7/2/12: Oral Today - with Dr. Orville Essex

Recorded/Transcribed: 7/2/2012 - WTTT's United Public Radio

This is United Public Radio.  Radio with boundaries and constraints.

Now its time to open your mouth and spit, Its "Oral Today" with Dr. Orville Essex.

Smile brightly my family and friends.  Smile now, because you never now what tomorrow will bring.  Thank you for joining me today.  Today's topic, is equality.  We need to be treating all of our teeth equally and equitably.  It doesn't matter if they are molars or incisors.  White, yellow, or gray.  Chipped and cracked or straight and properly spaced.  Everything needs to be equal.  And it is up to you to spend extra time and money on those, more-difficult-to-maintain teeth.

Its how I run my family and its how I run my dental practice.  We spend more time and efforts on those who are struggling.  You hear that...its just another example of how oral hygiene and family practices overlap.  For example, I was working on a patient a few days ago that only had their front teeth.  Everything else had rotted away due to years of neglect and smoking fertilizer.  The front left tooth was still fairly in tact, but the front right tooth was just hanging on by a few roots of dentin.  Guess what I did, I spent nearly 3 and half hours of the 4 hour appointment, working on that tooth.  Whitening, working, massaging.  And at the end of the appointment, both of the patient's teeth were looking fairly EQUAL...because I acted EQUITABLY toward them.  I could tell that that right tooth was thankful for the extra attention I provided it.  I could tell that the left tooth understood that, because it was in better shape, IT DIDN'T NEED AS MUCH HELP AS HIS NEIGHBOR!

We need to treat people with the same common sense.  Everything should be done equitably and equally.  It's why I heavily inflate my prices for well-off patients and offer discounted-to-free services to people with less money.  I act equitably in order to give equal treatment.  And to the people who say that I need to take a good long look at myself in the mirror...please, know this...I am constantly looking in mirrors and evaluating myself....both internally and externally.  

What's more is, I am actively using my dental practice as a launch pad for governmental action.  We need to force this equality and equability for all individuals and all walks of life.  I don't care if I have to take a pay cut and give all of my money to the government - equality and equability for all is a necessity.  And it all relates to overall oral health!

Now, lets hear from some of our smiling neighbors - Jean from the Hamptons, open your mouth and let the doctor look inside...its one of my fetishes.

Jean- Hello, Doctor Essex.  I have had a really bad tooth ache for about 5-6 minutes.  I have taken a handful of ibuprofen and oxycodone and have applied cold pressure, but still nothing is happening.  I am not sure what else I can do.  Any suggestions?

Jean, I am glad you called, because its a perfect example of a strategy I tell all of my patients who are complaining of tooth aches and pains...and it all goes back to acting equally and equitably.  I ask my patients to gently apply pressure to their sternums until their tooth pain becomes inperceivable.  Now, their bodies are in a state of homeostasis...and the pain will magically disappear.

Kevin from Salt Lake City, you are on Oral Today.  How can we help?

Kevin- Dr. Essex, thank you so much for taking my call.  I have really yellow teeth and need them to be sparkling white by this time next week.  Can it be done?

Kevin, teeth whitening is an ancient art form that has been used since the dawn of man.  In those days, cavemen would smear white clay and bird droppings onto their teeth in order to make them appear whiter.  Today, while we have the same options, we also have gels, creams, and strips that literally go to the molecular level of the tooth and attack the yellow cells, turning them white.  I would highly suggest going on a week long fast as a way to not only rid your mouth of staining toxins, but also as a way to relate to your neighbor who may have to resort to using spray paint to whiten their teeth.

Linda from Cincinnati.  Welcome to the program.

Linda- Hello Doctor.  This is Linda from Cincinnati, although I am currently moving to the greater Cleveland area, because my husband just got a new job.  He really wanted to buy his own restaurant, so we decided to pull the trigger and do it.  It should be nice, because we are going to be closer to friends and family members.  But let me get to my point, we are going to be leaving our dentist of nearly 4 years.  This was a man that my family loved and we would visit multiple times a week for cleanings and checkups.  How do we say goodbye and do you know any good dentists in the greater Cleveland area?  

Linda, I can guarantee you that he will miss you as much as you miss him.  Dentists and their patients have a special bond between them.  A sense of trust and respect that is wonderful to forge and difficult to break.  If your dentist is anything like me, all he would ask is that you bring your smiling faces with you, wherever you end up.  And if you find it in your heart, make a small contribution to your local food or clothing pantry.  As for dentists in the Cleveland area, I would suggest Dr. Schwin with the Happy Teeth Practice, right off of Main and 17777th street.

Well, that is all the time we have for today.  Remember friends and family, your mouth can do wondrous things in your life, what do you want to be remembered for?