Right now I got my hours cut from work and I do not receive any dental benefits.  My six year old daughter may have a cavity but I can not afford to take her to see a dentist.  I looking for either a low cost dental insurance plan I can get for her that will make her dental care more affordable or a dentist that will offer lower cost to low income people

The University of Queensland Children’s Nutrition Research Center at the School of Medicine and the School of Dentistry are looking for volunteers aged two, six and ten years for a new study, which aims to establish whether children may be changing their diets to eat unhealthy food because of dental problems and therefore submitting themselves to a higher risk of obesity and chronic disease in later life.

I am trying to find a low cost dental insurance plan for my two children under the age of 10.  I also will need to find a low cost dentist as well.  I wanting them to see a dentist for their basic check up but can not afford the cost as it is now.  How can I get free to very low cost dental care for kids.

Recent fatality from a tooth infection illustrates just how the current economic downturn is endangering oral health.   In Ohio a man died from a tooth infection that was not taken care of.  This man was unemployed and could not afford the antibiotic for the tooth infection left untreated he ultimately die from the infection.  There are other cases where children have died due to untreated tooth infections again parents stated it was due to cost.

Unfortunately Delay dental health care or not having any dental care is happening more often then not in the down economy. Many people still see dental care as optional and not very important. However with proper dental care habits at home and having preventive dental care services at the dental office, will help to prevent larger dental issues like tooth infections.

According to a new Duke University-led study, Increased intake of dietary calcium may be key to addressing widespread dental health problems faced by millions of rural residents in Ethiopia’s remote, poverty-stricken Main Rift Valley.

Most efforts to combat fluorosis in the region have focused primarily on treating drinking water to reduce its fluoride content.

The new Duke-led study, published online in the journal Environment International, finds that these efforts “may not be sufficient on their own, because of the region’s geology and the low threshold of exposure at which we found fluorosis was likely to occur,” said Avner Vengosh, professor of geochemistry and water quality at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment.

Many dental ailments are preventable, unlike medical ailments which can be both unpredictable and catastrophic.  With dental preventive care would including having regular dental visits for checkups and cleanings.  By having regular dental visits, problems can be diagnosed early along treated without extensive testing or elaborate and expensive procedures.  Which helps keeps the costs of dental care much lower than those of medical care. In fact, total spending for dental care is decreasing. In 1970, it made up 6.3 percent of total health care expenditures. But in 1991, dental care’s share of health care spending was only 4.9 percent.

The culprit behind a failed hip or knee replacements might be found in the mouth. DNA testing of bacteria from the fluid that lubricates hip and knee joints had bacteria with the same DNA as the plaque from patients with gum disease and in need of a joint replacement.

I am a signal mom with bad teeth issues.  I need help in having my teeth look good again.  I called every dental insurance company and they all do not offer coverages for adult braces and or cosmetic dentistry which is what I do need in order to fix up my teeth.   I can not afford this needed dental care without some help are there any alternative dental plans that can help me with this type of dental care?

A Michigan State University surgeon is teaming up with a Lansing-area dental benefits firm on a clinical trial to create a simple, cost-effective saliva test to detect oral cancer, a breakthrough that would drastically improve screening and result in fewer people dying of the world’s sixth most common cancer.

Barry Wenig, the lead investigator on the project and a professor in the College of Human Medicine’s Department of Surgery, is working with Delta Dental of Michigan’s Research and Data Institute to compile study data and recruit dentists. The study will enroll 100-120 patients with white lesions or growths in their mouths and tonsil areas to test as part of the clinical trial.

Periodontitis (Gum disease), affects more than half of adults and is linked to an increased risk of stroke and other heart problems.  In order to evaluate whether fish oil supplementation could be an adjunct therapy for periodontitis, Dr Alison Coates from the University of South Australia and colleagues from the School of Dentistry at University of Adelaide in Australia reviewed evidence from eight unique studies that involved humans.

Their review of these studies showed that improvements in clinical measures were common in all studies, but were scientifically significant in two that used a combination of fish oil and aspirin. Although this is not conclusive evidence, intake of fish oil is recommended for health benefits beyond the teeth.

Cavities in children ages 2 to 5 increased from 24 percent to 28 percent between 1988-1994 and 1999-2004 and is still on the rise. Parents and caregivers should provide a well balanced diet but stop unrestricted, at-will consumption of liquids, beverages and foods containing fermentable carbohydrate which can contribute to decay after eruption of the first tooth.

Provide proper oral hygiene practices, such as cleaning an infant’s teeth following consumption of foods, liquids, containing fermentable carbohydrates. Periodically check your child teeth at home as directed by your child dentist. A baby should have their first dental visit by the time their first tooth erupts or by their first birthday

Early Childhood Caries is defined as the presence of one or more decayed, missing or filled tooth surfaces in any primary tooth in a preschool age child between birth and 71 months of age. Where as the term “Severe Early Childhood Caries” refers to “atypical” or “progressive” or “acute” or “rampant” patterns of dental caries.

Child’s teeth are susceptible to tooth decay as soon as they begin to erupt. There are many aspects of early childhood caries such as baby bottle tooth decay, which is recognized as one of the more severe manifestations of this syndrome.

Gum disease has not been proven to cause heart disease or stroke, and treating gum disease hasn’t been proven to prevent heart disease or stroke either,  this according to a new scientific statement published in Circulation, an American Heart Association journal. Keeping teeth and gums healthy is still important for your overall health care.

However, an American Heart Association expert committee – made up of cardiologists, dentists and infectious diseases specialists found no conclusive scientific evidence that gum disease, (periodontal disease), causes or increases the rates of cardiovascular diseases.

I have two children under the age of seven.  The last time they seen a dentist was a little over a year ago when we receive dental benefits.  Without our benefits dental care cost was just to high for us.  Where can we go to get affordable dental care for our family again.

Studies show a protein involved in cellular inflammation may increase the risk of plaque containing blood vessels associated with inflammatory gum disease, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology 2012 Scientific Sessions in Chicago. The protein, CD36, is found in blood cells, as well as many other cell types.

As you may already know cavities are caused by plaque build up. Plaque is a thin film of bacteria that builds up on  your teeth. So the more food and or drinks your children have that contain high sugar content the higher risks are of plaque developing and leading to cavities. Protect your children’s  teeth by providing a well balance diet with low sugar.  Not to say they can not have those sugary sweets once in a while but try to limit them and remember to have them brush their teeth twice a day and floss daily in order to help reduce plaque build up.

Smiling Schools, is a dental care program that is being implemented for underprivileged children in Kentucky. Kentucky governor Steve Beshear announced on August 25 2011 a dental care program intended to help bring dental health care to underprivileged children.  This is a pilot program that plans to run throughout the 2011-2012 school year.

My 12 year old son stated that when he yawns that he could sometime year a popping noise.  He said it is happening more often so I took him to see the doctor. His doctor told me he seemed fine but may have a TMJ issue and that I should see his dentist to confirm.

I looked up on line what TMJ is and it seem to fit what is happening to my son. My problem is I only have medical benefits though my job and not dental. If I buy a dental insurance plan will it cover for TMJ treatment?

It is important to keep in mind that by having proper dental care habits at home  and seeing a dentist regularly, not only helps to reduces the risk or tooth decay and gum disease, but save you money in the long run.

Preventive dental care services such as, office visits, X-rays and cleanings are much more affordable then filling, root canals and crowns. Take into account that even lower cost dental insurance plans offer free to very low cost preventive dental care, it makes no sense not to maintain your dental health. By taking care of your teeth with good dental habits and seeing your dentist you decrease your chances of developing larger more costly dental issues.

Many parent do encourage their children to practice proper dental care habits at home.  But having the right dental health care products for your children to use is important as well.    For children who do not brush their teeth on their own yet, you may want to avoid toothpaste with fluoride until they know not to swallow.  However for older children, the Center for Disease Control recommends that parents get their children toothpaste that contains fluoride in order to protect their teeth.

Also with regards to using mouthwash parents may want to avoid using mouthwash that contain alcohol.  There are many kid friendly mouthwashes that do not contain alcohol just read the label to make sure.

Flossing is an important part of dental care, however your child needs to know how to floss correctly.  Make sure you or your dentist correctly shows your child how to floss.  A parent should floss their child teeth until they are able to do so on their own.