If after reading this you see that you have two or more of these signs to periodontal disease, you may want to see a dentist to confirm your dental and health. Red and Swollen Gums,  Bad Breath, Bleeding gums when brushing and or flossing your teeth, A constant bad taste in your mouth, Receding gums and Tooth Loss.  These signs should not go unchecked by your dentist.  Links to periodontal disease and other health issues have been found and by maintaining health gums you also help to maintain your over all health care.

Primary teeth (baby teeth) play an important role in your child life.  Primary teeth are needed for chewing and eating, they affect the development of speech, they hold the space needed for the permanent teeth and help guild them in the correct position.

It is very important to maintain the health of the primary teeth. Neglected cavities can and frequently do lead to problems which affect developing permanent teeth. It is a good idea to have and maintain dental insurance on yourself and family in order to maintain lower dental care cost.

Children should have their first dental visit with the eruption of the first baby tooth but no later than their first birthday. This is so that an assessment and record can be made of your child’s dental development and risk of getting cavities. This will give the dentist an opportunity to discuss good oral hygiene practices at home, diet, injury prevention and possible need for fluoride supplements. Also if the dentist finds any cavities or other problems, these issues can be taken care of early before they become a bigger problem.

Dental sealants are thin plastic coatings that are applied to the grooves on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth to protect them from tooth decay.  Dental sealants are effective in preventing dental caries in the occlusal (chewing) and other pitted and fissured surfaces of the teeth.  Dental sealants were assessed in permanent molars (occlusal and buccal surfaces in lower molars and occlusal and lingual surfaces in upper molars), premolars (occlusal surface), and upper lateral incisors (lingual surface).

Dental sealants are highly effective in preventing dental caries that occur on the surfaces of teeth that have pits and fissures.  Dental sealants are usually applied in a dentist’s office.  Dental sealants last for 4-5 years and can easily be reapplied by your dentist when they do wear off.  Dental sealants represent one of the greatest, but least known advances, of modern dentistry.

Having poor teeth and gum health can effect your overall health care.   Keeping and maintaining your gums and teeth health is important in maintaining good over all health care.   When you do not take proper care of  your teeth and gums plaque and tartar can easily build up. When this happens numerous problems like tooth decay, gum disease, and tooth loss a can happen. From their other health problems can arise like heart disease and strokes. For kids or adults with diabetes it is most important to maintain healthy teeth and gums because in this case you have more chance of developing periodontal disease.

After your child has a tooth pulled you will want to them him or or her home.  Normally they will have to bite down on a special pad that will help stop the flow of blood. Your dentist may give you a few to take home.  Change them when they are sodden or about every thirty minutes or so for the first two hours.

Once your child’s mouth regains some sensation you can take out the pads. Make sure your child does not use a straw or chew on tough food for a few days.  Soft food such as yogurt, applesauce, and bananas are foods that are good after getting baby teeth pulled out.

Over your life time you may have had a bad experience with having a tooth pulled.  However do not let your child see your anxiety.  Just be honest and calm with your child. Do not trick a child about where he or she is going and keep things light and positive.  Even if you have some dental fears you do not want to make your fears their fears. Have the dentist go over everything before starting and reminded your child that you are right their with them.

Taking your child to see the same dentist you see, may not be the best option. For young children you may want to think about taking them to see a pediatric dentist.  Pediatric dentists have an additional two years of schooling in which they focus on the growth and development of teeth. They also learn how to help children be comfortable and deal with their fear and anxiety. While a good general dentist will probably do a fine job, a pediatric dentist specializes in children’s teeth, has the right size equipment, and knows how to put your child at ease.

HMO dental plans are not always the best fit for young children.  When buying a dental HMO plan for a child six and under you want to make sure that there is a dentist in the plan network that provide services for children at a younger age.  Many general dentist will not provide services to young child, or they will but only if your child is able to be well behaved.  Many general dentist may not be able to provide the best care for a young children who may kick or bite or not sit still while having a dental check up.   Normally when this happens more then once the dentist may advise that your child see a pediatric dentist ( a child specialist).

With a dental HMO your saving under a specialist is normally around 20-30 percent and is not longer the cost listed for a general dentist.  Also since you have to go to dentist that are network providers you want to make sure the plan you are buying has pediatric specialist in case a general dentist is not the best fit for your child.

There is a reason why the dentist nags about flossing daily.  Proper flossing habits will help to removes plaque and debris that sticks to teeth and gums in between teeth, as well as help to controls bad breath.  Plaque is a sticky layer of material containing bacteria, which builds up on your teeth, including places where toothbrushes can’t reach. This can lead to dental decay and gum disease.  By flossing your teeth daily, you reduce your risk of having dental decay and gum disease.  By teaching your children to floss daily you not only help to reduce plaque buildup, tooth decay and gum disease but you avoid having larger dental cost.

A dentist will prescribes medications for several reasons. You may get a prescription to help prevent infections after surgical procedures like tooth extractions and gum surgery. A dentist may also prescribes medications for pain after having major dental work such as tooth extractions and gum surgery. Though normally a prescription for pain pills are only for a few days.

In order to make dental care more accessible to the underserved majority, the Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation has created an annual grant program for “programs that have a significant impact on improving oral health with sustainable solutions through improved access to oral care, oral health education or oral health research.”

In the first year, $2.5 million in dental care access grants will be available. Delta plans to renew the program each year moving forward.

The Florida Public Health Institute has released a report according to which about 20% of the citizens of Florida cannot access even routine dental care, because of the increased costs.

This is a fact that has caused a huge problem, because there is a lot of money spent on expensive dental treatments (emergency treatments) from money of the state and of the taxpayers, for issues which could have been prevented if the patient would have had access to routine dental care.

The effectiveness over traditional braces and Invisaligns treatment is divided.   Medical studies and findings about Invisalign are still lacking and the biggest concern by others about this treatment is that Invisalign may not necessarily correct the dental problem.

A main problem with Invisaligns aligners is that they are removable, so much of how  effective they are actually depends on the person getting the treatment. If you are the type who can not stay committed to wearing the braces as often and as advised by your dentist, then the treatment will not bring good results.

If you need dental braces to correct molars, then Invisalign may not be the best braces treatment option. The device has difficulty in grasping molars and letting this rotate or set in its place for better alignment.

There have been people who reported to having their Invisalign broken. While in many cases this is partly due to their own carelessness, the technology is not as durable as metal braces. If you have a more active lifestyle, or you tend to grind your teeth while you sleep at night, then this option may not be the right kind of braces treatment for you to go with.

Make sure you talk to your orthodontic dentist and go over the pros and cons before making the final decision on what you feel will be the best for your dental needs.

With more and more adults choosing to have their teeth straightened options for picking out better looking braces are available.  One such option is Invisalings.

Beyond the cosmetic advantage that invisaling have for many adults looking to straighten their teeth, they are lighter and more comfortable to wear.  Invisaligns wearers have less pain since the force and pressure on the teeth is minimal.  Invisaligns are removable, thus it provides less restrictions and patients can eat well.

Another benefit to Invisaligns would be there is a lower risk of plague build-up. Since patients with Invisaligns can take the devise off to clean their teeth in the usual manner.  Generally treatment period for Invisalign is shorter. The average span takes about a year and half to complete, while traditional braces take three to four years.

There can be number of reasons why one may have orofacial pain. some of the clinical problems include temporomandibular joint discomfort (TJD), muscle spasms in the head, neck and jaw,  migraines or pain with teeth, face and jaw.

Other reasons for Orofacial pain to a cure can be due to missing or poorly aligned teeth. People who grind or clench their teeth can experience orofacial pain as well, any trauma to the head and neck. A dentist can help determine why you may be experiencing orofacial pain.

Today’s super sized burgers and sandwiches that are being sold regularly, may just be too big to eat.  Many burgers and sandwiches are often made larger then the human mouth (Especially for kids who have smaller mouths then adults). This over sizing of food,  is forcing many people to take bites that are too big to chew.

According to the Academy of General Dentistry, taking large bites into burgers and sandwishes can be harmful to your jaw and teeth.  People at a particular risk are those that have temporomandibular joint disorder. (know as TMJ) TMJ can restrict the range of acceptable bite size. People who have TMJ should avoid opening their mouths too wide, since taking large bites of food can aggravate the condition.

After the discovery that severe gum disease can be associated with a higher risk of head and neck cancer cases caused by the Human Pailloma Virus (HPV), The British Dental Health Foundation aims to educate the public on good oral health.

Pennsylvania Legislature and Governor Tom Corbett signed and passed a bill that requires insurance companies to cover the cost of general anesthesia for young children and patients with disabilities.

Dr Bernie Dishler, president of the Pennsylvania Dental Association, stated for people who can not be handled in a normal dental setting, their situation just gets worse and worse, and then you have to deal with infection and all sorts of things that have occurred because a small cavity wasn’t taken care of.

Part of the problem is that many private insurance plans have yearly maximum limitations that caps out at $1500 – $2000 for dental service. The use of general anesthesia can eat up most if not all of that cost, leaving people having to pay out-of-pocket for either the anesthesia or the dental work. That out-of-pocket cost can cause people to put off dental treatment, which often leads to more serious and costly problems.

Dr Dishler stated that “Anesthesia is a medical procedure and it should be covered by medical insurance. In fact, in the Medicaid situation where kids or adults are covered by Medicaid, they take care of general anesthesia.”

There was a fear that requiring insurance companies to cover it on top of other dental procedures would be too costly. Yet that has not been the case elsewhere. Thirty-one other states have already passed this legislation and they’ve shown that it has not affected premium rates appreciably.