According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry at 12 months, your baby is old enough to visit the dentist. Cavities are a common concern with children that is why it is important to take your child to the dentist regularly. according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more then one in four children have tooth decay by the time they enter kindergarten

How to brush your baby’s teeth

When brushing your baby’s teeth you will want to put your baby on your lap, facing away from you. Brush the teeth from behind, making sure to support your baby’s head. When you brush, focus your efforts between the gums and teeth, that’s the most important area. Consult with your dentist about frequency, and if you should add flossing to your child’s routine

Did you know that roughly 130 million American still do not have dental insurance ? Even though according to studies the number one primary reason people delay dental visits is the cost of having dental care services render. Buying dental insurance is one sure way to help save money in the cost of y our dental care. In addition people with insurance tend to make and keep their dental appoints

There are dental clinics throughout the country that offers low to free dental care to low income households. In addition, Dentistry From The Heart has hundreds of events each year, during which free dental care is made available to communities across the country

if you ca not afford dental insurance, a dental discount plan may be a good alternative. Dental discount plans are not insurance, however they offer saving by as much as 10-60 percent on a broad range of dental services provided by participating dentists with in the plan network of providers.

Most dental insurance plan have some type of dental provider date base.  So a good start when looking for a new dentist is to use the provider date base your dental insurance plan provides. Also in some plans by using the plan network of dental providers you receive better benefits under the plan.  However you may still want to call the dental office to do further research on the potential dental office you have found. Here are a few tips on what to ask when searching for a new dentist.

1) Ask about the dentist educational background and credentials
2) Ask what you should expect during the first exam.
3) Ask to make sure if the office staff goes over the treatment options and cost before work is started. It is important to make sure you have the right information including what is covered by your dental insurance plan and your cost before making treatment decisions.
4) How does the dental office file out claims and what is expected from you at the time of service.  Some dental office may file the claim and bill you latter for any unpaid balances. Where as other dental office may make you pay in full at the time dental services are render, and have you file out your own claim so premium benefits are paid back to you.
5) Know the office hours and how patient emergencies are handled outside of regular hours.
6) Ask any additional questions that are important to you in choosing a dentist.

When searching for a new dentist make sure to know what their business hours are and how they deal with dental emergencies. The reason you want to confirm their business hours is that you are more likely to make and maintain regular dental visits when the practice has hours that works around your time frame.

Someone that has to take time off from work will tend to put off their dental care needs. Check if the dental office is open on a Saturday or if they provide latter hours during the week. In cases of emergencies know what their practice is. Will they take a walk-ins or get you in that same day or the next in case of an emergency. Knowing this ahead of time will help make choosing a dental provider that is best for you and your needs.

Question: I am a signal mom with two kids looking for an affordable dental and vision insurance in CA

Answer: Although this web site dentalinsurancekids.com will provide you dental insurance plans from HMO (the lower cost plans) to PPO and Free choice of providers plan (generally more costly then HMO’s) we do not provide vision insurance options.

However please visit our vision web site at bestvisionplans.com to review our vision insurance and plan options.

If you have any questions about our dental and vision insurance plans please call our office at 310-534-3444 M-F 8-4 as we be happy to help you with your dental and vision insurance needs.

This may seem straight forward but you can avoid your children having dental decay by making sure they have the right brushing and flossing habits.  The first step to dental care and good oral health comes from home.

Make sure your children are brushing and flossing correctly.  That means brushing for at least two minutes two times a day.  I suggest that if they have a full breakfast, lunch and dinner they should brush after every major meal.   Your child should also learn how to floss.  Flossing need s to be done once a day.

Now I am not one to say do not give sweets to kids because the fact is tooth decay can happen with any food item if good brushing habits are not in place.  However it is a good idea try and avoid food that can be harmful to tooth enamel.. Food like sour candy, soda, even too many fruits with acids like oranges or orange juice can be harmful. Be mindful of these types of food as they can over time wear down tooth enamel that  helps protect the tooth from decay.

And do not forget the importance of seeing your family dentist at least twice a year.  Prevention is the key to keeping your dental cost low.

What is Tooth Decay

Tooth decay is the destruction of the outer surface of a tooth from acid forming bacteria that is produced by food containing carbohydrates (sugars and starches).

Tooth Decay Prevention

Brush your teeth twice a day with a tooth paste that contains fluoride. Preferably, brush after each meal and before bedtime to help reduce the bacteria from staying on your teeth for a certain length of time.

You may wish to consider these helpful tips as well:

• Floss your teeth daily to prevent tooth decay and gum disease.
• Check with your dentist regarding the use of a supplemental fluoride which strengthens your teeth and helps prevents tooth decay.
• Consider dental sealants which is a plastic like substance placed on the top of molars to protect the teeth from decay
• Use mouth wash with fluoride. Many of them kill 50% or more of the bacteria that cause tooth decay.
• Chewing gum with the ingredient Xylitol may also kill some of the bacteria which causes tooth decay.
• Visit your dentist regularly
• Maintain dental insurance and or a dental plan to keep your dental cost low.

Kid Dental Health, Tooth Decay in Children

Tooth decay in children is an occurring health condition. Due to dental issue children miss 52 million hours from school every year. If dental problems are left untreated children will develop further health problems. 30% to 50% of children between 4 and 5 years old already struggle with tooth decay.

There are many reason for this problem but a few are due to the fact that dental benefits are not provided though the parents employer. Some parents fail to acknowledge the important of early dental care for kids. Children of low income families are more predisposed to developing tooth decay and Dental care cost is too expensive for children.

Smoking is a major cause of gum disease

By now most parents know that smoking cause many over all health problems. Some of the visible health side effective from smoking is seen in your mouth. From simply staining your teeth to larger health issues such as gum disease.

Smoking harms the body’s immune system, therefore the body is less able to fight off the bacteria that naturally stick to the gums. Once the gums are damaged, smoking makes it harder for the body to heal its tissues. In addition studies are also showing a link between gum disease and heart disease, it all start to goes down hill from there.

Talk to your kids let them fully know all the health risks smoking has. Keep in mind if your are a a parent that smokes, the odds increases that your kids will also smoke so stop the cycle and quit you not be only helping

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. 

Kids Dental Insurance and Their Dentist. 

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.

An additional 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 coverage’s, 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 child’s 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.

In a prior post we talked about how mouth sores are typically a result of irritations. There are many things that can irritate the mouth and lead to mouth sores. Below is some common causes

• Poorly fitting dentures. Make sure to maintain your dentures and get them aligned/adjusted so that they fit correctly
• Sharp or broken tooth/teeth. If you have a sharp/broken tooth see your dentist in order to fix it so that it will not cause a mouth sore
• Braces / retainers
• Burning your mouth on hot foods or drinks

Some additional causes can include

• Certain medication
• Tobacco use
• Hormonal changes during pregnancy
• Stress
• Vitamin and folate deficiencies

Tonsil stones can normally be treated at home. They often detach during vigorous gargling.

You can use a cotton swab to loosen the stone and gently press on the tissue immediately surrounding it. You should position the swab behind the stone and push forward pushing the tonsil stone toward the front of the mouth instead of into the throat. Do not use your finger or anything pointed or sharp to try and remove the tonsil stone.

Dental Cavities can trap bacteria that realese unplesant gases. Cavities usually arise due to tooth decay.

Poor oral hygine increase the number of food paticles left in the mouth that can decay

These dental issues can increase the risk of developing plaque that can cause tooth decay and inflame the gums causing a condition called periodontitis.

Make sure to take care of your oral health and have good oral hygiene

You can obtain quotes for more affordable dental insurance plans from companies online and through your local insurance agent or broker. Please keep in mind that there are many web sites who give the appearance of selling dental insurance but instead only offer a dental discount plan which is not insurance.

Your dentist may also have affordable dental plan options available to patients.  Ask the receptionist if they partner with a dental plan company and see if one might be right for you

Over time Bruxism, or teeth-grinding, can wear down or fracture the enamel due to constant clenching. Bruxism can also ground down the upper and lower front teeth.  Generally Bruxism is often worst when you sleep that is when you ca not control it. Reducing stress may help. Some people wear a special mouth guard to bed. Ask your dentist if this is a problem. You can buy the guards in a drugstore or discount store, or your dentist may make you a custom model.

Preventive dental care dose start at home by having good dental care habits. Brushing your teeth twice a day flossing daily and using a mouthwash that help fight plaque.  However preventive care dose not stop at just having good dental habits at home.  An equally important part of your preventive dental care needs is seeing a dentist at least twice a year for your dental check up and cleaning’s.

Did you know that most dental insurance plans provide preventive dental care services at little to no cost to you. By having dental insurance you are able to maintain your twice a year check up and cleaning’s with little to no cost to you for you and your family.  Dental insurance also provides basic and major dental care services at a more affordable cost when needed.