In the UK over 2 million people stated they had to take time off of work due to poor oral health. The UK’s economy is being damaged unnecessarily with an estimated two million workers taking sick time off work due to poor oral health over the past five years.

Most problems with teeth and gums are preventable with a good oral health routine, but around seven per cent of the UK’s 29 million workforce have called in sick with teeth problems at least once in the past five years. The sickness figure is likely to be even higher as many people are still unaware that poor oral health can put them at greater risk of acute health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and strokes.

There are many tasty toothpaste that are available to kids in order to make brushing fun and easier for the child.  Kids really like toothpaste that taste like bubble gum, grape or other such flavors,  and therefore brush their teeth without complaint.   To a parent this is can be a helpful tool to make sure their child developing good dental habits.

However,  there is a  risk that kids toothpaste may taste too good. Therefore a child may start to eat or use too much toothpaste. Check your child toothpaste you will see that most children toothpaste will have the warning about using only a pea size amount of toothpaste and that young children should have adult supervision. This is because of the fluoride in the toothpaste.

Fluoride is good for teeth and it can strengthen teeth as well as prevent dental cavities. That’s why there is fluoride in toothpaste.  But it is not good to have too much fluoride. It can cause dental fluorosis (white or brown spots on the teeth.) Preventing fluorosis is the main reason that you need to supervise brushing for young children. Also too much fluoride at once can become toxic.  Many parents are surprised to learn that children’s toothpaste contains the same amount of fluoride as adult toothpaste.

An observational study featured in the online journal BMJ Open reveals that persistent dental plaque can potentially raise the risk of dying early from cancer.   Researchers decided to establish whether dental plaque may influence the risk of early death from cancer due to infection and inflammation, as both factors are believed to play a role in up to one in five different types of cancer.

At the end of the study in 2009, the team registered 58 deaths of which about a third (35.6%) were women and 35 of these deaths were due to cancer. The average age of the deceased was 61 year for women and 60 years for the men. The women’s life expectancy would have been about 13 years longer, whilst that of the men would have been 8.5 years longer, which places them into the ‘premature deaths’ category. 
Whilst the women predominantly died from breast cancer, the men’s deaths were caused by a various different cancers.

The researchers observed that the deceased had a higher dental plaque index, compared with the survivors. Their values ranged from 0.84 to 0.91, which suggests the gums of their teeth were covered with plaque, whilst that of the survivors was consistently lower, i.e. 0.66 to 0.67, suggesting a partial cover with dental plaque. After accounting for all risk factors the team discovered that the risk of dying from cancer was almost two-fold with age, and that male gender had a 90% increased risk.

According to independent research published in Circulation, an American Heart Association journal, The incidence of infective endocarditis among dental patients in Olmsted County, Minn. did not increase after new guidelines called for giving preventive antibiotics before dental procedures only to those at greatest risk of complications.

In 2007, the American Heart Association changed its guidelines, recommending patients take antibiotics before invasive dental procedures only if they are at risk of complications from infective endocarditis. This includes patients with artificial heart valves, transplanted hearts with abnormal heart valve function, previous infective endocarditis and people born with specific heart defects.

According to the June issue of The Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice (JEBDP), The dental profession needs to build a stronger connection between oral health and general health – not only for individual patients, but also at the community level.

In most drug or food stores you have a large selection of toothbrushes from the standard manual brush to electric/battery-powered toothbrushes. Many of the toothbrush siting their own reason why they are the best due to their bend and flex head to varying lengths of bristles. Certainly some of the toothbrushes available look very high tech but are they better then the more basic brushes?    The fact is not necessarily.  Toothbrushes are usually not subjected to rigorous clinical trials. So there is no actual proof that one is better than next.

So how do you pick out a toothbrush that best for you and your family?   Consider things like comfort and how well the tooth brush reaches your back teeth. Toothbrushes come in different shapes so you are trying to find a toothbrush that fits your mouth and brush your teeth.  The brush should allow for you to to reach even the teeth at the very back of your mouth.

Try to stay with toothbrush that have “soft” or “extra soft” bristles — Hard bristles increase the risk of harming gums when you brush.   Buy a toothbrush that has the seal of acceptance from the American Dental Association.  The ADA seal shows that the dental product as been tested by the ADA and has met their standards.  Consider buying a powered toothbrush if you are less then diligent about brushing your teeth since powered toothbrushes tend to make brushing your teeth easier.

According to researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg,  25% of Sweden teens do not brush their teeth regularly and only 10% of Swedes know how to use toothpaste effectively.

According to the researchers, Swedes could significantly improve their oral health by learning how to effectively use fluoride toothpaste. In addition, knowledge about brushing teeth effectively must be improved and easy to understand.

The researchers highlight that individuals should: Brush their teeth at least twice a day with toothpaste (after breakfast and before bedtime)  Use toothpaste with more fluoride if cavities occur often and avoid rinsing with water after brushing.

According to two separate studies done by Pia Gabre and her colleagues at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, only one in ten brush their teeth in a way that effectively prevents tooth decay.

They studied the tooth brushing habits of 2013 Swedes aged 15-16, 31-35, 60-65 and 76-80 – how often and for how long, how often fluoride toothpaste is used, how much toothpaste is put on the toothbrush and how much water is used during and after the tooth brushing.  The results show that only ten percent of the population use toothpaste in the most effective way.

According to Pia Gabre,  most of the interviewed subjects learned to brush their teeth as children, by their parents, even if they have been informed about more effective techniques later in life, they continue to brush their teeth like they always have.

It is important to understand that regardless of your dental insurance plan it is up to you to know your coverages and what is and what is not covered.   Many people just assume that the dentist is only providing dental services based on what their plan offers.  This is not always true.  In fact many dentist do not even know what their patients have for dental insurance.  The dentist job is not to worry about your insurance but to provide the best dental care to their patients.

With that said it is up to you to let the front staffing know you wish to stay within your plan coverages.  If dental services are being suggested that is not part of your plan. you will want a good reason why.  Believe it or not most dentist are not trying to charge you for higher cost dental services just to get more money from you.  Ask your dentist why he/she is suggesting that course of treatment. If it not within your budget or you want to stay with in your plan coverage go over your options with your dentist at that time.  Dentist are not mind readers. Most are more the happy to work with your plan limitations as much as possible as long as they are aware of them.

If you have a dental insurance plan where claims need to be filed, then find out ahead of time how the dental office processes those types of claim made services. With the down turn in the economy many dentist are requiring payment to be paid in full at the time services are render. Knowing how the dental office handles claims will prevent you from having any unhappy surprises.  Dental offices that do file claims and wait for payment do so on your behalf, it is not a requirement.

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 coverages 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.

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.

Another 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 coverages, 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 your cost are. That way you avoid any surprises along the way.

Your child first dental appointment can be exciting, but for many parents they are not sure what to expect.  In general the dental office will gather information from you to determine the individual dental needs your child has.

At that point X-rays and a complete oral exam will be done by the dentist to  determine what course of dental treatment may be needed. The dentist will also go over the proper preventive dental care that is needed from home in order to maintain your child good oral health care.

If you have an indemnity dental insurance plan or a PPO dental insurance plan the chances are you may have a deductible.  The deductible is what is changed by the insurance company before they pay for any dental claims.  The dollar amount of the deductible can very but normally it is around $50 per person per year. Sometimes if there is no deductible there is an office co-pay each at each dental visit. Make sure you check with your dental plan so you can be fully aware of your coverages.

There are people that do not receive dental insurance benefits though their employers.  For those people they have to buy their own dental insurance plan for themselves and their family.

Sadly buying a dental insurance plan often gets put off until there are larger dental issues that need to be address.  When that happens they are left trying to find a dental insurance plan that can help with their dental needs right away.  (Even though many plans do come with waiting periods.)  Another issue is knowing whether or not the dental plan will provide cover the dental care services needed and to what extent.

Try and see a dentist for a consult and treatment plan before buying dental insurance.  That way you can shop for the best dental insurance plan that provides coverages for the dental care services suggested to you. Otherwise try buying a dental insurance plan that fits what your feel is your current dental needs the best.

Where in California can you get a low cost dental insurance plan just for kids?  I have two kids the need dental insurance but I only want to get a plan for them.  Looking for something low cost but will help with the cost of their dental care needs.

People are willing to spend hours on their food shopping in order to get the best price by comparing coupons to five or more stores.    However when you talk about dental care needs at a dentist very few shop to make sure the getting the best cost for their dental care. Many more people continue to pay overly high prices for their dental care or worse avoid going to a dentist for the dental care because they feel the cost will be too high.

By knowing the cost of dental services such as office visits, x-rays, cleanings, and fillings and so at a few dental office it will help empower you to seek out more affordable dental care.  If you been with your dentist for a while shop the dental office out. This is not say you have to leave but if you find that other dental offices in the area are less expensive, then talk to your dental office to see if they are willing to match cost in order to keep you.

Find out if the dental office has a website. Many dental offices offer savings if you book your first appointment though their website. Always ask if there are any other specials or saving that they are running.  If you are paying cash see about getting a cash discount. You may also want to find a dental office that offers affordable payment plan options for the more costly dental services so that you can still afford to have any needed dental care.

If you are wanting to keep your dental cost low then it is important that you teach your kids to have  good dental habits at home.  I am sure you may have heard this before but flossing and brushing your teeth daily will help  you to prevent cavities and gum disease.  With proper preventive dental care at home you can prevent larger more costly dental services done at the dentist.

I live in Florida with my two kids ages 5 and 7 they both need to see a dentist.  I lost my dental benefits about a year ago and just had not had the time to replace it.  Now that my kids are due for their check ups I like to get something started again

According to a study published in the May/June 2012 issue of General Dentistry, it found that an alarming increase in the consumption of sports and energy drinks, especially among adolescents, is causing irreversible damage to teeth, eroding the tooth enamel.

You may not be the only one  putting off the trip to the dentist, due to the current dismal economy many people are not seeing their dentist as often as the should.    In a 2011 survey of dental care affordability and accessibility 77% of Americans without dental care delayed further dental visits due to the cost of care. The survey also shows that 73% of Americans do not even know what their dental care costs.