Around 50 years ago (give or take) American did not take the best proper care of their teeth. There were no guidelines set forth on how often one should see a dentist. In fact at that time many dentist were about fixing dental problems rather then preventing them. Dental and health care organizations tried to set standards for preventive dental care. Not having any guidelines or much evidence to go by they made the best guess or judgment call they could at the time. Which was that people should see the dentist twice a year for check up and cleanings. Over time this became the rule of thumb. And for the many people seeing a dentist twice a year still is acceptable.

However there are many reason why you may need to see a dentist more often then just the twice a year suggested average. People with high risk of dental disease may need to visit the dentist three to four times year or more as suggested by their dentist. This high risk group of people could include:

1. Smokers
2. Diabetics
3. People that currently have gum disease or gingivitis
4. People that have a weak immune response to bacterial infection
5. Seniors may need to see dentist more often due to illness and or medications they are taking
6. People who tend to easily get cavities and plaque build up.
7. People that had very poor dental care in the past may also need to see the dentist more often in the future.
   

By taking good care of your teeth at home you may still be in the group of people that only has to see the dentist twice a year. However, talk to your dentist, and see what is best for you and your dental care. Everyone is different and have different dental needs the rule of seeing a dentist twice a year is still just a good guild line to go by but it is not written in stone.

One complaint that I hear about dentist is that they do not seem to listen or they seem to always be in a rush to get to the next person in the waiting room. So when picking a dentist for yourself or your child an important factor to consider is whether you feel comfortable with the dentist you are seeing. Are you able to explain symptoms and ask all the questions you may have without getting the feeling the dentist is checking his clock. Do you feel like your dentist hear and understands your worries or concerns. If you have dental fears and or anxiety are you able to address them with your dentist?  Would you refer a family member or friend to your dentist without thinking they may not like him or her.

Some people feel locked into staying with their dentist even if they feel they are not the best dentist for them. But that does not have to be the case. You are in control over who you see.  Even on a dental HMO plan where you have to choose from the plan providers, there is no stopping you from changing dentist if you choose to do so. Just make sure if you choose a dental HMO insurance plan that it has more then just one local dental office near you. The more options you give yourself the higher likelihood of finding the dentist you like and will see on a regular bases. At the end of the day that what’s important.

Do you know what plaque is and how to avoid having plaque build up?  First it helps to know what plaque is. Plaque is a sticky film of bacteria that constantly forms on your teeth. It is normally colorless until there enough build up on your teeth which it then becomes tartar. Plaque is the main cause of tooth decay and gum disease like gingivitis.

That is why it is very important to brush twice a day to remove plaque before it causes dental problems. You should know that everyone develops plaque because bacteria is always forming in our mouths. What is important to understand is to avoid plaque build up.

Preventing plaque buildup is easy with proper preventive dental care such as brushing thoroughly twice a day. Flossing daily to remove plaque form in between your teeth and under your gumline. Try to limit the amount of sugary or starchy foods. And make sure you schedule regular dental check ups at your dentist.

Flossing is not only good for your teeth but very important to maintaining healthy gums. When you flossing you want to use about 18” of floss making sure you leave an inch or two to work with. Gently follow the curves of your teeth being sure to clean beneath the gum line. Avoid snapping the floss on the gums and be gentle and take your time you want to avoid cutting your gums. If you have any questions if your are flossing correctly talk to your dentist. Show your dentist how you normally floss a dentist will tell you if your are flossing incorrectly.

Dental Care and Correct Brushing Tips. Many people may brush their teeth twice a day but still not get the full benefits of brushing since they are brushing incorrectly. When brushing your teeth you want to make sure you tilt your brush at a 45 degree angle against the gum line. Sweep or roll the brush away from your gum line. Gently brush the outside and inside of your teeth make sure you brush the chewing surface of each tooth using short back and forth strokes.

Also when you finish brushing your teeth gently brush your tongue this will help to remove bacteria and also freshen up your breath. If you are not sure if you are brushing correctly ask your dentist to show you. This is not a silly question since preventive dental care starts at home.

Having good dental care habits and maintaining proper care of your teeth is your first step in having a life time of healthy teeth and low dental cost. Good dental hygiene up to you to maintain. Having good dental hygiene is important for healthy teeth and gums. Daily preventive dental care start with you by properly brushing and flossing your teeth.

By brushing and flossing you will help help or prevent dental problems before they develop. Keeping your dental cost at the dentist low and affordable and making going to the dentist less painful and worrisome. Good daily dental healthcare would include: Brushing thoroughly at least twice a day. Flossing at least one a day more when needed. Eating a healthy balance diet is good for your over all health including your teeth. 

Try to limit snacking between meal and having to much surgery foods. There are many good dental products available. Find a toothbrush you like use tooth paste that includes more then just whiting care, different mouthwash have gum care and will also help prevent plaque build up.

Try finding dental product you like and will use daily.  After having a meal try drinking a 8oz glass of water. Having good dental care habits will not void the fact that you still need to have regular dental visits at least twice a year more when advise by your dentist. Including a good dental insurance and or dental plan will also help control your dental cost.

Sometimes finding the plan with “the” lowest cost, isn’t the best solution. It’s should be about finding a quality dental health care insurance plan at a competitive price. Costs for dental procedures can be quite high but, by having dental insurance it will help make dental services more affordable. Today’s health insurance, including your dental plan, is designed to help you get the care you need at a reasonable cost. Most individual dental insurance plans tend to emphasize preventive dental care. By offing free to very low cost preventive dental care to the insured it helps the company save money in paying out larger dental claims. If preventive dental care is affordable under the dental plan, the odds are higher that you will go and have the required dental check ups and cleanings.

Therefore a dentist will be able to catch small dental problems before they become major dental services. In the long run saving money not only for the company but the plan holder. In combination with information about different costs, benefits, discounts, choices and services make sure to compare dental insurance plans carefully.

Look at more then just preventive care. Compare some of the higher cost dental services whether you need them now or not. By buying a dental insurance plan that offers good benefits on more then just preventive care you will be more likely to keep and use the dental insurance plan you purchased.

Delta Dental provides exceptional service, extensive dentist choice, and substantial claims savings through its affordable dental coverage to over 24 million enrollees. Delta Dental’s generosity has enabled more than 750 volunteer dentists and 140 dental laboratories to contribute over $10 million services for over 6,100 vulnerable individuals with seriously neglected problems. Delta Dental is a leader in improving oral health statewide. 

Delta Dental has recognized that by treating children’s dental needs, we have improved their overall health and self-esteem. They offer solutions that expand access to care while preserving the widespread availability and affordability of dental benefits. In addition, Delta dental plans collectively serve more than 54 million Americans representing more than 90,000 groups. Delta Dental is the oldest and largest dental health carrier in California, covering nearly 20 million Californians. Delta Dental’s Customer Service staff speaks English and Spanish, and has access to interpreters for many other languages.

Delta Dental is the largest dental plan system in the United States. Member companies serve over one-quarter of the estimated 165 million Americans with dental insurance. Delta Dental’s roots go back to 1954 with the formation of dental service corporations in California, Oregon and Washington, which were created by dentists who recognized the need to increase access to oral health care. Delta Dental companies are actively engaged in many studies, grants and partnerships with dental schools and community health organizations to increase access to professional dental care as well as to research evidence-based dentistry and the efficacy of new benefit designs.

Foods and Drinks: Some foods and drinks are known to stain teeth and even worse break down your tooth enamel. Foods and drinks like cranberry juice, grape juice and blueberries can all discolor teeth if you repeatedly consume them.

Also, acidic foods like tomatoes and oranges can cause yellow teeth. Try to get into the habit of rinsing their mouth out after eating and drinking to minimize the effects of foods or drinks.

Your child teeth may appear to look yellowish but that not always about lack of brushing. If your child’s tooth enamel is thinner or weaker than normal, their teeth may look yellowish. This is because tooth enamel is whitish in color, while the layer of dentin underneath the enamel looks much more yellow.

You may want to bring your child to their dentist. Dental sealants may be a good option in protecting their teeth due to the weaken state of their tooth enamel. Also many dental insurance plans, provide dental sealant benefits to children under the age of 13

My baby daughter’s teeth are just coming in but they look a yellowish color and this starting to concerns me. My daughter as six teeth and I have started brushing her teeth everyday but the yellow does not seem to be going away.  Should I be taking her in to see a dentist about her teeth color

Reply: I suggest seeing your child dentist whenever you have concerns about her teeth. Only your dentist can really address your dental care issues. However, you may want to know that teeth are not white. being a little yellowish should not be an issue in general speaking terms

My current dental insurance denied coverage for me to have a night guards. I grind my teeth when I sleep and the dentist advising me to wear one. However their cost for night guards without my insurance help is $400.00 I see teeth night guards on line for around $25.00 – $50.00 I know they are not custom fitted but will they work just the same. I not going to spend $400.00 since that is just to much for me right now.

Reply: there are over the counter night guards you can buy that do work and are fitted to your teeth if you follow the directions provided. However, talk to your dentist. Let your dentist know that cost is a factor and what over counter product could he or she suggest for you to try

I am 20 with a new born I am not getting much help with the care of my son and my son dad does not have any benefits that he can add our son too. I am work from home and go into the office when needed, all though I do get medical for my son and I, I do not have benefits for dental either. Having to get dental insurance is new to me since I did not give it much thought until my son was born. He is not teething yet but I like to get something in place for him and I both to use. What are my dental insurance options?  Trying to keep cost low so please advise.

Reply: The lower cost insurance option would be a dental HMO insurance plan. HMO insurance plan for a couple (you and your son) can range around $13.00 – $30.00 on our website. However, with HMO plans you have to choose a plan provider. Therefore it be important to call the providers to make sure they provide dental care for children under five as some dental offices do not.

Another option we provide is a dental PPO. PPO plans are good in that you can choose your own provider but they are a more costly insurance option. You may want to look at the PPO plans that have a low yearly max limitation such as $1000.00 per person. Hopefully you will not need larger dental care services if you take your son in for regular check ups

My family and I live in Florida and I am looking for a dental insurance that offer Immediate coverage’s. I do not care if it cost more since I can afford a higher cost plan. I do not want to have to wait out long term waiting periods before my kids can even start to have any needed dental care

Reply: On our website in California we have a few dental insurance plan options that do not have waiting periods. You can review our HMO insurance plan options that do have a lower month cost ranging from $16.00 – $40.00 a month for a family and all our HMO plans have no waiting periods. However if you prefer a PPO insurance plan without waiting periods we also have two plan PPO options that does not have waiting periods ranging from $155.00 – $200.00 and up (depending on your zip code) for a family plan.

As you can see PPO plans are more costly and ones that do not have waiting periods are also higher in cost. They do let you stay with your own dental provider office if that is a factor for you. You can review all our dental insurance plan options by entering in your zip code in the quote box provided. If you have any questions about our dental insurance plan options please call our member service line at 310-534-3444 M-F 8am-4pm

I am trying my best to find some type of dental insurance plan that is affordable for me for my three year old son. We live in Texas and I do not get offer any dental benefits though work. The dental plans I seen so far are too costly with long term waiting periods. I can afford to wait but I do not want my son having to put of dental care if it is needed. Please offer some help

Carbonated Soft Drinks: Carbonated soft drinks are the leading source of added sugar among kids and teens. They are loaded with sugar. And most soft drinks have phosphoric and citric acids that wear away tooth enamel. Water is always the better options when wanting to quench your thirst

When you are a low income or fixed income sometimes buying dental insurance can be out of your budget. However that does not mean you have to go without. Take the time to review dental discount plans and see if they will fit for your dental needs.

For a very low monthly cost dental discount plans will save you money off all your dental services and care needs. They offer their discounted saving with no waiting periods, yearly max limitations and no deductibles. Also you do not have the hassle of dealing with claims forms. By giving a dental discount plan a second look you may find out that it can be very useful to you at a very low cost staying with in most people budgets.

Tips on shopping out dental insurance and or a dental plan when you already have a dentist you want to stay with. It can get a little over whelming to shop out dental insurance when you are trying to stay with a dentist. Many people will get online to find a dental insurance plan,  before even knowing what plans their dentist accepts. Knowing ahead of time what type of dental plans your dental office accepts, will save you time in searching and reviewing dental plans they are not acceptable. Ask your dental office if they are in network of any dental HMO or dental discount plans. 

Since these type of dental plan have not outside net work options.  Therefore if they are not a provider of these types of plans getting one will not work for you.  If they are then find out what plans so you are saving time by just looking  for and reviewing the acceptable plan options. If our dentist is not a provider of any HMO or dental discount plans then your next option would be by getting a Dental PPO plan or a Dental Indemnity insurance plan. 

These plans either have no net work of providers or they do allow you to go out side their provider data base.   On these types of plans it is still help to know if your dentist is a provider of a dental PPO plan because inside network coverage’s can be better then outside net work coverage’s and know this can be a helpful factor when reviewing dental PPO and Indemnity plans.

Did you know that as a senior you need to see the dentist some times more then just twice a year for your oral health check ups? Cavities can be more frequent in seniors for many reason. Although fluoride is in community water supplies today that was not always the case for some of the older seniors. Adults are also more likely to have tooth decay around older fillings if not regularly checked by a dentist. Cavities in the tooth root are more common in seniors due to receding gums lines. Receding gums exposes more of the tooth root surface to decay. Seniors also can have dry mouth due to either age or different medications they may have to take. Dry mouth can lead to a higher risk of tooth decay because without an adequate amount of saliva the acids produced by plaque can not be neutralized.

Seniors often put off their dental care needs due to many factors. Such as not having transportation, No dental insurance, other health issues that keeps them from seeing a dentist and cost for dental services. However these issues can be address. There may be some ride care services available for seniors. By buying dental insurance you can control your cost for dental services to be render. If there are other health issues keeping you way from a dentist that can be difficult to address. But many time it is these same health issues that make it even more important to see a dentist regularly.