Doing Your Part at Home to Keep Gum Disease at Bay.

By having proper dental care habits at home you are able to help maintain not only your dental health but prevent periodontal/gum disease from developing. Good at home dental habits are brushing your teeth thoroughly at least twice a day for three minutes.  You also need to floss daily.

Whenever possible floss after each meal. Use as mouthwash to help kill germs.  Buy toothpaste and tooth brushes that are ADA approved.  By having good dental habits at home and by seeing your dentist regularly you will be able to maintain healthy teeth and gums as well as keep your dental care cost low.

Having good oral health goes beyond brushing and flossing your teeth.

Yes preventive dental care does start from home with brushing and flossing twice a day daily, and but using mouthwash that kills germs.  However that is still just the start of having and maintaining good oral health care.     

Get into the habit of looking at the inside of your mouth.  Know how your gums, cheeks and tongue look like on a normal basis so you can tell when something changes or is new.  That way when spotting something that is different in your mouth you can have it check out by a doctor or your dentist.    

It is important to keep your regular dental appointments.  Your dentist will not only be able to provide you with your basic teeth cleaning but they will provide a routine oral check up to making sure your gums and oral care is healthy. 
 

Healthy fruit juices and smoothies may not be so healthy for your teeth. 

Parents by be unwittingly causing their kids teeth to rot by regularly providing them fruit juices and smoothies according to leading dentist.       The National surveys show that half of five-year-olds exhibit signs of ‘tooth wear’, caused by acidic drinks dissolving and softening enamel.  Trying getting your child to drink more water which would not cause this problem. 

Many people in the US have dental fears for one reason or another that prevent them from receiving their needed dental care. People with dental fears will tend to put of seeing the dentist until there is major dental issues that they can not put off any longer. However there are ways to address your dental fears with your dentist so that going to the dentist does not have to be so scary. On way is when seeing a dentist make sure they are fully informed of your dental fears and concerns. It is very important for the dentist to know on your first dental appointment that you have fears about dentistry work. Also it is good to remind the person each time you book an appointment that you have dental fears that need to be address so that the book the appointment with the necessary added time.    

Talk to your dentist make sure you know what they are doing and that you do not have any questions.  Full understanding of what the dentist is doing will help to relive fears of the unknown.      

You may want to listen to your favorite music to help block out the added dental noise that around you there by helping you to relax.  However work out an hand signal with your dentist so that when fears start to creep up you can signal your dentist to stop and let you take a brake if needed.        Most dentist are willing to take the time to help you though your fears so that you have maintain teeth and gum health. In some cases they may book your appointment during the slower part of the day in order to give you the needed time necessary.         

By letting your dentist know about your fears, worries and or concerns they can address each of them as they provide the dental services you need.  There by making your dental visit a pleasant one.   Over time you may notice  you have less and less fear about seeing a dentist since your fears where address

Not everyone in the US receive dental benefits though their employer.  People that do not receive dental benefits can tend to put off their dental care for themselves and their families.  This mostly due to cost issues.     

However even for families there are low cost dental insurance options that are available and will help make going to the dentist much more affordable for your whole family.  There are HMO insurance plans in most states that run around $30-$40 a month for a family and offer free to very low cost preventive care, such as X-rays, Check ups and cleanings. For just one person those services can up to a $150 or more.  You can see how with a family of four paying $40.00 a month just save you over $500.00 in dental care cost.   

Also people that have dental insurance tend to see the dentist regularly for their preventive care services. By doing so it helps to prevent larger dental issues from start there by also controlling the cost for dental services.

After paying the cost of cosmetic dental care the last thing you would want to do is damage your teeth. After going though cosmetic dentistry treatment such as dental implants, cosmetic veneers or crowns, you need to protect your teeth from hazards.       

If you do not take proper care of your teeth, restorative dental work can chip, break or go through discolorations.   Porcelain can break. Avoid chewing on popcorn, or hard candies. Do not use a water pick directly on your porcelain veneers.   Wear your night guard if you have any problems with grinding your teeth while sleeping.   

Cavities can still develop around dental work:  Do not lazy with your daily dental care habits. You still need to brush and floss the teeth regularly if you want to avoid problems such as tooth decay or gum disease.   

Also follow your Cosmetic dentist instructions on how to take care of your teeth. If you want your cosmetic dental work to last for as long as possible.    Most cosmetic dentist will only re-do cosmetic dentistry work for free if it is determine that there was a problem with the lab work, or because the crown did not fit correctly from the beginning

There are plenty of dental insurance plans that will cover dentures, but you need to plan ahead. Many but not all dental insurance plans have waiting periods from 6-18 months.

As an example: Replacing teeth with dentures is classified as major dental services. The average benefit is 50% co-insurance for your dentures. Make note when you are replacing dentures the dental company may required proof that you had the prior dentures for X amount of years before providing coverage’s for new dentures make sure you read the plan terms and conditions on this.

Also when reviewing dental insurance plan make sure it dose not have any missing tooth clause, as you will not have benefits for replacing current missing teeth.

Another dental plan type you may want to review when getting new dentures or replacing old dentures would be a dental discount plans. Dental discount plan plans are a low cost dental plan that do not have waiting periods or restrictions on how long you may have had prior dentures. You will get the saving available to you under the plan. They normally start within the next business day of your online enrollment. .Remember discount dental plans are not insurance dental plan.

There are some positives – the number of overweight children in California declined slightly and preschool enrollment increased. Yet the overall health picture, especially for California’s low-income kids, is grim according to a new research brief “Trends in the Health of Young Children in California” by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and sponsored by First 5 California.

The brief found that two-thirds of California children are without health insurance are from low-income families. Low-income children utilize community clinics for primary care at three times the rate of higher income children. And the proportion of children enrolled in private health insurance is shrinking – while the reliance on public programs is growing.

“The research suggests there has been a steady erosion of health care and health access for the most vulnerable children,” said David Grant, lead author of the policy research brief and director of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). “As Californians, we have a lot of work to do to reverse the trend.”

The research brief examined trends in health among Californian children from a wide range of ethnicities and economic backgrounds. It is based upon an analysis of data collected by CHIS, the nation’s largest state health survey, in 2001, 2003 and 2005. Conducted by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, CHIS surveys up to 50,000 Californians – including up to 10,000 children – every two years.

“There is no higher priority than the health and well-being of our children,” said Kris Perry, executive director of First 5 California. “This research brief provides a valuable reminder of where our priorities must be, even at a time of scarce resources.”

Researchers drew upon those interviews for “Trends in the Health of Young Children in California.”

Among their findings:

Fewer overweight children: The prevalence of overweight children ages 0-5 dropped slightly in California from 14% in 2001 to 12% in 2005. There were steep drops in Riverside County (16.2% in 2003 to 12.4% in 2005) and San Bernardino County (16.2% in 2003 to 8.4% in 2005). Los Angeles County also dropped (14.3% in 2003 to 12.8% in 2005) as well as Alameda County (13.4% in 2003 to 8.9% in 2005) and San Diego County (12.9% in 2003 to 8.5% in 2005).

No improvement in health insurance coverage: The proportion of children ages 0-5 in California who lacked health insurance for all or part of the previous year – one in ten children – remained unchanged between 2001 and 2005.

Question: So what I am looking for is dental insurance where I am not paying for my dental services in full to my dentist then having to wait to get my money back from the dental insurance company. Right now that is how my dental insurance work that I get though work.

Reply: If you want to get dental insurance were you are not filing dental claim and were you only have to pay the amount as show within the plan you would want to buy a dental HMO.

Dental HMO are fee based showing you your cost for all the different dental services. This not only lets you know what your cost is but you do not have to file claims because the dentist is charging you based on the fee schedule.

Dental Insurance – Dentures

There are plenty of dental insurance plans that will cover dentures, but you need to plan ahead. Many but not all dental insurance plans have waiting periods from 6-18 months. Also make sure to read the plans terms and conditions, as some plans have missing tooth clause

As an example: Replacing teeth with dentures is classified as major dental services. The average benefit is 50% co-insurance for your dentures. Dentures are covered by some dental discounts dental plans. Remember discount dental plans are not insurance dental plan.

What happens when you get dentures?

Full or partial dentures replace your teeth when you have lost your natural teeth, from periodontal disease, tooth decay or injury. They will help your appearance and your health including support for facial muscles sag which makes a person look older. Dentures normally take one month and 4-5 appointments which include the initial exam, wax bite impressions, and final denture adjustments.

Question: I have been reviewing your Aetna Access dental discount plan. I understand that it is a discount plan so you are getting the discount saving from the dentist that take the plan.

I am just wondering how well does it work? I do not want waiting periods so I noted that this plan says it starts the next busines day is that correct?

Reply: Regarding the Aenta dental discount DentaChoice+ plan, it does start the next business day from signing up on line for the plan.

It has no waiting periods and you are able to get the discounted saving for all dental work done by their providers. The main thing to make sure of before buying this plan or any other dental discount plan is to make sure the dentist listed in the network are still accepting the plan.

In more traditional policies (such as dental Indemnity plans) they allow the insured to obtain dental treatment from any provider and be reimbursed for claims made according to the plans benefits. Where as on HMOs dental insurance plans limit coverage to services provided by the HMO’s providers and PPOs dental insurance plans provide a list of providers for whom benefits are provided on a preferred basis (while covering dental services of non-listed dental providers can be on a less favorable basis).

When you are reviewing dental insurance plans that shows benefits on a fee schedule (like an HMO dental insurance plan) the schedule of benefits listed shows the amount to be paid for each treatment or dental services render under the plan. Thus letting you know your cost ahead of time for each dental service covered under the plan.

When you are reviewing insurance plans that pay coverage’s based on usual, customary and reasonable (like PPO dental insurance plans) charges does will not specify an amount; it provides benefits up to the reasonable and customary charge (the prevailing or average fee charged by dentist for the service in the area)  Coverage’s are normally paid by a percentage ( Example: 100% for preventive 80% for basic and 50% for major dental services up to UCR )