In 2010, researchers from New York University (NYU) concluded that there is a link between gum inflammation and Alzheimer’s disease, after reviewing 20 years of data on the association.

In 2013, UK-based researchers from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) built on the findings of this study, by comparing brain samples from 10 living patients with Alzheimer’s with 10 brain samples from people who did not have the disease.

Analysis showed that a bacterium – Porphyromonas gingivalis – was present in the Alzheimer’s brain samples but not in the samples from the brains of people who did not have Alzheimer’s. What was interesting was that P. gingivalis is usually associated with chronic gum disease.

Most of us are aware that poor dental hygiene can lead to tooth decay, gum disease and bad breath – but not brushing your teeth could also have consequences for more serious illnesses.  Some less well-known and serious conditions that have been linked to poor dental hygiene in recent years: Alzheimer’s disease, pancreatic cancer and heart disease.

Decalcification can also cause white spots  The beginning of a cavity can appear like a white chalky spot on the enamel. This is due to the plaque sitting on the teeth for long periods of time and releasing acids that decay the tooth. Sometimes people that have braces and do not brush very well may see decalcification that forms around the braces.

Poor oral health and hygiene are increasingly recognized as major risk factors for pneumonia among the elderly. To identify modifiable oral health-related risk factors, lead researcher Toshimitsu Iinuma, Nihon University School of Dentistry, Japan, and a team of researchers prospectively investigated associations between a constellation of oral health behaviors and incidents of pneumonia in the community-living of elders 85 years of age or older. This study, titled “Denture Wearing During Sleep Doubles the Risk of Pneumonia in Very Elderly,” has been published by the International and American Associations for Dental Research (IADR/AADR in the OnlineFirst portion of the Journal of Dental Research (JDR).

In dentistry, an abutment is the connecting tooth (or implant) that supports a dental prosthesis. An abutment used in the context of a fixed bridge, partial removable dentures,  and in implants (used to attach a crown, bridge, or removable denture to the dental implant fixture.

Periodontitis is a common ailment. If the inflammation remains untreated, it could lead to tooth loss. However, it is also suspected of triggering many other diseases, like cardiopulmonary diseases. Researchers are studying the interactions, and developing compounds to combat the causative agents.

Dental fluorosis is another cause of why there may be white spots on your teeth. Fluorosis can occur if you consume too much fluoride while the teeth are forming ( Between Age 0-6). The excess fluoride in the diet intercalates into the enamel causing white or brown spots to form. In addition, fluorosis can cause surface abnormalities in the enamel.

Poor oral health affecting athletes’ general health and performance shows ‘no signs of improvement’ and must be remedied, say a group of health experts and sporting bodies. In a consensus statement, the authors call for action to tackle poor oral health among athletes. They say that simple measures such as encouraging better brushing and flossing could provide the same marginal performance gains as expensive physical therapies.

It is important that when buying dental insurance whether it is for yourself or for your family to understand the plan limitations.  One such limitation which is common on most PPO and Indemnity insurance plans (yet can also be found in some HMO)  would the plan waiting periods.

A waiting period is the time period you will need to have the plan before certain coverages are made effective under the plan. Generally you will not have waiting periods for preventive dental services such as X-rays and basic cleanings. Yet depending on the plan you may around a six month waiting period for basic services such as a filling and a year or more for major services such as a crown.

These waiting periods helps the company earn premium in order to pay for future larger dental services as well as avoid the person that out to buy dental insurance to fix one issue and turn around to cancel right after.

At www.DentalInsuranceKids.com we provide several different dental insurance plan types ranging in cost and coverages in order to provide you with the most affordable dental plan with the coverages you are looking for.  By comparing our dental plan options that are available to you in your state you are able to choose which plan best fits your family needs.

With dental care cost going up it is important to have dental insurance to help with the increase costs. However, buying the right dental plan is also important and once you found a dentist you like you may not want to change.   No one likes having to go to dentist they may not know, and once you found a dentist you like the though of having to change providers just to get dental insurance is not a good one.  Yet you do not have to.

Buying a dental insurance plan that lets you pick your own or stay with your current dentist is not difficult.  However it may take some planing ahead.  First you want to start with your dentist.  Call the dentist office to confirm the plans they participate in.  This is helpful so that you are wasting time reviewing plans they do not accept.  If you are going to a dentist office that only accepts PPO or Indemnity plans then it important to buy these type of plans sooner then later since in most cases they do come with waiting periods for both basic and major dental care services.

Did you know that tooth decay is one of the leading chronic infectious diseases among children. Untreated tooth decay causes pain and infections that may lead to problems with eating, speaking, playing and learning.  With that said however,  tooth decay is also preventable.

Make sure your child maintains good at home dental care habits by brushing and flossing daily.  Maintain regular dental checks ups with your child dentist.  Your child dentist will be able to spot any minor dental care need before it turns into a larger dental care issue,  if your child is seen regularly by his or her dentist.

If you do not receive dental insurance though your employer, it often not thought about.  However, having dental insurance will help make dental care more affordable.   Yet why should you buy dental insurance, when the fact is if all you are having are basic dental cleanings you may feel like the cost of dental insurance would excess the cost of the dental services.

However what happen when you need more then just a basic cleaning?  What if you brake a tooth or dental decay goes untreated and causes large dental services to be needed.  That when you will be wishing you had some dental insurance in place.  Many of the dental insurance plans that let you pick and choose your own dentist also come with long waiting periods.  Which makes buying those types of dental insurance plans important to do so before you required larger dental care.

In addition people that do not have dental insurance tend to put off their dental care.  In turn requiring larger dental services do to defer treatment, making their dental care cost go up even more.    People that have dental insurance tend to see their dentist for the twice a year check ups and cleaning since in many cases this is a free service under their insurance plan. In addition since these people are seeing a dentist regularly they are also able to avoid having larger dental care needs there by saving money on their overall dental health care cost.  So the real question is why are you not buying dental insurance?

Most parents knows that oral health can directly affects a child’s overall health. This is why it is important to install good oral hygiene habits in your children at an early age. Make tooth brushing essential at the first sight of your child tooth, since even baby teeth are at risk for tooth decay.

Take your child to see a dentist regularly so that you can avoid him/her from having to have larger dental care needs in the future.  Having dental insurance in place for you and your family will not only control your dental care cost but study show that people who have dental insurance are more likely to maintain regular dental check up.

Sadly all to often, people do not start looking for dental insurance until they have a larger dental need such as a dental crown.  However when only buying dental insurance to fit the current need at the time,  you limit the  insurance plans that are able to  help you.

If you are a person that wants to keep their own dentist or choose their own dental provider, then you be better off buying dental insurance before you have larger dental issues. Many PPO and Free choose of provider plans (Indemnity Insurance plans) come with long waiting periods for both basic and major dental services.  This means, if you wait to buy these types of dental insurance plans until you have larger dental care needs,  you may be out waiting even longer before the plan provides coverages for your required dental care.

Often times children under the age of five will need to go to a Pediatric dentist instead of a family or general dentist.  That being the case if you have younger children you will want to make sure you either have a dental insurance plan or are buying a dental insurance plan that offer benefits on Pediatric (Specialist) dentistry.

Generally that would mean buying either a dental PPO or a dental Indemnity dental insurance plan. Although there are some HMO dental insurance plans that will provide saving off the cost of specialist they do not always have a broad range of specialist.   Therefore when buying and HMO dental insurance plan check to make sure there are Pediatric dentist in the plan network that you are able take your child to for his or her dental care needs.

Although having poor nutrition does not not have any direct links in causing periodontal disease (gum disease) researchers believe that periodontal disease may in fact progress faster and is more severe in people who’s diet does not supply the necessary nutrients.

Having poor nutrition affects the entire immune system there by increasing susceptibility to many disorders such as periodontal disease. Additionally, research shows a link between oral health and systemic conditions, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. So eating a variety of foods as part of a well-balanced diet may not only improve your dental health, but increasing fiber and vitamin intake may also reduce the risk of other diseases.

Having dental insurance whether for yourself and your family is one main way to save on the cost of your dental care needs.  Maintaining your dental health is important and as a parent keeping up on your kids dental care needs can become extremely costly when you do not have current dental insurance in place for your family.  With many dental insurance plans it is important to buy and have in place, before larger dental care needs have to be address. Since they often have waiting periods for both basic and major dental care services. Thinking and planing ahead will save you money and often time grief latter on.

There are many choices to choose from when buying a dental insurance plan for you and your family.  Therefore it is helpful to understand some of the pros and cons for each type of dental plans.  Dental HMO Insurance Plans.

Pros:  

* Cost of the Plan: Dental HMO plans are normally lower cost plans making them easier to fit in most budgets.

* Waiting Periods for Dental Services:  Most dental HMO plans do not have waiting periods for covered dental services. Therefore if you need filling, crown, root canals etc. soon after buying an HMO insurance plan, you are able to receive benefits for these types of services right away.

* No yearly maximum payouts. HMO plans do not have a yearly maximum dollar limitations on how much the plan is going to pay per person per year.  Though there may be limitations on dental services such as two cleanings a year or one set of x-ray a year etc.

* Cost of Dental Services:  There is no guessing as to your cost for dental services since most HMO plans are fee based. The cost for covered dental services on a HMO insurance have already negotiated with the dental providers. You are able to review the fee schedule before even buying the plan.  The only exception to this  can be that plan specialist may still be based on percentage.

Cons:

* No outside network benefits:  Under an HMO dental insurance plan it operates through a network of dentist. Generally you are assigned to a dentist in the plan network that you pick at the time of purchase.  You can change providers by notify the company but it still needs to be a network provider of the plan.

* HMO plans tend to have more providers in densely populated area such as major cities like Los Angeles but tend to have less dental provides in more rural areas.

* Under an HMO plan normally dentist are paid a set annual fee for each customer assigned to them through the network. Which can means the dentist makes more money when a customers required less treatment. There by making some people believe that a HMO dentist will either discourage treatment or encourage dental treatment not covered under the HMO plan.

* Specialist:  Some HMO dental insurance plans either provide no coverages for specialist or limited the coverages received by specialist.  Providing on average between 20 to 30 percent savings off the cost of network plan specialist services. Note: You will generally need a referral from the general dentist to see a plan specialist.

Dental insurance help to not only provide dental care at a more affordable cost but studies show that people that have dental insurance are more likely to maintain their oral health care by  visiting their dentist regularly.  In addition it has been shown that your overall health care can be effected by your oral health, there by making it very important to maintain your oral health not just to prevent tooth decay and gum disease but to reduce your risk of other over all health care issues.