Brushing your teeth correctly and regularly dose helps remove most dental plaque from your teeth. However, brushing alone can not remove plaque that is located in places that a toothbrush can not. This includes in between the teeth and under the gums. In addition to removing plaque, flossing also helps to: Remove debris that sticks to teeth between the teeth and under the gums as well as Controls bad breath.

Your child should floss at least once a day for two to three minutes each time to be most effective.

Flossing should start when your child has two teeth that touch each other. This is often around ages of two to three years old. Always floss under the direction of your child’s dentist or primary care provider. Before this age, flossing is not needed. Children often need help with flossing until they are ages eight and ten

Studies suggest that even in a well developed country such as United States of America only 12% floss their teeth daily. That many people are not aware of the necessity of flossing. Many people sadly believe that regular brushing is enough to keep their teeth and gums healthy. However this is not the case.

In a recent study of 51 twins one set of twins was instructed to just brush where the other set of twins was to brush and floss. Their dental health was examined before and after the study. The study results showed the group that flossed had 38% fewer bleeding gum sites than before the intervention and overall gum bleeding improved by an average of 42%

If your child is only brushing their teeth then they are only cleaning their teeth about 65% leaving 35% dirty. Make sure your children are brushing and flossing daily for proper dental health care habits.

How do I buy kids dental insurance?

Question: I want to only get dental insurance plan for my two kids. I have very small income and do not receive dental benefits though my employer. I can not afford a family plan but can I get a low cost dental plan for just my kids to help with their dental cost.

Answer: Under insurance you can not write two minors on the plan by themselves you would need to get a family plan and list yourself as head of household. However you may want to review a dental discount plan. You can buy two dental discount plan one for each child or by a family plan since the cost of a dental discount plan is very low ranging $15.00 – $20.00 a month for a family.

A dental discount plan dose not have an long term waiting periods and will help to reduce all your dental care costs.

Also, although you can not buy dental HMO insurance plans for only tow minors family plan cost is not typically all that high they can range around $20.00 – $40.00 a month and would be a good lower cost options if you are wanting insurance and not a discount plan

Find The Right Dental Plan for you and your Kids.

As a parent you know that your child/children need to maintain good dental and oral health. Yet increasing dental care services make it harder and harder to afford their needed dental care check ups and cleaning’s let alone any other larger dental care needs.

That is why having dental insurance for your family is an important part in keeping your dental family dental care cost low. Your budget and dental care needs for your family will help you choose which type of dental insurance plan would work best.

Our website offer a broad range of dental insurance plans from PPO’s, Indemnity and HMO dental insurance plans. We also offer dental discount plans for a lower cost alternative. Review our plan options for your state and if you have any questions please call our member service line at 310-534-3444 as they will be happy to help you with any of our dental plan options.

The purpose of a professional dental cleaning is to remove the hard calculus (tartar) from above and just below the gum line. Brushing and flossing at home removes plaque. Only dental instruments can remove calculus. Some dental hygienists use ultrasonic instruments to blast away the larger chunks of tartar. They follow up with hand instruments to thoroughly clean the teeth. Other hygienists use only hand instruments.

Sensory issues is probably one of the main anxiety triggers at the dentist for individuals with an ASD. The obvious areas of difficulty will be tactile and auditory. Mouths are extremely sensitive places and for a person with an ASD the sensation of a cold instrument entering their mouth could be very painful. In addition, the noise of the drills and cleaning instruments could also be a problem.

Sometimes the taste of the mouth wash or the paste being used will also have an adverse impact. It is also important to check whether there are any factors in relation to the dentist as an individual that might cause distress; for example, their perfume, mustache, or the color of their clothing

Study confirms that there is transmission of fecal coliforms in communal bathrooms at Quinnipiac University and that toothbrushes can serve as a vector for transmission of potentially pathogenic organisms.

Lauren Aber, MHS (Graduate Student, Quinnipiac University) stated “The main concern is not with the presence of your own fecal matter on your toothbrush, but rather when a toothbrush is contaminated with fecal matter from someone else, which contains bacteria, viruses or parasites that are not part of your normal flora,”

All toothbrushes were collected from participants using communal bathrooms, with an average of 9.4 occupants per bathroom. Regardless of the storage method, at least 60% of the toothbrushes were contamination with fecal

Study confirms that there is transmission of fecal coliforms in communal bathrooms at Quinnipiac University and that toothbrushes can serve as a vector for transmission of potentially pathogenic organisms.

Lauren Aber, MHS (Graduate Student, Quinnipiac University) stated “The main concern is not with the presence of your own fecal matter on your toothbrush, but rather when a toothbrush is contaminated with fecal matter from someone else, which contains bacteria, viruses or parasites that are not part of your normal flora,”

All toothbrushes were collected from participants using communal bathrooms, with an average of 9.4 occupants per bathroom. Regardless of the storage method, at least 60% of the toothbrushes were contamination with fecal coliforms.

There are several potential sources of contamination of one’s toothbrush; toothbrushes stored open in the bathroom are especially vulnerable to contamination with material from the toilet or contamination from other occupants. Sanitization and storage practices of a toothbrush are very important to the potential bacteria present on a toothbrush.

.

There are several potential sources of contamination of one’s toothbrush; toothbrushes stored open in the bathroom are especially vulnerable to contamination with material from the toilet or contamination from other occupants. Sanitation and storage practices of a toothbrush are very important to the potential bacteria present on a toothbrush.

Question: I have a ten month old son. He already has quite a few of his baby teeth in. Right now all I am doing is wiping them with a warm damp towel. When do I start using toothpaste and a brush? When is a good time to take him to the dentist? Do you use a special tooth brush?

Reply: You should be able to use a toothbrush at this time. You can find baby tooth brush kits in the tooth paste section of your local food or drug stores.

You may want to start out with a finger brush. When it comes to the toothpaste just make sure it is fluoride free. It is very important not to use fluoride toothpaste until you know your child will not swallow it.

Question: I failed to enroll for my baby to my current dental benefits and now I have to wait for another six months. Is dental insurance really need for a baby that is only three months old. Since I now have to wait I wondering if I should get her dental insurance now by herself until my open enrollment comes up again

Reply: Generally a child should see a dentist generally at least by the age of two or when they get their first tooth. It dose sound that your baby would still be less then one year old so waiting should be okay. However, you may want to talk to a pediatric dentist to confirm that it would be okay in your case.

Where can I get low cost cosmetic dental procedures

Question: I am missing over seven teeth. I know I am talking about a ton of money to really make my teeth look good again. I talked to my dental insurance company and since most of my needed dental work is cosmetic they will not cover the cosmetic part to be done.

I also called four other dental insurance company only to be told not to start changing dental insurance plans now since they would not cover for missing teeth or cosmetic. I am at loss and although I am not poor I am not rich either and would like to get some low cost cosmetic dental work so I can smile without worrying what people think.

Reply: I would suggest not to cancel out your current dental insurance plan. Many insurance companies do have missing tooth clause. Meaning they will not replace any missing teeth that was not pulled during their policy period.

However you can keep your current dental insurance and use it for what it does cover. Then get a dental discount plan for the cosmetic work your current dental insurance will not cover for anyway.

Dental discount plan do not have a missing tooth clause so you do not have to worry about that and you will get around a 15 – 20 percent off your cosmetic dental services.

Is there any such thing as student dental insurance?

Question: I am not covered under my parent’s dental insurance and I do not get it offer though my work. Is there any way for me to get a low cost dental insurance while I am in college?

Reply: Some colleges may have dental insurances plans. You would need to ask about that at your college to find out if something would be available. However if not then you still can buy dental insurance for yourself. The lower cost dental option would be a dental HMO insurance plan. I suggest reviewing our dental insurance plans we have many good choices to choose from. Just enter your zip code in the quote box provide above. If you have any questions please call our member services at 310-534-3444 M-F 8am-4pm

Question: I am working as contractor and do not have dental insurance. My kids (11 and 6) need to have some dental work done (cavities and crown). What dental insurance is best for private contractor like me? Any dental insurance that is good so that I can sign up to have my kids dental work done right away.

Reply: What would be best would depend on your dental care needs. However, when reviewing PPO’s you will want to make sure you choose one that dose not that have any waiting periods, since your children have current dental needs that need to be address. Those types of plans can be more costly but they do let you choose or keep your current dentist which may be important to you and your children.

Another option is an dental HMO insurance plans. HMO’s plans are a lower cost plans that are more affordable and typical do not have waiting periods. However, you have to choose a plan provider which means you may have to change dentist in order to pick a dental HMO insurance plan.

Question: I have a seven year old daughter and no dental insurance. She been to the dentist a few times but not on a regular basis since I can not always afford to take her. I would like to know where I can go to get affordable dental care for low income household kids. I not asking for myself but I would think there would be something for kids. Please advise.

Reply: The lower cost dental insurance option would be an HMO insurance plan. We provide a few dental HMO’s options depending on the state you are in. You can review our dental insurance plans just by entering your zip code in the quote box above.

Dental Insurance for Kids Dental Caries.

Question: I need a great deal of help for my six year old daughter dental care. My daughter has dental caries and I was told by a dentist willing to give me a free consult that she will need to have extensive dental care and without dental insurance I can not afford her to get the dental care she needs. Please advise a good plan that will help me take care of my daughter teeth.

Reply: You will either want to review dental HMO plans as they typically do not have any waiting periods for services to be render and are generally the lower cost dental insurance option. You may also want review PPO’s plans that do not have waiting periods. These plans are more costly but will let you keep your current dentist or choose your own dentist.

Question: I have a three year old daughter that seems to have a cavity I was brushing her teeth when I notice a small black dot that I could not brush off. This is the first time I seen it there and I am really careful about taking care of her teeth since we do not have dental insurance. I would like to know if you have any dental plans for kids or family that would be affordable and help us with our daughter dental care needs.

Reply: Affordable will depend on your budget but the more affordable dental insurance plan type would be HMO insurance plans. Dental HMO cost will very depending on the plan you are reviewing. However in generally speaking terms they can run for a family plan around $20 – $40 a month. You may want to review our dental insurance plans options. You can do that by entering your zip code in our quote box above.

After receiving a second dental opinion it is important to keep in mind the different perspectives of your dental care providers as you weigh your options. some things you may want to think about

• Your current dentist is familiar with your dental health history and has hopefully establish a good relationship with you
• Where as a new dentist may have the advantage of a fresh outlook
• if the second opinion is vastly different then the first opinion, you may even want to get a third opinion
• avoid making any major decisions about your dental health until you are comfortable with the care and information you have received

Once you decided to see another dentist for a second opinion it is a good idea to be prepared by having thought out some questions to ask that will help you make a more informed choice on your dental care treatment options. You may want to consider asking some of these questiosn to get you started

• Do you agree with the diagnosis and treatment plan my dentist has made?
• What treatment options do you suggest for my dental care needs?
• How much will each option cost me?
• What will happen if I delay some of the dental services until I am more able to pay for treatment suggested?
• How will each treatment option improve my dental health?
• Will I need future dental care treatments for the same issue?

In the previous post we talked about how if you feel like you should get a second dental opinion on a dental treatment, then you probably should. after all getting a second opinion may also provide peace of mind about the dental care services needed. However, it may not make best sense to get a second opinion for every little cavity or other minor dental health care issue. Here are a few reason why you may want to seek out a second opinion.

• your dentist has diagnosed a major health care problem, such as oral cancer
• your dentist has provided dental work, but it is not fixing your problem
• Your are unsure if the recommended treatment is necessary, or you are concerned about the cost
• You feel that your dentist is not qualified to treat your major dental health problems
• You do not have good rapport with your current dentist