One way preventive dental care is over looked is by not wearing a mouth guard when needed. A mouth guard can help to prevent serious injuries such as jaw fractures and neck injuries by helping to avoid situations where the lower jaw gets jammed into the upper jaw. Mouth guards are effective at preventing laceration and bruising of the lips and cheeks, especially for those who wear orthodontic appliances

Question: What is the difference of a dental PPO and an Indemnity dental plan? I do not see any difference when looking at the ones I seen

Reply: Dental PPO plans have a network of provider that they prefer you use however most will let you go outside to non network providers, sometimes at a reduced coverage’s. Whereas with an Indemnity dental insurance plan there is no net work of providers you can choose any dentist you want to go to.

Question: I looking for a low cost dental insurance plan for myself. I am on a tight budget and can not afford more then say $20.00 a month for insurance yet at the same time I hoping for it to be a good plan with benefits that make sense.

Reply: Good would depend on your dental care needs. But lower cost dental insurance plan option would be your dental HMO plans. They tend to be much more affordable and budget friendly

Question: I looking for a monthly insurance plan that I can use that dose not have waiting periods where I am not forced into keeping it for a year.

Reply: Most insurance plans that provide a monthly payment options can be canceled with a 30 day write request to do so. Sure buying a PPO plan that has waiting periods for short term use may not make the best sense.

You may want to review dental HMO plans a they generally do not have waiting periods before their benefits start. However, read each plan carefully some do have cancellation charges if cancelled before having it for one full year.

Question: I was told that I have periodontal disease and that I should have deep cleaning but the cost is so high since I do not have insurance currently for my dental care needs. I starting looking for insurance but all the plans I seen have a year or more waiting period before they help out with the cost of deep cleanings. What can I do ?

Reply: Seems as if you are reviewing dental PPO’s plans many PPO plans do have waiting periods for major dental care and periodontal cleaning dose fall under major for most plans. However, there are some PPO’s plans that do not have waiting periods though they tend to be more costly.

You may want to review or look for dental HMO plans. You will need to go to a plan provider under an HMO but they typically do not have any waiting periods and will make having a deep cleaning much more affordable.

There are studies that are showing how it can take longer for a women with gum disease to become pregnant. It is sad how many times good dental and and oral health care is underestimated. However, new research is showing that for woman there is yet another reason to maintain good oral hygiene and dental health care.

This new research has shown that the presence of gum disease can by an average of two months extend the time it takes for a woman to become pregnant. For the first time researcher have been able to clearly demonstrate the significant impact of poor oral health on the time to pregnancy in women who are trying to conceive.

Question: I have great teeth with no issues I do not see the point in have two dental cleanings in a year. Just an extra expense that I really can not afford.

Answer: If you do have good teeth with no dental issues, you may be able to cut back to one cleaning a year. However, you should ask your dentist. Also most low cost dental insurance plans provide for two free basic dental cleanings a year. When you can buy a dental insurance plan under $10.00 a month that provide benefits for two free cleanings there is no extra cost to you to have the cleaning twice a year.

Question: Looked for a dental insurance plan that would cost no more then $30.00 a month. Is there any dental insurance plans that would fit within my budget

Answer: I would say most HMO dental insurance plan would fit that budget for an individual. We offer dental HMO plans in most state. Check out what we have available to you in your state by enter your zip code in quote box provided. Call our office at 310-534-3444 M-F 8am – 4pm

Dentists are worried that teenagers are putting their teeth and health at risk by trying dangerous do-it-yourself (DIY) teeth-whitening techniques found on the Internet.

Children who are mixing up quantities of chemicals and applying them for long periods are at risk of eroding tooth enamel, damaging gums and increasing risks of infection. Ironically the erosion may expose the yellow-colored dentin that lies beneath the enamel.

Periodontal disease linked to increased risk of kidney disease

In a study of blacks with normal kidney function, those with severe periodontal disease developed chronic kidney disease (CKD) at 4 times the rate of those without severe periodontal disease. The study that will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2014 November 11-16 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA.

What is a dental extraction and why are they done?

A dental extraction is the removal of a tooth from the mouth. Extractions are performed for a wide variety of reasons. Such as when tooth decay destroys enough of the tooth structure to prevent restoration. This is one of the most frequent indication for extraction of teeth. Periodontal disease (gum disease) and dental trauma are other reason why one may have to have a tooth extraction

Simple saliva test may reveal deadly diseases early enough to treat them

In a 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.”

Is Root Canal Work Really so Bad ?

Well according to research, root canal work is not as bad as people think when compared to other dental procedures. A self-reporting of people dental health suggests that patients find the procedure no worse than other dental work which overturns the popular belief that root canal work is the most unpleasant dental treatment.

Question: I will be getting some medical insurance but not sure if that just includes dental care too. Does health plans come with dental? How fast can I use the dental if it does? I want something for my dental care now.

Reply: In many cases health insurance dose come packaged with dental but not always. You would have to check with the plan you will be getting to confirm that.

If the medical dose come with dental insurance how fast it start and if there are any waiting periods would again depend on the plan.. I have no way of advising you about that other then to suggest you carefully read though the information provided to you.

If you do need dental insurance and since you are wanting something that would not have waiting periods at that point I would suggest looking for a dental HMO plans as these are lower cost insurance plans that topically do not have plan waiting periods for dental care services.

In most states we offer dental HMO plans as well as some Dental discount plans which also start right away with no waiting periods. Just enter your zip code in the quote box provided to review the insurance and plan we have available to you

A swarm of micro-robots, directed by magnets, can break apart and remove dental biofilm, or plaque, from a tooth. The innovation arose from a cross-disciplinary partnership among dentists, biologists, and engineers.

A team of engineers, dentists, and biologists from the University of Pennsylvania developed a microscopic robotic cleaning crew. With two types of robotic systems — one designed to work on surfaces and the other to operate inside confined spaces — the scientists showed that robots with catalytic activity could ably destroy biofilms.

Such robotic biofilm-removal systems could be valuable in a wide range of potential applications, from keeping water pipes and catheters clean to reducing the risk of tooth decay, endodontic infections, and implant contamination.

Source: University of Pennsylvania

Question I know I will be needing to have at least two teeth pulled due to them being broken/decayed. I do not have dental insurance currently and from what I can tell there are waiting periods for extractions, and I do not want to have to continue to wait. So about how much do extractions cost?

Reply: Well cost will vary from dentist to dentist. There is no one set price for dental care that all dentist charges. Not knowing your state also make is hard to give some cost range. In addition depending on the placement of the tooth will and which tooth is being extract will also effect the cost of extractions.

To try and give you some idea:

An average tooth removal (non surgical) able to be done by a family/general dentist can range around $75.00 to $300.00 a tooth. Where as a surgical extraction utilizing anesthesia can run around $185.00 to $700.00 a tooth.

You can see how price can vary. I would suggest looking for an HMO insurance plan in your area as they typically do not have waiting periods like many PPO’s plans and they will help you save money on the cost of having your needed dental care done by a plan provider.

Another cost saving options would be a dental discount plan as they do typicall do not have waiting periods and will help you save money on any needed dental care service provided by a plan dentist.

This website sell both HMO and Dental Discount plans in most states. Just enter your zip code in the quote box provided to review all the available dental insurance and plan options. If you have any questions please call our office at 310-534-3444 M-F 8am-4pm

According to a study of 1566 community-dwelling Japanese elderly who were followed for five years, the risk of developing dementia was elevated in individuals with fewer remaining teeth.

Their findings emphasize the importance of dental care and treatment, especially in terms of maintenance of teeth from an early age for reducing the future risk of dementia.

Question: I have a dental HMO insurance plan were I have to choose a dentist in the plans network of providers. I live in an area where I had about a dozen dentist to choose from so I picked the dentist that was closest to me.

The issue I have is that the dental office was not a clean as I would like. Also the staffing was rude to me and I had to wait over 45 minutes after my appointed time. I did not mind the dentist he did good work. It is kind of hard to mess up on a cleaning since that is all I needed.

I am upset that even though my plan let me change my dental office I was out another month before the change would go though. I wanted them to credit me the month since I am not able to use the plan but they would not. I think they should since it is the plans fault for having bad dental offices on their list. Mad about waiting and would like to complain about this dental office so that other people do not have to pick them. Do I tell the insurance company about my troubles?

Reply: It is not unheard of that dental appointments run late. A sugguest to help avoid that in the future is to call about an hour before your dental appoint to confirm if they are running on time.

I not sure what the real issue is. Is it with the dental office or the insurance company? You stated you did not like the staffing of the dental office and the place was not as clean as you would have wanted it to be. Yet the dentist was nice enough and did a good job. Therefore you had some work done at the time of the visit.

However due to the issues you had it sounded like to me that you had the insurance company change your provider. Typically a change would go though like that the following month. Unless there is a dental issue that needed to be address ASAP it really should not be an issue due to you already having your preventive care done. How are you out any benefits?

I really do not see the issue with the insurance company. As far as the dental office I guess you can complain to the dentist about the staffing and how the place was not clean but since you change to different provider I do not see the point of complaining.

I say chalk it up to a bad that and hope the new provider is a better fit for you

Question: I am 23 and my work dose not offer any dental insurance. I need an affordable dental insurance plan for an individual. I am willing to spend $30 or so a month but finding only plans that are $50 or more.

Reply: Depending on the State you are in cost for insurance will vary. Yet it seems as you may be reviewing dental PPO’s vs HMo’s insurance plans. You may want to search for dental HMO’s plans as they do tend to be less costly per month well within your $30.00 budget for an individual.

Check out your insurance plan options on this web site just by entering in your zip code provided and clicking on start quote. If you have any questions about the plans that are provided to your for your review please call our office at 310-534-3444 M-F 8am-4pm

Question: I am shopping for dental insurance but I am past the point of confusion. I looked at dental discount plans and they do not seem to cover major things like root canals, crowns and extractions.

However full coverage plans like PPO are just to costly for me and I can not afford them. Is there any thing in between some type of insurance that is cheap like a discount plan but offer you better coverage’s.

Reply: Not knowing what dental discount plan you may have been looking at, I would say maybe you did not fully understand it. Dental discount plans for the most part will provide reduce and or discounted cost for all dental services render by a plan provider. Therefore generally things like root canals, crowns and extractions do receive a discount under the plan as well.

With regards to PPO plans. Though we do not use the term “full Coverage”
they do provide preventive, basic and major dental care services however typically with waiting periods on basic and major dental services and yes these plans do tend to be more costly especially when compared to a non insurance product like a discount dental plan.

I would suggest that you may want to review or see if there are any dental HMO insurance plans. Dental HMO plans are a more affordable cost insurance plan generally without waiting periods. However you do need to choose a plan provider.