Question: There is a good chance that I will need a dental root canal done. I am worried about cost as I do not currently have dental insurance

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Your saliva does a good job of breaking down food and washing it down your throat and into your stomach through swallowing. However, some food are either fibrous or sticky and thy can easily get stuck in between your teeth. These left over good particles over time will act as fuel for odor causing bacteria causing you to have bad breath. That is why daily flossing after eating is so important not only to help rid yourself of bad breath issue but to protect your teeth from tooth decay.

According to a new study, people with health/dental insurance were 138% more likely to receive preventive dental care. Therefore having dental insurance is an important step in taking care of your dental health.

It is important to maintain good preventive dental care habits. Neglect of dental care can have some serious consequences such as tooth decay, inflammation, and loss of teeth, and an increased risk of malnutrition. In addition, gum disease has been implicated in an increased risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disease. Easy access to affordable preventive dental care in the form of regular checkups and cleanings by dentists or dental hygienists, can help to improve the quality of your life.

All water-fluoridation systems are checked daily to maintain safe fluoride levels for drinking. Parents should supervise the use of all fluoride products in the home. Fluoride-supplement tablets should be stored safely away from young children. In 2010, the American Dental Association’s Council on Scientific Affairs recommended fluoride supplements only for children who have a high risk of caries. This advice applies regardless of the amount of fluoride in the child’s drinking water. Dentists limit the amount of tablets they prescribe at one time to reduce the risk of overdose. To avoid any chance of overdose, do not stock up on fluoride tablets in your home. If you have any questions regarding fluoride risks, talk to your dentist or physician.

 Your mouth and teeth are constantly bathed in saliva. Most people never give much thought to their spit, but this fluid is remarkable for what it does to help protect our oral health.   Saliva keeps teeth and other parts of your mouth moist and washes away bits of food. Saliva contains minerals that strengthen teeth. It includes buffering agents. They reduce the levels of acid that can decay teeth. Saliva also protects against some viruses and bacteria

Another reason to dust off your running gear or walking boots this New Year. Many people many know that physical workout is good for resulting into total health in the form of health of heart, and controlling accumulation of fats and other matters such as cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, and so on. However, you may be surprised  to learn exercise  is good for the health of our teeth as well. It has been found that regular body movements are important for good oral health. People who have a proper BMI, i.e. body-mass index, who perform workouts on a consecutive basis and take a nutritious meal are less likely to suffer from gum problems as found out by researches.

If your gums bleed when brushing your teeth or biting into an apple, this condition could be pointing to periodontitis. Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of the periodontal apparatus. Bacterial plaque attacks the bones,over time, the tooth could loosen. Leaving the disease untreated could lead to tooth loss.

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New research shows vulnerable patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) who received enhanced oral care from a dentist were at significantly less risk for developing a lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), like ventilator-associated pneumonia, during their stay. The study was published in the November issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA).

UCLA research could lead to a simple saliva test capable of diagnosing — at an early stage — diabetes and cancer, and perhaps neurological disorders and autoimmune diseases. The study, the most comprehensive analysis ever conducted of RNA molecules in human saliva, reveals that saliva contains many of the same disease-revealing molecules that are contained in blood. It was published online today by the peer-reviewed journal Clinical Chemistry and will be published in the journal’s January 2015 special print issue, “Molecular Diagnostics: A Revolution in Progress.”

According to a study done here are a few percentages of how a smiles matters.

*) 99.7 percent of adults feel that an attractive smile is an important personal asset.
*) 63% say they look best in photos when they are showing their teeth.
*) 74% feel that an unattractive teeth can hurt changes for business or career success.
*) 45% are unhappy with the appearance of their teeth
*) 23% say they look the best with their mouth closed.

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If you have fears of going to the dentist or having dental work done, well then you are not alone. However, don’t let your dental fears stop you from your regural dental cleanings and check up. If you put off your dental care needs you may find yourself needing larger dental care needs.  Know that any good dentist can help you address your dental fears so that you can feel comfertible with having them provide any needed dental services.

When searching for a new dentist make sure to know what their business hours are and how they deal with dental emergencies. The reason you want to confirm their business hours is that you are more likely to make and maintain regular dental visits when the practice has hours that works around your time frame. Someone that has to take time off from work will tend to put off their dental care.

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When searching for a new family dentist make sure the dentist/dental office is quipped to provide services to children as well as adults. One common mistake made is not choosing a provider that is able to provide service to young child. Or you choose a dental provider that may provide services to children but does not have an office that is kid friendly. This becomes a very important matter especially when dealing with dental insurance, since there are some dental insurance plans which will only let you go to one provider for the whole family.  Therefore it becomes important to see a dentist that able to provider dental care services regardless of age and offers an environment that benefits both children and adults.

If you are searching for a new dentist, and you have special conditions that you need to address (such as physical handicaps, diabetes HIV/AIDS, Autism etc) that may effect your dental services and or care make sure you go to a dentist that can handle you special needs requirements. All dentist are not the same so make sure to ask prior to booking a dental appointment.

If you have a current dental insurance but you are no longer happy with your current dentist or your current dentist is no longer accepting your dental insurance, it may be time to search for a new dental provider.  With current insurance you want to make sure that the new dental office either accepts your dental insurance plan or that you have a dental insurance plan that lets you choose your own provider. Such as if you have a dental HMO plan you have to choose dentist within the plans network of dental providers. That does not mean you can not change dental office only that you must still make sure you going to a dentist that is a provider of said plan.

Like brackets and arch wires, Invisalign braces or aligners move teeth through the appropriate placement of controlled force on the teeth. The principal difference is that Invisalign braces not only control forces, but also controls the timing of the force application. Instead of pulling your teeth to their target position like traditional braces, Invisalign pushes your teeth to its location. At each stage, only certain teeth are allowed to move, and these movements are determined by the orthodontic treatment plan for that particular stage. Invisalign 3D imaging technology plans out the movement and figures out how many aligners will be needed to get the job done.

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Bitewing X-rays are often used by dentist during your dental check up. Without dental insurance these types of X-rays can run between $50.00 – $100.00. However, most dental insurance plans provide this dental service for little to no cost. In addition to also provide little to no cost check ups and basic cleaning. Make sure you are not spending more money then you need to by having current dental insurance.

In the US, around 92% of adults aged 20-64 have experienced dental cavities/tooth decay, in at least one of their permanent teeth. To tackle the growing problem of tooth decay, researchers from University College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, both in the UK, say the World Health Organization’s recommendation of a maximum of 10% total daily calories from free sugar should be reduced to 5%, with 3% as a target.

Children on Medicaid and their parents may have a reason to smile more: A study by University of Florida researchers shows that a change in the state of Florida’s Medicaid policy to reimburse pediatricians and other medical primary care providers for basic oral health screenings and cavity prevention has increased the likelihood of children receiving these essential services by 20 percent.