According to two separate studies done by Pia Gabre and her colleagues at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, only one in ten brush their teeth in a way that effectively prevents tooth decay. They studied the tooth brushing habits of 2013 Swedes aged 15-16, 31-35, 60-65 and 76-80 – how often and for how long, how often fluoride toothpaste is used, how much toothpaste is put on the toothbrush and how much water is used during and after the tooth brushing. The results show that only ten percent of the population use toothpaste in the most effective way. According to Pia Gabre, most of the interviewed subjects learned to brush their teeth as children, by their parents, even if they have been informed about more effective techniques later in life, they continue to brush their teeth like they always have.

Before having orthodontic care check your dental insurance plan to under stand your coverage’s. Many dental insurance plans are limited in the coverage provided for orthodontic services. Such as some dental insurance plan may only cover minors up to age 19, where others plans may limitations the amount they cover up too or the type of braces that are covered. Understanding your plans benefits for orthodontic care will prevent any unexpected surprises later.

Children dental care is important so you want to avoid over doing certain foods that are more likely to cause tooth decay. Sweets such as fruit juice, soda, candy and even foods such as peanut butter and jelly. Too much starchy food is not good either which would include bread, crackers, pretzels, and pasta like your mac and cheese.  Both sweets and starches can contribute to cavities. Also avoid sticky food such as dried fruit or food that tends to stick to their teeth.

There is no evidence that mercury in filling are harmful. An extensive review published in 1993 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services concluded that amalgam fillings containing mercury pose no health risk, except in the extremely rare case that a patient is allergic to them. And while some people continue to worry that these fillings may be harmful to their developing or unborn children, no reliable studies since then have contradicted the government’s conclusion. However amalgam filling are a choice. If there are personal worries about the mercury in amalgam filling talk to your dentist about other filling options.

If a child has dark stains on their baby teeth, it may be due to the iron in the multivitamins. Though rare for a child that is susceptible to this type of stain, the parents need to be vigilant about brushing regularly and thoroughly in order to stay on top of it. Once these types of stains have taken root, they’re very difficult to get off, even with a professional scrubbing from a dentist. However, this type of stain will not affect the health of the child’s teeth though they will not look good. It still advise though to see a dentist to confirm the reason for any tooth discolorations and to receive a treatment plan if needed.

Regardless of what type of dental insurance plan you have or choose to by it will have their limitations and exclusions that you should read and fully understand. Dental plans are designed to help with part of your dental expenses and may not always cover every dental need.

The typical plan includes limitations and exclusions, meaning the plan does not cover every aspect of dental care. This can relate to the type or number of procedures, the number of visits or age limits. These limitations and exclusions are carefully detailed in the plan booklet and warrant your attention. This booklet can help you develop realistic expectations of how your dental plan can work for you.

If a child’s teeth looks yellow or orange, The odds are they are not being cleaned thoroughly and have plaque build-up that is stained with food debris. If this is the case usually the stains can be removed by brushing the child teeth with a little bit of adult toothpaste or baking soda and water. Even though stains do not necessarily indicate tooth decay, plaque build-up on teeth can cause gum disease. Therefore seeing a dentist for a proper check up and cleaning would be advised.

It is important to understand that regardless of your dental insurance plan it is up to you to know your coverage’s and what is and what is not covered. Many people just assume that the dentist is only providing dental services based on what their plan offers. This is not always true. In fact many dentist do not even know what their patients have for dental insurance. The dentist job is not to worry about your insurance but to provide the best dental care to patients.

With that said it is up to you to let the dental office front staffing know you wish to stay within your plan coverage’s. If dental services are being suggested that is not part of your plan you will want a good reason why. Believe it or not most dentist are not trying to charge you for higher cost dental care just to get more money from you. Ask your dentist why he/she is suggesting that course of treatment. If it not within your budget or you want to stay with in your plan coverage go over your options with your dentist at that time.

Dentist are not mind readers. Many are more the happy to work with your plan limitations as much as possible as long as they are aware of them. If you have a dental insurance plan where claims need to be filed, then find out ahead of time how the dental office processes this time of claim made services. With the down turn in the economy many dentist are requiring payment is paid in full at the time services are render. Knowing how the dental office hand claims will prevent you from having any unhappy surprises. Keep in mind dental offices that do file claims and wait for payment do so on your behalf it is not a requirement.

Although tooth loss has decreased over the last four decades, US adults with diabetes lose twice as many teeth as adults without diabetes, according to a new study by researchers at Duke University. Moreover, the researchers found that black Americans with diabetes are at greater risk of experiencing tooth loss as they age than white or Mexican Americans with diabetes.

It is a good idea to get a pre-treatment estimate from the insurance company, if your dental care will be extensive. You may want to ask your dentist to complete and submit a request for a cost estimate, sometimes called a pre-treatment estimate. This will allow you to know in advance what procedures are covered, the amount the benefit plan will pay toward treatment and your financial responsibility. However it is important to note that a pre-treatment estimate is not a guarantee of payment. When the services are complete and a claim is received for payment, the insurance company will calculate payment based on your current eligibility, amount remaining in your annual maximum and any deductible requirements.

Unless you have a dental HMO plan where most dental services are based on a fee schedule that lays out your cost for the different dental services, (therefore avoiding the claims filling process) you are having to fill out claims forms. Knowing your cost for dental services can be difficult since most PPO and Indemnity plans pay claims based on a percentage up to UCR (Usual, Customary & Reasonable) rates. Your dentist may provide you an estimate based on your plan stated coverage’s but there is no guarantees that will be your total cost.

In order to make sure you know what your cost is going to be have your dentist submit the treatment plan to your insurance company as a quote only before dental services are started. That way the dental insurance company can be able to state what is covered and for what amount. Stopping the guessing game before it starts

Many PPO and Indemity insurance plan will have a specific dollar deductible.  During a benefit period,(normally per calender year) you personally will have to satisfy a portion of your dental bill before your benefit plan will contribute to your cost of dental treatment. Your plan information will describe how your deductible works. Plans do vary on this point. For instance, some dental plans will apply the deductible to diagnostic or preventive treatments, and others will not.

It is important to understand your dental insurance plan and to know what is covered and what may not be. There are dental insurance plans that have limitations such as yearly max dollar limits and deductibles. If it a new plan you may also have plan waiting periods. Other plans that do not have these types of limitations may have provider limitations making you stay within the plan network of dental providers. Many plans may also limit the amount of one type of dental service you can have with in the year.

Common examples of this would be one set of X-rays per year, 2 cleaning 1 every 6 months. However many times plans will limit the number of crown you may be able to have such a 5 crowns per year. Another thing to keep in mind is that for the most part dentist do not basing their decisions for treatment on what is or is not covered by your dental insurance plan. A dentist may advise dental services that are not covered or that is limited in coverage.

If you want to say within your plan coverages, then you need to advise your dentist ahead of time. They may still suggest services not covered by your plan but at that point you can address the reasons why. The dentist job is to be committed to taking care of your teeth, not to worry about your dental insurance. So before dental services are render you should make sure what is covered by your plan and what is your cost. That way you avoid any surprises along the way.