BBTD or Baby Bottle Tooth Decay is cause when a child is left with a baby bottle that has any liquid other the water.  To avoid  BBTD do not put your baby to bed with a bottle. Milk, formula, fruit juices and other such drink all have sugar in them.  If sugary liquids stay on your baby teeth for long periods of time it can lead to tooth decay.  

Other habits to avoid would be giving your child bottle or sippy cup filled with sweet drinks to carry around with them throughout the day.  Teach your child to drink from a cup as soon as possible. (Normally around their first birthday.)

Many people may know that fluoride protect teeth from tooth decay. Fluoride can even heal early tooth decay. Fluoride is added in drinking water of many towns and cites, ask your dentist if your water has fluoride in it. If not ask about other kinds of fluoride treatments that can help keep your child’s teeth healthy.

Having healthy teeth are important even for baby teeth. Having health teeth and good oral habits starts from home.  Children need healthy teeth in order to help them chew and to speak clearly. 

Baby teeth also hold the space for their adult teeth to come in correctly.  Make sure you are taking proper care of your baby teeth.  If you are not sure talk to your dentist.  Your dentist will be glad to show you proper dental care for your child.

When teeth first start to come in, for some babies they may have sore or tender gums. To help ease their teething pain, gently rubbing your child’s gums with a clean finger, a small, cool spoon or a wet gauze pad.   You can also give the baby a clean teething ring or a frozen baby cloth to chew on. If your child is still cranky and in pain, you may want to consult your dentist or physician. Generally children have a full set of 20 primary teeth by the time they are three years old.

Primary teeth (Baby Teeth) are just as important as the permanent teeth (Adult Teeth) Typically primary teeth begin to appear when the baby is between ages six month and one year.  

Primary teeth serve many functions such as chewing, speaking and holding the space in the jaw for permanent teeth.  The American Dental Association advises that a baby should be examine by a dentist within six months after the first tooth comes in but now later then their first birthday.   

For a baby the first dental visit is a well baby checkup for their teeth. The dentist will check for tooth decay and other problems.  In addition the dentist will be able to show you how to clean your child teeth properly and how to evaluate any adverse habits such as thumb-sucking.

As soon a your child teeth erupts tooth decay can occur.  There for once your child cuts their first tooth gently with a child size toothbrush and water. For children over the age of two you can brush their teeth with a pea sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. Make sure your child spits out the toothpaste and rinse with water.

Many people do not receive dental benefits though their employer, and they may not know how to buy dental insurance directly.  Some people that do not have dental insurance go without feeling that the cost of dental insurance is too high and will not really save them money on their dental care needs.    

However that is really not the case.  The only dental insurance or dental plan that does not save you money on your dental care are the ones people have and still do not use.  Most dental insurance plans offer free preventive dental care, such as office visits, basic cleanings, and X-rays.  This alone can save you hundreds of dollars.   

But why buy dental insurance online? The internet opens the doors to more options, an it is much easier to compare many different dental plans and plans types. You can search on line for dental insurance and take your time in finding the best dental plan that fit you and your family needs.

April was Oral Cancer Awareness Month, and about 40,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with  oral cancer every year. One person dies from this affliction very hour of every day. The outlook doesn’t have to be bleak, though.  Along with seeing your medical doctor, dentist can also do oral cancer screenings.  Ask your dentist about oral cancer screenings many dentist provide such service for free.

Close to 50 million Americans live in rural or poor areas where few to no dentists practice. Many more dentists do not accept Medicaid patients, and the shortage of dentists is only going to get worse,   Under the Affordable Care Act, 5.3 million more children will be entitled to dental benefits from Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. However little is being done by the dental profession or by the federal or state governments to prepare for it.

Dental Journal, health experts warn that excessive alcohol consumption causes mouth cancer and dental disease. According to the experts, in order to tackle this as fast as possible, screening and treatment for alcohol abuse is critical. According to the report, individuals do not visit their general practitioner unless they are ill, whereas the majority of people visit their dentist for a routine check-up, as a result dentists have the chance to identify alcohol abuse.

Apples may be good for the Doctor but not for your teeth.  According to studies done eating apples can be up to four time more damaging to your teeth then carbonated drinks such as soda.  

Doctors are right in saying that eating apples is good, however what is bad for your teeth is the way you eat apples.  The high acidity level in apples can damage your teeth if you eat them slowly. Where as drinks most often associated with dietary erosion, particularly cola, showed no increased risk.

Scientists recently presented their work at the Society for General Microbiology’s Spring Conference in Dublin. Studies done show that oral bacteria that escape into the bloodstream are able to cause blood clots and trigger life-threatening endocarditis. Further research could lead to new drugs to tackle ineffective heart disease

Patients with congenital heart disease who have poor dental hygiene behaviors are increasing their risk of endocarditis. Teens with congenital heart disease floss, brush and visit the dentist less than their peers. But they have healthier behaviors when it comes to alcohol, cigarettes and illicit drugs. Adults with single ventricle physiology (a type of congenital heart disease) also have poorer dental hygiene practices than their peers despite having better health behaviors overall.

With current technology, it may take four to six months before the bone surrounding the implant screw has healed and is strong enough so the patient can begin to benefit from surgery. Now, for the first time, a drug coating that has been tested on humans allows titanium screws to adhere to the bone better and faster. The Linköping researchers behind the method report that the results are good.

The old saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is never been more truer in regards to dentistry. Preventative dentistry is relatively easy, quick, and inexpensive. Preventive dental care first starts from home with brushing, flossing and eating a well. By taking care of your dental health and having good dental habits you will be able to avoid larger dental issues. However preventive dental care does not stop there. Seeing a dentist for your twice a year check ups is also an important part of your dental care health. Only a dentist can catch small issues and correct them before larger dental care is needed.   

When you combine having good oral health care habits with dental insurance, preventive dental care cost is more affordable. Many dental insurance plans want their insured’s to have preventive care services. Therefore preventive care is normally free to very low in cost to their members.

I am trying my best to find some type of dental insurance plan that is affordable for me for my three year old son. We live in Texas and I do not get offer any dental benefits though work. The dental plans I seen so far are too costly with long term waiting periods. I can afford to wait but I do not want my son having to put of dental care if it is needed.  Please offer some help.

Reply: On this website I suggest reviewing our HMO insurance plans or our Dental discount plan as both are a low cost dental insurance/plan that can help you save money on your child dental care needs.

When you are a low income or fixed income sometimes buying dental insurance can be out of your budget. However that does not mean you have to go without. Take the time to review dental discount plans and see if they will fit for your dental needs.

For a very low monthly cost dental discount plans will save you money off all your dental services and care needs. They offer their discounted saving with no waiting periods, yearly max limitations and no deductibles. Also you do not have the hassle of dealing with claims forms. By giving a dental discount plan a second look you may find out that it can be very useful to you at a very low cost staying with in most people budgets

Tips on shopping out dental insurance and or a dental plan when you already have a dentist you want to stay with.

It can get a little over whelming to shop out dental insurance when you are trying to stay with a dentist. Many people will get online to find a dental insurance plan,  before even knowing what plans their dentist accepts. Knowing ahead of time what type of dental plans your dental office accepts, will save you time in searching and reviewing dental plans they are not acceptable.

Ask your dental office if they are in network of any dental HMO or dental discount plans.  Since these type of dental plan have not outside net work options.  Therefore if they are not a provider of these types of plans getting one will not work for you.  If they are then find out what plans so you are saving time by just looking  for and reviewing the acceptable plan options.

If our dentist is not a provider of any HMO or dental discount plans then your next option would be by getting a Dental PPO plan or a Dental Indemnity insurance plan.  These plans either have no net work of providers or they do allow you to go out side their provider data base.   On these types of plans it is still help to know if your dentist is a provider of a dental PPO plan because inside network coverage’s can be better then outside net work coverage’s and know this can be a helpful factor when reviewing dental PPO and Indemnity plans.

Did you know that as a senior you need to see the dentist some times more then just twice a year for your oral health check ups? 

Cavities can be more frequent in seniors for many reason. Although fluoride is in community water supplies today that was not always the case for some of the older seniors. Adults are also more likely to have tooth decay around older fillings if not regularly checked by a dentist. Cavities in the tooth root are more common in seniors due to receding gums lines. Receding gums exposes more of the tooth root surface to decay. 

Seniors also can have dry mouth due to either age or different medications they may have to take.  Dry mouth can lead to a higher risk of tooth decay because without an adequate amount of saliva the acids produced by plaque can not be neutralized. Seniors often put off their dental care needs due to many factors. 

Such as not having transportation, No dental insurance, other health issues that keeps them from seeing a dentist and cost for dental services. However these issues can be address.  There may be some ride care services available for seniors. By buying dental insurance you can control your cost for dental services to be render.  If there are other health issues keeping you way from a dentist that can be difficult to address.  But many time it is these same health issues that make it even more important to see a dentist regularly.

Tips you should know about insurance for dentures. If you already have dentures but need to get new set of dentures make sure you know the dental insurance term and conditions for dentures cost. Many dental insurance plans come with waiting periods. Dentures falling into majors dental services. In this case you may have to wait a year or more before the dental insurance plan will start to cover for dentures. This makes sense since they have to earn premium on the plan first before they can start to pay out for a high cost dental service.  Other wise you can see where one could get dentures and then cancel the plan with in the next month after only paying a month or two in premium.

Also some dental insurance plans with want proof that you had your old dentures for X amount of years. (Generally five years but can very depending on the plan)   Before they will cover out any replacements for new dentures. So make sure you know ahead of time the dental plan term and conditions before buying the dental plan of your choice. Picking the right dental plan from the start is always a good idea.