The short answer is Yes, both vision and dental care is very important for a baby. With regards to dental a baby should see a dentist at the sign of their first tooth. Maintaining dental health for your child will not only be good for the oral health but overall well being.  With regards to vision. Babies can have issues with their vision you never know what could happen. You may need to take your child to a Optometrists for appointments

University of Georgia research has found that inorganic mercury, which was previously thought to be a less harmful form of the toxic metal, is very damaging to key cell processes.

This study is the first to compare the effects of inorganic and organic mercury compounds at the biochemical, physiological and proteomic levels in any model organism, according to the study’s lead author Stephen LaVoie, a microbiology doctoral student. Published in December in the Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, the research looked at how inorganic and organic mercury affected specific molecular processes.

It is enrollment time for my company’s benefits, and I am not sure if I should add my son to the dental insurance. He does not have teeth yet, and I do not think it is likely he will need any dental work in 2015.   I can swing a check up out of pocket and I think it would be cheaper than adding him to the dental insurance policy, but are there any big baby dental procedures or problems that could be costly?   Answer: The recommendations for baby dental care these days suggest that you have your child seen as soon as his/her teeth come in. The reason for this is to catch any dental issues before they become larger more costly dental care problems.

A few years from now millions of people around the world might be walking around with an unusual kind of glass in their mouth, and using it every time they eat.

Engineers at Oregon State University have made some promising findings about the ability of “bioactive” glass to help reduce the ability of bacteria to attack composite tooth fillings – and perhaps even provide some of the minerals needed to replace those lost to tooth decay.

According to studies done, they shown that children who drink fluoridated water from birth have up to 65 percent fewer cavities, and by the time they become teenagers, many of them still have no tooth decay.   If you live in a community without a fluoridated water supply, you can make sure your kid get their fluoride buy talking to their dentist.

Ask your child dentist about using fluoride tablets.  A balanced diet is also an important contributor to healthy teeth and gums. Children especially need calcium, which helps build strong teeth. Good sources of calcium are milk, cheese and yogurt. Research shows that eating cheese after meals seems to inhibit the effects of decay-causing acids. Avoid snacks containing sugar or starch.

According to studies done, there may be a link with excessive alcohol consumption and it having a contributing factor towards mouth cancer. Excessive alcohol consumption increases the chances of developing mouth cancer by 30 percent.

However, mouth cancer is the not the only oral health risk associated with alcoholic drinks. alcoholic drinks also often contain high levels of sugar which can lead to tooth decay. Tooth decay happens when the enamel and dentin of a tooth become softened by acid attack after you have eaten or drunk anything containing sugars. Over time, the acid makes a cavity in the tooth. This often leads to the tooth needing to be filled or even removed.

You want to start cleaning a child’s teeth when the first tooth is visible, because teeth are susceptible to decay as soon as they appear in the mouth.  Wipe the baby’s teeth and gums clean after every feeding with a soft, damp wash cloth.

Be mindful of BBS (“baby bottle syndrome.”) with is a leading cause of tooth decay among young children. When an infant is allowed to drink from a nursing bottle containing milk, formula or fruit juice during nap time or at night, the baby often falls asleep with the bottle in his or her mouth.

Exposure to the sugars and acids in these liquids that pool around the teeth can cause discoloration and tooth decay.  Make sure to clean your child’s teeth after each feeding and, if necessary, give him or her a bottle filled only with water at bedtime or during a nap.

New online poll1 reveals seven in ten people (71 per cent) consume more alcohol at Christmas than the rest of the year potentially contributing to major oral health problems, according to leading oral health charity.

The British Dental Health Foundation has taken a look at our Christmas drinking habits and found that many of us enjoy a tipple too many at Christmas time and are urging everybody to be more aware of the effects they have on our oral health to help limit the impact.

We are all aware of the risks excessive alcohol pose but the charity particularly wants to draw attention to the relationship excessive alcohol consumption has as a major contributing factor towards mouth cancer.

Oral and dental health care start from birth. It is very important to provide good oral health care to your child right from the start.   According to The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, they recommend bringing your child to the dentist before his or her first birthday. Generally at this initial visit, the dentist will:

* Check your child’s teeth for decay and signs of early developmental problems;

* Explain how to care for your child’s teeth, and answer any questions or concerns you might have.  Your child should see a dentist once every six months in order to maintain good oral health and to help your child develop a positive attitude about the dentist.  Here are some additional tips

* Take your child with you when you go in for a check up so he/she can get used to the dental office and its staff.

* Avoid using negative words such as “needle” and “hurt.”

* Play dentist to familiarize your child with what takes place during a visit.

* Ask your dentist how he or she explains procedures to children.

* And answer your child’s questions honestly and sensitively.

Dental implants have become an important treatment for the replacement of teeth lost due to disease, injury or congenital tooth agenesis. Over the past 30 years, the incorporation of dental implants into everyday clinical dental practice has resulted in major improvements in oral health of patients through enhancements in function, esthetics and phonetics.

However it is important to note that many dental insurance plans do not provide benefits on implants. Providing benefits for bridges, partials, and dentures instead. If you want to have some saving off the cost of dental implants you may want to review the dental discount plan options that are available to you in your state. A dental discount plan offers up around 15 -20  percent off the cost of dental implants.

Question: My husband and I just had our son a seven weeks ago. A coarse he is current on our major medical but our dental is separate.  Since clearly he had no teeth yet, I see no point in adding him to our dental insurance plan right now.  At what point would it typically make sense to do so?

Answer: When you add your son to your dental plan can depend on a few factors. Such as, some pediatric dentists want to see your child as young as one year old to check their gums/whatever teeth they may have. Where as now more and more pediatric dentist say a baby should see a dentist at the sign of their first tooth which can be as soon a six to eight months of age.   Also you may want to check with your dental insurance plan. Confirm if their is any waiting periods that would effect the dental services provided for you son since he would be newly added to the plan.  If so you may want to add him sooner then latter to burn down his waiting periods.

The International and American Associations for Dental Research (IADR/AADR) have published in the January issue of the Journal of Dental Research articles that explore new evidence on the biological complications of dental implants and the great challenges associated with predictable implant therapy.

“While dental implant therapy remains an important treatment modality to replace missing teeth, these studies also underscore the importance of tooth preservation in patients susceptible to gum infections such as periodontitis. The caution is that careful assessments and treatment planning amongst dental generalists and specialists should be performed to optimize the clinical decision-making for patients receiving advanced reconstructive implant or periodontal therapy,” said JDR Editor William Giannobile. “We believe the outcomes of these studies will be beneficial to patient care and oral health.””While dental implant therapy remains an important treatment modality to replace missing teeth, these studies also underscore the importance of tooth preservation in patients susceptible to gum infections such as periodontitis. The caution is that careful assessments and treatment planning amongst dental generalists and specialists should be performed to optimize the clinical decision-making for patients receiving advanced reconstructive implant or periodontal therapy,” said JDR Editor William Giannobile. “We believe the outcomes of these studies will be beneficial to patient care and oral health.”

Experts say tooth enamel erosion is on the rise, especially in children. The reason for that, some say today’s kids get too many acidic drinks and sodas.  Try to switching to bottled water, instead of soda whenever possible, doing this is not only good for your child teeth but his/her overall wellness.

Question: I am 19 looking for dental insurance and my mom says that I should by a Delta Dental plan since most dentist take Delta Dental. There seems to be a few Delta Dental plans on your website but not sure what the difference is.

Answer: Depending on the state you are in we offer their PPO’s and Indemnity dental plans.  A PPO plan has a list of providers (dentist that are accepting that plan) however you can still choose to go to a dentist that is not a provider of the plan if you wish.    An Indemnity dental insurance options has no providers list. You just go to whatever dentist you want to.  Also note that there are different maximum limitations ranging from 1000 – 2000 depending on what you may want.

There are other differences in coverages.  I suggest calling our member services line at 310-534-3444. We be more then happy to go over the plans with you.

One should always make sure they have the best at home dental care habits. Here are some tips that may help you.

1) Floss your teeth do not use toothpicks.

2) Brush your teeth gently. Brushing your teeth too hard or using a hard bristled toothbrush can damage your tooth enamel.

3) Make sure to follow directions carefully when using teeth-whitening products. They can be bad for your teeth if used improperly or too often.

4) As a reminder if you need pointers on the right way to care for your teeth, just ask your dentist.  Your dentist will gladly go over proper at home dental care.

You can take a few simple steps in order to help your teeth. Such as:   

1) Brush after you eat or drink. Use a soft toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste.

2) Not at a place you can brush, the you can also have some milk or a piece of cheese after a meal to zap the acids.

3) Love gum? You are in luck. Chew sugar-free gum with xylitol after eating to get your saliva going which is another good way to stop acid damage.

Several theories have attempted to explain how our teeth manage to withstand the huge stresses we inflict on them every day of our lives. Now a new study shows how mineral nanoparticles and surrounding collagen in tooth dentin respond to stress in a way that prevents cracks from spreading inside teeth.

Your saliva takes care of acids in the mouth that erode your teeth. It also helps restore tooth enamel. However, if you have a dry mouth caused by a drug side effect or a health condition, the acids stick around longer, causing more damage to your teeth.

Children with oral clefts show a wide range of dental anomalies, adding complexity to understanding the phenotypic spectrum of orofacial clefting. The evidence is mixed however on whether the prevalence of dental anomalies is elevated in unaffected relatives, and is mostly based on small samples. This study by researchers Brian J. Howe, Margaret E. Cooper, Alexandre R. Vieira, Seth M. Weinberg, Judith Resick, Nichole Nidey, George L. Wehby, Mary L. Marazita and Lina Moreno Uribe characterizes the spectrum of cleft-related dental anomalies and evaluates whether families with clefting have a significantly higher risk for such anomalies compared to the general population. A total of 3,811 individuals were included with the breakdown being 660 cases with clefts, 1,922 unaffected relatives and 1,229 controls.

When your tooth enamel is damaged, the inner layer gets exposed, and dental decay can start. Cavities are not the only problem.  Teeth with damaged tooth enamel can react to extreme heat or cold. Eating ice cream or sipping hot coffee can be a painful, or at least unpleasant.