Spit, Saliva, Drool, etc. etc

Whatever you call it the wet stuff in your mouth ( I will call it saliva),

is a very important part of your overall health.

Saliva is produced from 3 major glands in your mouth and plays two major roles in the body.

#1 Saliva helps to lubricate food before it goes down your throat

so that harder foods will not damage your insides on the way to the stomach.

#2 Saliva helps to wash harmful sugars and bacteria off of you teeth.

One of the most damaging things to your teeth is a dry mouth.

Dry teeth are dead teeth.

A dry mouth can be caused by a number of things.

The largest cause of dry mouth that I see is from medications.

Specifically heart regulating and mood altering medications

have the greatest effect but it can be any medication.

Dry mouth can also be brought on by age.

Just as your eyes aren't as moist as they used to be, so to

may your mouth begin to dry out over time.

If you feel like your mouth is drier then it used to be please contact

your dentist right away. There are things you can do to help.

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Is having more or less Saliva important?

In two words, OH, YA!

Saliva is critical to the health of your teeth and gums. Without it, there would be serious ramifications.

Saliva is produced from 3 major glands in your mouth -- Parotid gland, Submandibular gland, and Sublingual gland.

And, it plays two major roles in the body:

1. Saliva helps to lubricate food before it goes down your throat so that harder foods will not damage your insides on the way to the stomach.
2. Saliva helps to wash harmful sugars and bacteria off of you teeth.

One of the most damaging things to your teeth is a dry mouth. Dry teeth will soon be dead teeth. A dry mouth can be caused by a number of things. The largest cause of dry mouth that I see is from medications. Specifically heart regulating and mood altering medications have the greatest effect but it can be any medication.

Dry mouth can also be brought on by age. Just as your eyes aren't as moist as they used to be, so to may your mouth begin to dry out over time.

If you feel like your mouth is drier than it used to be, please contact your dentist right away. There are things you can do to help.


Dr. Jim Ellis, DDS
1220 33rd Street Suite C
Ogden, UT 84403
(801) 783-3490

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SOURCE: http://www.bestogdendentist.com/2013/01/having-more-less-saliva-important/

Knowledge is power.

Knowledge is power.

When you go to the dentist it is no different.

What should a filling feel like when its done?

What should a crown feel like when its done?

What should a root canal look like on x-ray when its done?

If you know the answers to questions like these the more you

will be able to make sure that you are getting good quality care.

A root canal is a very tricky procedure.

Many things can keep a root canal from going well.

However, for the most part your root canal should look a certain way.

Here is a way that a root canal should not look and a way it should.

This root canal is very short of the end of the tooth. 

There are also voids in the filling material, the filling

material does not look solid throughout.

This root canal looks very different.

The filling material goes all the way to the tip of the tooth.

And the filling is thick with no voids.

As was stated earlier there are difficulties in some root canals.

But most should go very smoothly.

Arm yourself with knowledge before having a procedure done.

After its done ask to see the pictures.

Ask if anything went wrong and what the prognosis is for the tooth's future.

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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.

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Did you just sneeze on me!!??

We have all had it happen to us.

A co-worker lets out a sneeze without covering their mouths.

You try, without the sneezer noticing, to politely turn away as to not ingest their germs.

Does that work?

Well, only if you are really really fast about it.

A sneeze comes out of your mouth at hundreds of miles an hour.

That's right.

HUNDREDS!!

Estimates are a little scattered as to just how fast but it ranges anywhere from

100 mph to 800 mph. But regardless of which of these numbers is closer

to the real number is kind of irrelevant. The point is that unless you can turn your head

very very quickly you are out of luck. The sneezer's germs are now your germs.

Best thing to do is to tell the sneezer to cover his/her mouth!

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Painless tooth replacement.

"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.

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Saliva, Spit, and Drool.

Whatever you call it the wet stuff in your mouth ( I will call it saliva),

is a very important part of your overall health.

Saliva is produced from 3 major glands in your mouth and plays two major roles in the body.

#1 Saliva helps to lubricate food before it goes down your throat

so that harder foods will not damage your insides on the way to the stomach.

#2 Saliva helps to wash harmful sugars and bacteria off of you teeth.

One of the most damaging things to your teeth is a dry mouth.

Dry teeth are dead teeth.

A dry mouth can be caused by a number of things.

The largest cause of dry mouth that I see is from medications.

Specifically heart regulating and mood altering medications

have the greatest effect but it can be any medication.

Dry mouth can also be brought on by age.

Just as your eyes aren't as moist as they used to be, so to

may your mouth begin to dry out over time.

If you feel like your mouth is drier then it used to be please contact

your dentist right away. There are things you can do to help.

Dr. Ellis on Facebook

Dr. Ellis Website