Question: My teeth are really yellow and all the over the counter whitening products do not help. Can I get Veneers for my teeth?

Answer:  You can get dental veneers for yellow teeth.  However I would first talk to dentist about having your teeth professionally whiten.  A dentist can whiten your teeth much better then any over the counter product.  Whitening is also much cheaper then dental veneers.

If you choose to get dental veneers make sure you talk to a cosmetic dentist and keep in mind that both teeth whitening treatment and dental veneers are normally not covered under most dental insurance plans.  If you wish to save some money of these types of dental care services I would suggest looking into a low cost dental discount plan which can save you around 15 to 20 percent.

Over 20 million people in the U.S. have asthma. Dentist are seeing more and more asthmatic patients taking medication, that can lead to increased cavities, bad breath and gum problems. It is important that if you have asthma you inform your dentist for proper dental care.
Also do not forget to bring your inhalers our dental visit. Many times this is often forgotten, causing more in-office asthma attacks, as reported by the Academy of General Dentistry.

Question: I live in Los Angeles and I finding it hard to find a dental insurance plan that fits my budget and specific dental care needs.  I do need major dental care and I want to keep my cost as low as possible.  Are there dental plans that offer Senior Discounts? I want more then just a dental discount plan due to the amount of dental care I need a dental discount plan will not work well for me.

Reply: There are many good low cost dental HMO plans you may want to review. On our website we offer HMO insurance plans though California Dental, Delta Dental, PrimeCare and a few more.  Review what we have to offer just by entering your zip code in the quote box provided above. If you have any questions please call our member service line at 310-534-3444 as they be happy to help you.

Eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, robs the body of much-needed vitamins and minerals, and without proper nutrition, the gums can become increasingly soft, tender, and bleeding easily. Eating disorders that involve excessive vomiting, can cause discoloration and erosion of the teeth due to constant contact with acid from the stomach. People who have eating disorders also may experience swollen salivary glands, dry mouth, sensitive teeth, and loss of tooth enamel. Anyone who has eating orders should consult a doctor, however let your dentist know about the disorder as well so that he/she can scheduled dental exams to monitor your dental health.

Oral cancer has approximately 35,000 new cases reported annually in the United States. Some of the indicators of oral cancer may include bleeding sores, lumps, or thick, hard spots, as well as changes in the way teeth fit together. Oral cancer is sometimes difficult to self-diagnose, therefore it is best advise to have routine dental exams by your dentist. A dentist will feel for lumps or irregular tissue changes in your neck, head, cheeks, and oral cavity and thoroughly examine the soft tissues in your mouth, specifically looking for any sores or discolored tissues.

Question: Do orange peels or banana peels whiten teeth?  I can not afford to have my teeth whiten by my dentist cause teeth whitening is not a covered benefit under my dental insurance plan

Reply:  All the researched I have put into this question and questions like this seems to me comes down to this. Although all the home remedies that are listed may help to whiten your teeth only a dentist can get your teeth the whitest and without doing damage to your teeth.

Here are some suggested home remedy that may help to whiten your teeth.

1)Brushing with Lemon Juice
2)Brushing with Baking Soda
3)Brushing with Hydrogen Peroxide
4)Brushing with Salt
5)Rubbing Strawberries on your teeth then Brushing off.
6) Orange Peels
7) Banana Peels

All though the above may help whiten your teeth they can do damage as well. They contain sugar and acids and are abrasive, all of which can damaged your enamel that helps protects your teeth

I can understand with all that been said that many people can not afford to go to the dentist to whiten their teeth. I would advise if you are going to try any home remedy to understand that you run the risk of doing more damage to your teeth in the along run.

Trying looking into some of the over counter products that are not so costly. Like tooth paste with whiting, mouth wash with whiting, gum with whiting. Maybe even just speak to your dentist and get advise on what he/she may advise for you. A good dentist will advise you on what you can use to help whiten your teeth. They may still tell you only they can do it the best (which would be true) but they still will tell you other ways if asked.

In the United States over 25 million people suffer from diabetes. People that have diabetes need to make sure they continue to have regular dental check up in order to maintain their oral health care. Diabetes reduces the body’s resistance to infection, therefore their gums are at risk for gum disease. Also those with diabetes can experience high incidences of oral fungal infections and persistent bad breath.

Question: I will be needing orthodontic services and was told I would need to have a panorex x-ray done as part of them providing me a treatment plan and estimate on  orthodontic services. I do not have insurance and I need to know much this is all going to cost me.

Reply: The cost is going to depend on the type of Insurance Plan you have. Sometimes the cost of X-rays for Orthodontic treatment is not covered at all so you need to review your plan benefits. If you do not have Insurance then the cost of any X-rays would depend on what the dentist is charging. Dentist to dentist cost varies and would be hard to say what one charges and why. That would be something you would need to shop out.

A discount plan would be able to help you off set the cost of your orthodontic treatment most discount plans will save you about 20% for that type of service. You do need to go to a dentist in their network. There is no out side network so if you are trying to stay with a current dentist make sure they are in the plan before buying one.

Having regular dental exams by your dentist not only helps to decrease your risk or oral diseases such as tooth decay and gum disease, but they also hope to diagnose other sometimes life threatening medical conditions. Do not over look the importance of having dental check ups. A person oral health can tell a dentist many things about your over all healthcare, therefore they may be able recognize symptoms of serious diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, and eating disorders, which often manifest as signs and symptoms inside of the mouth.

 How much do dental bridges cost?

The average cost of a single fixed bridge depends on many factors, from which region you’re in to how many and which type of bridges are needed. Typically dental bridge cost ranges from $500-900 per tooth. Dental insurance typically pays for about half of the cost of the bridge. This is a cost per tooth in the bridge, and doesn’t include the costs for any anchoring crowns on either side of the bridge.

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.

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.

Margot Sanger-Katz in the National Journal states according to the Pew Children’s Dental Campaign, dental disease is the largest unmet health need in the US among both children and adults. The poor, the young, the old, and those in rural America are the worst off. In a world of medical priorities and health care, dentistry takes can normally take a back seat, and in rural America sometimes appears to not even be on the bus. Writer Margot Sanger-Katz states that the US faces a shortage of dentists that is particularly acute in poor, rural regions. “Huge pockets of the country have few (or no) providers. The federal government counts 4,503 mostly rural regions where more than 3,000 people share one dentist,” she notes, “making it tough for many residents to find someone to fix their teeth.”

In the US dental disease is still among the most common reasons that children miss school, it is also the most common medical reason why some soldiers can not be deploy. Add to the fact that dental health issues are a leading cause of emergency-room visits in several states, continues to show just how much dental care is lacking. Proper preventive dental care can help to address these issues and it is important that people know how to properly take care of their dental health. Many larger dental issues such as tooth decay and gum disease could be prevent just by having proper dental habits at home and by seeing a dentist for routine dental check ups.

Sensitive teeth can be treated. Your dentist may suggest that you try a desensitizing toothpaste, which contains compounds that help block transmission of sensation from the tooth surface to the nerve. Desensitizing toothpaste usually requires several applications before the sensitivity is reduced. When choosing toothpaste or any other dental care products, look for those that display the American Dental Association’s Seal of Acceptance–your assurance that products have met ADA criteria for safety and effectiveness.

If the desensitizing toothpaste does not ease your discomfort, your dentist may suggest in-office techniques. A fluoride gel, which strengthens tooth enamel and reduces the transmission of sensations, may be applied to the sensitive areas of the teeth.

If receding gums cause the sensitivity, your dentist may use agents that bond to the tooth root to “seal” the sensitive teeth. The sealer usually is composed of a plastic material.

In cases where hypersensitivity is severe and persistent and cannot be treated by other means, your dentist may recommend endodontic (root canal) treatment to eliminate the problem.

Cavities and fractured teeth can cause sensitive teeth. But if your dentist has ruled these problems out, then worn tooth enamel, a cracked tooth (PDF) or an exposed tooth root may be the cause.

A layer of enamel, the strongest substance in the body, protects the crowns of healthy teeth. A layer called cementum protects the tooth root under the gum line. Underneath the enamel and the cementum is dentin, a part of the tooth that is less dense than enamel or cementum.

The dentin contains microscopic tubules (small hollow tubes or canals). When the dentin loses its protective covering, the tubules allow heat and cold or acidic or sticky foods to stimulate the nerves and cells inside the tooth. This causes hypersensitivity and occasional discomfort. Fortunately, the irritation does not cause permanent damage to the pulp. Dentin may be exposed when gums recede. The result can be hypersensitivity near the gum line.

Proper oral hygiene is the key to preventing gums from receding and causing sensitive-tooth pain. If you brush your teeth incorrectly or even over-brush, gum problems can result. Ask your dentist if you have any questions about your daily oral hygiene routine.

Parents do not want their kids to have dental cavities, and preventive dental care is still the number one way to avoid cavities and dental filling from being needed. Yet more than half of US children, have cavities by the age of 7, and more than 80 percent have them by adolescence. It is important to keep in mind that in recent decades, composite materials have greatly improved in durability, lasting on average five to 10 years in a cavity space. However the best way to avoid this filling debate is to not get cavities in the first places.  Make sure your kids brush and floss their teeth regularly and see a dentist as often as needed in order to assure good dental and oral health.

The best and safest way to whiten your teeth is by going to your dentist. Yet to do so can be costly ranging from $200.00 or more and it important to note, that most insurance plans do not offer benefits for teeth whitening services as it normally fall under cosmetic services.

However some insurance plan do offer limited benefits for cosmetic which may include whitening make sure to read the plan carefully if that is a service you like to have some coverage for. Another way to save money on teeth whitening services done by a dentist is with a dental discount plan.  Most dental discount plans will provide at least 20 percent saving off the cost of teeth whiting services.  Not bad for an $7.00 – $10.00 a month plan for individual.

Review all our dental insurance and discount plan options just by entering your zip code in the quote box provided above.  If you should have any questions please call our member service line at 310-534-3444 as they will be happy to help.

My teeth are healthy but they are yellowish. I do not like to use teeth whittening strips as I tried them once and really did not like them and how my teeth because senative for over a week after using strips. If I just brush my teeth without out stopping will that help to whitten my teeth.

Reply: You should brush your teeth after every meal when ever possible. There are many brands of toothpaste with whiting that you can use that may help whiten your teeth. You should also avoid staining your teeth (ie with coffee soda and smoking to name a few) You should brush your teeth for two to three minutes.

I am not sure what you mean by brushing without stopping. I can only guess that you mean to brush for a longer period of time then the suggested two to three minutes. You do not want to brush to the point that you are hurting your teeth and gums. If your teeth are not getting white by brushing normally, then you may wish to speak to your dentist to get advise on what they may recommend you to do