People simply don't like the look of gold in their smile.

#2 The Cost.

With the price of gold through the roof gold crowns

are about 40% more then the white crowns.

They still can be done upon request.

And any dentist can still make them for you.

They are just kind of a dying breed.

Dr Ellis on Google+

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Dentists and Halloween candy.

Every year I have people ask me if I give out Halloween candy?

Well of coarse I do!! It's Halloween.

Last thing on earth that I want to be is the house where kids end

up crying because they got a pencil, sticker, or some other lame treat.

Eating candy on Halloween is NOT a problem.

Eating candy every other day of year, all year long, IS.

Let the kids get the candy.

Let them pound it all down.

Let them have a tummy ache.

Brush and floss their teeth.

Great night had by all.

The End.

Dr Ellis on Google+

Monday, October 15, 2012

Do I have an abscessed tooth?

When a tooth goes bad it will begin to produce infection.

That infection wants to go somewhere.

In a typical tooth the only way out of the tooth is out the

end of the tooth into the bone.

Once the infection is in the bone it then wants to find a way out of that.

After making it though the bone it will then try to make its way though the gums.

It is at this point when you will start to see the redness, swelling, and

drainage that are signs of an abscess.

Abscess' can come in different forms and in different places.

Here is an abscess at the top of the front tooth.

This one is very red and inflamed.

Here is an abscess that came out the bottom of the chin.

What you are seeing is a plastic drain that has been inserted to

take away any extra infection.

Here is an abscess at the top of a rear tooth.

This abscess is white and doesn't look very inflamed.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Cosmetic Dentistry Magic.

A few more before and after pictures for you today.

This 20 something young lady was pretty scared to try

getting some cosmetic bonding done.

After she got her first look in the mirror however she

couldn't stop saying how great she thought they looked.

Before

After

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Can you close that gap?

You bet we can.

This gentlemen had a few small cavities on the sides of his front teeth.

While we were filling them we decided to go ahead and close the gap

in between those teeth that he had had for quite some time.

After about 40 minutes in the chair.

No anesthesia.

And for the same cost as a regular filling we were

able to get rid of the decay as well as close up the gap.

There are a lot of things that are possible these days in dentistry

the trick is to ask the dentist and see what might be right for you.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Orthodontics can be hard on teeth.

If you are not careful with your dental care while you

have braces you can end up in a little bit of trouble.

Not only do you need to brush, but you need

to brush even better then normal due to the fact that

your braces will collect food more then your normal teeth will.

This young lady, for instance, had a rough go of her

home care while she was in braces.

That combined with a lack of adequate home care after

the braces lead to her having several very large cavities.

There is hope however.

With a little bit of dental magic we were able to restore

her teeth to a state that allowed her to smile again.

Before

After

Monday, September 17, 2012

Is chewing gum a good or bad idea?

We have all seen it in stores.

Rows and rows of gum.

Bags, bottles, cans, and boxes filled with

sticks, cubes, and circles of gum.

It's everywhere.

But is it good for you?

The answer can be a little complicated.

First off if the gum is not sugar free then NO it wont be good for you.

The sugar on your teeth for the hour or so that you chew on the gum will help

in causing the formation of cavities.

If the gum is sugar free then the is better but there are a couple of factors

still left to consider.

Do you have any popping, clicking, or grinding in your jaw joint (tmj)?

If so then I would not recommend the gum.

Working a piece of gum for an hour with a jaw that already is

a little tender could lead to even more joint problems.

So if its sugar free and you are free from any TMJ discomfort then it

should be ok to go ahead and chew your gum.

And actually it may be beneficial as well.

Gum will stimulate salivary flow.

Saliva helps to even out the pH in your mouth and prevent bacteria,

and the acids they produce, from hurting your teeth.

So if the conditions are right then not only is gum not bad, but

it can also be a good thing for you to do.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Which retainer is right for me?

Lots of people ask me about retainers.

Most retainers are given to folks from their orthodontists.

The type of retainer you have really depends on the personal preference of the Orthodontist.

Some orthodontists like the retainers that you can take in and out every night.

These come in two forms. The ones that use wire to retain the teeth position

and the ones that are made simply of clear plastic.

Other orthodontists like the small metal wires that are actually

glued to the teeth and can not be removed.

So which one is better?

That depends on what irritates you most.

Would it irritate you more to have something glued into your

mouth that you could never take out?

Or would it irritate you more to always have to remember to put your retainer

in every night and take it with you on every trip vacation and overnighter you go on?

Both will do a fine job.

My Mother has a retainer that she puts in every night and has done so for over 30 years.

My wife has a bonded metal wire that she has had in place for over 20 years.

Both seem to like what they have and wouldn't change.

If you have a particular type of retainer and you would like

to try another kind that is no problem.

We can switch you to another kind, let you try it for a while, and then

switch you back if you don't like it.

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Thursday, August 23, 2012

Before and After

Here is a fairly simple case from today.

this old metal filling was starting to decay around the edges.

Before

Once the old metal was removed the new white filling was

placed and the patient is ready to eat right away.

After

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Tooth implants can be very simple and straight forward.

Very simple and straight forward implant case.

Ann broke a tooth.

She didn't want a bridge.

She had great bone, great health, and no sinus floor problems.

This is Ann after the implant was placed.

The implant is below the gum line.

She was given a fake tooth on a retainer to maintain aesthetics.

She was in this state for 6 weeks.

This is Ann with her crown in place.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Problems with braces part II.

Yesterday we talked about people getting increased amounts

of cavities when they have braces on.

Today we will talk about some ways to decrease those cavities.

First, is to simply increase the amount of brushing you do.

Keep a brush in your car, desk at work, locker at school, etc.

Brushing more then the standard twice a day is key.

Second, rinsing with a fluoridated mouth wash is a fabulous idea.

Many companies have them now, Act, Listerine, Colgate, etc.

These rinses will keep up your teeth's defenses to decay.

Third, watch what you eat.

Do NOT eat anything that is sticky.

First time you try to pick gummy bears out of your braces you will

understand why I said this, and most everything sticky is very high in sugar.

Finally, there are a lot of ingenious ideas that people have come up with

to help people with their flossing while in braces.

As the traditional "wrapping the floss around the fingers" thing

doesn't work to well here are some things that might.

This final one is a water pick.

Not exactly a flosser but it will do wonders to blow out the stuff

that is hiding around the brackets of your braces.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Trouble with braces.

If you are in braces right now, or have a family member that is in

braces right now then this is something you need to read.

One of the biggest problems we see with braces is the

amount of cavities that people have right after the braces are removed.

There are a couple of reasons for this.

#1 Is that braces trap food.

There are lots of nooks and crannies where food can get trapped

and hide out even without having braces.

Once braces are placed the amount of food that can be trapped can triple.

Residual food hanging around in your mouth will feed cavity causing bacteria.

#2 Its harder to floss.

Trapping food is bad enough. But the fact that its even harder to get the

food out because flossing is now much harder makes it even worse.

Tomorrow I will discuss some things that can be done about this.

But for now just know that those with braces must be more diligent

then the average person when it comes to caring for your teeth

when you have braces on.