Baby teeth, why are they worth saving? 

Many adults wonder why they should spend the high cost of saving their child’s baby tooth when they will fall out anyway. Although pulling a baby tooth may be less expensive if a dentist suggests doing a root canal and crown work to save the tooth, give some consideration and thought to what they are saying. There are good reasons you should keep a baby tooth compared to pulling a baby tooth too soon. Primary (baby) teeth serve several functions. Besides just letting your child chew, baby teeth are needed to learn how to speak correctly and play a role in the child’s physical appearance. Baby teeth are there to maintain the space required and to help the permanent teeth come in correctly. Pulling baby teeth too soon can make braces necessary for adult teeth Tooth decay in baby teeth can also affect the growth and envelopment of the permanent teeth. Damage to one can lead to damage to the other. This is why a dentist would want to treat and save any baby tooth whenever possible

Communication is the key to receiving the best dental care. 

1) Communicate with your dentist. The dentist will sometime talk in dental terms you may need help understanding. They assume if you are not asking any questions, it is because you understand what is being told to you. If your dentist is suggesting dental services that you need help understanding, ask questions until you do. If you are unsure why you need a suggested dental service, feel free to ask why.

2) If you speak a different languish, then you may want to bring someone with you who can help translate and make things more straightforward for you to understand.

3) When booking a dental appointment, let them know you may have questions for the dentist and for them to book in the added time necessary.

4) Keep your dentist in the loop. Many dentists will have you fill out a medical health form. You must complete it and be upfront about any medical conditions. Such as, if you have heart disease, diabetes, or high blood pressure, the dentist needs to know this since gum care will be extra important to maintain.

5) If you have dental fears, let your dentist know ahead of time. That way, they can take the time needed to address your fears.

 Get the best dental care by being an active dental healthcare consumer. 

When going to the dentist, be involved in knowing and learning about your dental care services. What you should know before having any dental work started. If you have dental insurance, dental benefits.

1) Make sure you are seeing a dentist that is either a provider of your dental plan or that you have a dental insurance plan where you can see any dentist.

2) Know and understand the terms and conditions of the dental plan you have before seeing a dentist. Read your plan limitations, and call member services if you have any questions. Before starting any dental benefits, you must understand if your dental plan has waiting periods, maxim limitations, and deductibles.

3) Know how the dental office will file any claims made and what is expected from you.

Whether you have dental insurance or not, do your best to budget money for your dental care needs. At times dental services are needed, which can be costly. By budgeting in your dental care, you can save money for when you need to have more extensive dental issues addressed.

If you are low-income, do not receive or have dental benefits, and can not afford even a low-cost dental insurance and or plan, options are still available to you by using your state resources. See if you have any dental clinics or dental schools near you. Both options will generally work around what you can afford for dental care. The American Dental Association website provides information on free dental care programs throughout the year.

Seeing a dentist at least twice a year is essential to preventive dental care.

Most dental insurance plans offer preventive dental services for free. Dental discount plans offer a meager cost for preventative dental care services. By regularly seeing a dentist for preventive dental care, your dentist can catch any dental issues while they are still minor. As we all know, the bigger the dental problem, the higher the cost to fix. Proper preventive dental care will keep your dental cost low and more affordable

Even on very tight budgets, most 99-cent or dollar stores stock toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, and mouthwash. You do not have to buy a $10 or more toothbrush; most dental floss is less than a dollar. In many cases, you can even go to a local dental office and get a toothbrush and floss for free

Dental care starts from home. Dental habits are essential at home and help keep your dental care cost low. Proper preventive dental care habits at home will save you from more significant, more costly dental issues. Brush and floss daily. Use mouthwash that has tarter control and always stays from sugary sweets.

If you do not receive dental benefits through your job, see about buying a dental insurance plan or a dental discount plan. In most states, there are low cost dental insurance plans and dental discount plans that are affordable and will help keep your dental care cost low.

Stopping Tooth Decay and Preventing Cavities from Forming 

In the past, you would get a cavity, and the dentist would fix it with a filling. However, the dentist can often use treatments to stop tooth decay before a cavity develops. Tooth decay often provides signs before it causes a cavity in your tooth. Dentists look for signs like a white spot on the tooth enamel or any suspicious marks on your X-rays. If your dentist sees a suspicious spot on a tooth or your X-ray, the proper treatment may not be “drilling and filling.” But instead, the dentist could paint fluoride varnish or calcium pastes on the problem tooth. These treatments can often stop or slow down the decay process. They also help the tooth repair the area where the cavity was forming. This process is known as remineralization. During this type of dental treatment, you may have to see the dentist more often during the next few months of treatment. At these visits, the dentist would check to see if the treatment works and may treat the tooth again. A dentist can not catch the early signs of tooth decay if you do not see a dentist regularly, so to maintain healthy teeth and gums, brush and floss daily and see your dentist at least twice a year or as advised by your dentist.

Keep toothpaste out of the reach of children until they have shown that they are responsible and know how to use its property. Many children’s toothpaste is made to taste good; children can treat it like candy. Make sure your child does not eat toothpaste, no matter how good it may taste. Contact poison control if you see your child has consumed toothpaste.

Generally speaking, a child should be able to brush responsibly by the age of seven and should be able to do so without supervision. However, all children are different. If they have yet to show that they can brush and use toothpaste properly, they should be supervised until they are older.

A child can start brushing their teeth between 3 – 6 years old but make sure that you thoroughly brush them afterward to ensure the teeth get brushed correctly. 3 – 6 years is a good age to start getting used to brushing, but they are typically too young to have the proper coordination to brush their teeth on their own.