As humans, we have two sets of teeth (primary and permanent) during our lifetime. Many people referred to them as our baby teeth and adult teeth

* Primary Dentition: Is our first set of teeth. These are often referred to as baby teeth. There are 20 teeth in the primary dentition. Even though we do not keep our primary teeth they play a key role in our dental development. So just like adult teeth it is very important to take care of our primary teeth.

* Permanent Dentition: Is our second set of teeth. These are often referred to as adult teeth. There are 32 teeth in the permanent dentition.  Our adult teeth are meant to last our live time, and generally speaking if proper dental habits and care is given you should have no problems maintaining and keeping your adult teeth.

One of the best ways to save money on the cost of your dental care is by taking full advantage of your dental insurance plan. Read your dental insurance policy terms and conditions to understand your plans limitation or exclusions.  Even though many people have dental insurance either though work or they bought their own plan, people have a bad habit of not seeing their dentist regularly.  Not only will dental insurance help you save money on your dental care, seeing your dentist regularly will help to prevent you from having larger more costly dental care needs.

Question: I have a 13 year old son that need some dental care but I do not have any dental insurance in force.  Since I am not looking for dental care for myself can I buy a dental HMO insurance plan for just my son?

Answer: That would really depend on the plan you are reviewing some dental HMO plans will let you buy a plan for a minor only where other will required you to have at least one adult listed as head of household. Forcing you to buy at least a couple plan for you and your minor son.

I would suggest buying a couple plan if you also do not have dental insurance the cost different between a couple and an individual plan on an HMO is generally not large normally around $10.00 – $15.00 more a month.  Your dental health care is also important and you should see a dentist for at least your preventive care. With most HMO plans preventive services are free to little cost to the member.

However if you have any questions about the different dental insurance plan options we provide on our web site please call our member services at 310-534-3444, as we will be happy to help walk you though our plans so that you can pick the right plan and coverage for you and or your son.

Lesions at the very back of your mouth could be a sign of oral cancer, which is not exactly common, but it is also not rare. The American Cancer Society estimates that 45,780 new cases of oral cavity or pharynx cancer will be diagnosed in 2015, just over half the number of expected skin cancer cases.

Cancers at the base of the tongue and tonsils (called oropharyngeal cancers) are most commonly caused by the human papillomavirus infection (HPV). Although the lesions can show up anywhere in the mouth, yet they are most likely to develop under the tongue around the base and near your esophagus. Oral cavity and oropharyngeal tumors are twice as likely to develop in men as in women, and the American Cancer Society reports a recent uptick in cases of oropharyngeal cancers linked to HPV.

Sometimes dentist will use terms that we may not know or understand when they are talking about one or more of our teeth. There are several terms that that are used, that help to define locations on and around the teeth. These terms are used often to refer to specific areas of the mouth when describing conditions there. Here is a list of some of those terms.

*Posterior: Towards the back of the mouth.
*Anterior: Towards the front of the mouth
*Mesial: Towards the midline of the mouth.
*Distal:  Away from the midline of the mouth
*Buccal: Any area on the cheek side of the teeth
*Lingual: Any area on the tongue side of the teeth
*Facial: Any area on the cheek or lip side of the teeth. Is often used interchangeably with buccal but mostly in the anterior portion of the mouth.
*Palatal: Any area on the tongue side of the maxillary teeth
*Occlusal: Any area on the chewing surfaces of back teeth.
*Incisal: Any area on the biting surfaces of the front teeth.

Some medications can dry out your mouth, but an extremely dry mouth is a hallmark symptom of Sjögren’s syndrome, an autoimmune condition in which moisture-producing glands in the body come under fire from white blood cells. It is most commonly diagnosed in people over 40, and 9 out of 10 Sjögren’s patients are women. It is very important that people with dry mouth see their dentist regularly, since the lack of saliva can also lead to tooth decay.

The healthcare industry believes there is a high correlation between heart attack, stroke, diabetes, bone loss and lung disease and your oral health.  By taking proper care of your oral health you also help to prevent other overall health issues. See your dentist at least twice a year for your regular dental check ups.

Although rare, it is possible for certain types of acute myeloid leukemia to spread to the gums and cause bleeding, swelling and inflammation. What may tip a dentist offi to this condition is if the gums are bright red and bleed upon touch, but the teeth themselves are immaculately clean with very little plaque. That combined with weakness and weight loss merits a trip to your primary care physician for evaluation.

Did you know that gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults? Yet it is also highly preventable and reversible when treated by a dental professional. See your dentist regularly in order to maintain good dental health.  Have dental insurance in place in order to maintain lower cost for your dental care needs.

Worn teeth is a sign that you may be more stressed than you realize. Stress can manifest as teeth grinding, wearing down teeth. Your personality type may predispose you to grinding, too.

According to the 2010 study in the Journal of Research in Personality found that people who rated higher on the neuroticism scale were also more likely to report that they grinded their teeth. Research in the International Journal of Oral Science in 2014 reported that sustained jaw clenching (another characteristic of bruxism, or teeth grinding) can lead to severe damage of the tissue in the joint that connects your jaw to the rest of your skull.

Statistics reveal that one person dies every hour from oral cancer, and that number is increasing. However did you know that your dentist can help identify oral cancer early so treatment can begin fast to improve the prognosis.    In addition people that have dental insurance are more likely to visit their dentist regularly.  Make sure to see your dentist at least twice a year and to save money on your dental care needs make sure to have a good dental insurance plan.

If you start to notice that you have white patches on your tongue or inner cheek this could mean you may have a less-than-stellar immune system. Oral thrush (an overgrowth of the candida fungus, or yeast, in the mouth) can lead to creamy white patches on your tongue or inner cheeks, and it can signal an immune system that is not up to snuff.

People are much more likely to develop thrush if they are undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment for cancer or have serious immunosuppression, such as HIV, but a dip in immunity due to a cold, a course of antibiotics or using corticosteroids for conditions like asthma can make someone more vulnerable too.

It is important to know how dental insurance works and how it help you save money. Here are a few facts to think about when buying dental insurance so you buy the right plan for you and or you and your family.

1) Dental insurance is not designed to pay 100% of all dental services render. Dental insurance is designed to help aid you in the cost of dental services, there by making dental care more affordable.

2) Not all dental insurance coverages are the same.  Some plans pay out by percentages up to UCR whereas other plans provide a fee schedule for dental services covered, stating the amount you pay for each service.  It is up to you to read the plans terms and conditions to understand the plans benefits.

3) Generally PPO’s or Indemnity insurance plans base their coverages by percentages up to UCR rates. Such as 80% paid for basic dental services up to what is Usual, Customary & Reasonable. UCR is the common term for fee guidelines insurance companies use to pay claims. UCR guidelines were put in place to help control dental inflation.  Generally with PPOs plans when you stay with in the plans network of providers you have a lower risk of having UCR fees.

4) Most dental insurance plans provide coverages for routine dental services. However that is not always the case when it comes to cosmetic dental care treatment. If you are wanting cosmetic dental care make sure the dental insurance plan you are buying covers those types of dental services or you may want to review dental discount plans that can provide up to 20% off cosmetic dental care services.