Your dental care should not be considered a luxury, it should in fact be considered a necessity. Inadequate dental care has downstream consequences, including infection, need for costly extractions and important cosmetic consequences. Your dental care should be considered part of your overall health and well-being. Make sure to have proper at home dental care habits and see your dentist regularly.

According to a new study, access to dental care by low-income Americans has become the exception, rather than the rule, as fewer dentists accept Medicaid. More than two percent of all emergency department visits are now related to nontraumatic dental conditions, according to a study by researchers at Stanford University, the University of California-San Francisco, Truven Health Analytics and the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

According to a study done, previous research shows that many pregnant women do not seek dental treatment, even when a dental problem exists. Pregnant women have increased risk of tooth decay because of increased carbohydrate consumption and difficulties brushing their teeth because of morning sickness, gag reflex and increased gum bleeding.

Therefore maintaining your oral health during pregnancy is critical. Maintaining your oral health is directly related to having good overall health. You should seek dental treatment when problems arises and maintain your regular dental check ups with your dentist even when pregnant.

According to a new study published in the August issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association It is safe for pregnant women to undergo dental treatment with local anesthetics.

The study identified no evidence to show that dental treatment with anesthetics is harmful during pregnancy, and yet so many pregnant women avoid going to the dentist, according to study author Aharon Hagai, D.M.D. The study was aimed to determine if there was a significant risk associated with dental treatment with anesthesia and pregnancy outcomes. They did not find any such risk.

When it comes to basic dental care services most PPO’s insurance plans review basic services as dental fillings and regimentation bridge, crown or on-lay. However benefits under basic services can very depending on the plan.

Also it is important to note that many PPO plans have waiting period for basic dental service on average six months but it can also very depending on the plan. One way to reduce your risk of having to have basic dental care needs is by maintaining good oral health care habits at home, and by seeing your dentist regularly for your dental check ups and cleaning’s

Preventive dental care dose start at home by having good dental care habits. Brushing your teeth twice a day flossing daily and using a mouthwash that help fight plaque. However preventive care dose not stop at just having good dental habits at home.

An equally important part of your preventive dental care needs is seeing a dentist at least twice a year for your dental check up and cleaning’s. Did you know that most dental insurance plans provide preventive dental care services at little to no cost to you. By having dental insurance you are able to maintain your twice a year check up and cleaning’s with little to no cost to you for you and your family. Dental insurance also provides basic and major dental care services at a more affordable cost when needed.

When you go to your dentist and he/she dose an oral cancer screening exam, your dentist will look over the inside of your mouth to check for red or white patches or mouth sores. Using gloved hands, your dentist will also feels the tissues in your mouth to check for lumps or other abnormalities.

If your dentist spot any lumps or other abnormalities they may use special tests in addition to the oral exam to screen for oral cancer. It is not clear if these tests offer any additional benefit over the oral exam. Special oral cancer screening tests may involve:

• Rinsing your mouth with a special blue dye before an exam. Abnormal cells in your mouth may take up the dye and appear blue.
• Shining a light in your mouth during an exam. The light makes healthy tissue appear dark and makes abnormal tissue appear white.

It is important to know that oral cancer screening can not detect all mouth cancers. It can be difficult to detect areas of abnormal cells just by looking at your mouth, so it is possible that a small cancer or precancerous lesion could still go undetected.

The goal of oral cancer screening is to detect mouth cancer or precancerous lesions that may lead to mouth cancer at an early stage. When cancer or lesions are found at the early stage they are easier to remove and have a larger chance of being cured.

Although no studies have proven that oral cancer screening saves lives, Some groups agree about the benefits of an oral exam for oral cancer screening where as other do not.

Yet people with a high risk of oral cancer may be more likely to benefit from oral cancer screening. Risk factors that can increase your risk of oral cancer include:

• Tobacco use of any kind, including cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco and snuff, among others
• Heavy alcohol use
• Previous oral cancer diagnosis
• History of significant sun exposure, which increases the risk of lip cancer
  Ask your dentist whether oral cancer screening is appropriate for you.

Most dentists perform an examination of your mouth during a routine dental visit to screen for oral cancer. Oral cancer screening is an examination performed by a dentist  to look for signs of cancer or precancerous conditions in your mouth. The main goal of oral cancer screening at your dental check up, is to identify mouth cancer early, when there is a greater chance for a cure. To do this some dentists may use additional tests to aid in identifying areas of abnormal cells in your mouth.

Although medical organizations have disagree on whether healthy people without risk factors for mouth cancer really need oral cancer screening. No single oral exam or oral cancer screening test is proved to reduce the risk of dying of oral cancer. However, you and your dentist may decide that an oral exam or a special test is right for you based on your own risk factors.

Drug use can have a negative impact on dental health as well as overall health. Patterns of oral health pathology attributed to methamphetamine users, for example, include rampant tooth decay, accelerated tooth wear, unexplained advanced gum disease, missing multiple teeth, and overall detrimental dental effects that are rapid and severe. These patients also often seek cosmetic dental treatment, such as veneers and whitening, which give dentists another opportunity to discuss suspected substance misuse, provide referrals for treatment, and encourage cessation of drug misuse.

There really is not much involve in taking care of your teeth and gums. Yet when you do not have proper dental care habits your oral health is put at risk. Listed below are the simple steps you can take to making sure to maintain good teeth and gums.

1) Brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.
2) Floss your teeth at least once a day.
3) Make sure to visit your dentist regularly for your checkup’s and cleaning.
4) Eat a well-balanced diet.
5) If you smoke, Quit. Smoking increases your risk for gum disease as well as increase your risk of having many other health issues.

By practicing good oral health habits you greatly reduce your risk of having large dental care needs

Question: I have one son and two girls. Even though both my husband and I have jobs, our jobs only offer the health insurance and no dental. Due to this we have not had dental insurance for some time. There for we been paying for our dental care out of pocket. I would now at this point like to get a family dental insurance plan that is not going to cost us more then $50.00 a month or so.

Answer: With your budget in mind for a family dental insurance plan, I would suggest reviewing our dental HMO insurance options as our HMO would fit into your budget and in most cases be less then $50.00 a month.

In a prior post it talked about sugar consumption and it’s effect on our dental health. One sure way to reduce the risk of tooth decay due to excess sugar consumption is by reducing the amount of sugar you and your family consume.

Instead of having soda or fruit juice have a glass of cold water. Water will not harm your teeth and is also good for your body. Make sure that you and your family members are seeing your dentist at least twice a year. Maintaining your dental checks ups helps to spot and stop any small dental issues before they become large dental care needs.

Most all dental insurance plans will provide some coverage’s/benefits for the treatment of gum disease. When reviewing insurance plans you will find gum disease treatment either listed under Periodontics category in an HMO dental insurance plan or under majors services under most PPO and Indemnity insurance plans.

Note: It is important to beware when buying a PPO and or an Indemnity dental insurance, that they will typically have waiting periods for majors dental care services. Waiting periods can very depending on the plan but in general terms, they can run around a year to 18 months.

To treat gum disease condition, your dentists scrape off the tartar on the surface of your teeth and under your gums. This type of dental service it normally call a deep cleaning. After having a deep cleaning done they may also have to use conventional antibiotics

Gum disease is a common condition among adults that occurs when bacteria form biofilms or plaques on teeth, and consequently the gums become inflamed. Some severe cases, called periodontitis, call for antibiotics.

Many people have had some degree of gum inflammation, or gingivitis, caused by dental plaque. The gums get red and swollen, and they bleed easily. If left unchecked, the condition can progress to periodontitis. The plaque hardens into tartar, and the infection can spread below the gum line and destroy the tissue supporting the teeth.

Question: I live in New Jersey I would like to be able to compare dental insurance plans to make sure I am getting the best coverage’s for the best price. I see many dental plans that are costly but the coverage’s do not look all that good to me.

Answer: Depending on your dental care needs and what you are wanting in a dental insurance plan higher price dose not always mean better coverage’s. There are many personal factors that need to be taken into account when buying a dental insurance plan that best fits your needs. There are also two factors to take into account with regards to affordability. First the cost of the dental insurance plan, and second the plan benefits. You may find a really low cost dental insurance plan but the plan benefits may be not as good as buying a plan that may cost a little more. I suggest reviewing the dental insurance and plan options we provide and calling our member services at 310-534-3444 if you should have any questions about our plans cost and benefits.

Question: I looking for free to very low cost dental care help for my 2 year old son. I do not need to take him to a dentist right now, however I currently do not have any benefits for dental care and since I am a low income I get some state aid but not for dental. Where can I take my son for free to really low cost dental care?

Answer: For free dental care you would need to see when they are running the programs for free dental care. You can find that on the American Dental Association web site they will normally have dates listed. You may also want to look into going to any local dental schools they will normally charge you based on what you can afford to pay.  In addition I also suggest reviewing our HMO insurance plans or our dental discount plans as these are low cost dental plans that will help to greatly reduce your dental care cost.