Just another reason why preventive dental care is important.  In a recent study it has been revealed erectile dysfunction can be linked to gum disease. The research1, carried out on 70 male subjects, showed a correlation between gum disease and the ability to achieve an erection. The data indicates that as the severity of erectile dysfunction increased, so did the prevalence of chronic periodontitis (gum disease). Overall, more than four out of five men (81.8 per cent) with severe erectile dysfunction had gum disease. In comparison, in cases of mild erectile dysfunction, the incidence of gum disease was less than two in five men.

Seeing a dentist regularly and taking care of or you dental and oral hygiene is always important but here is just another reason that may make you go to your next dental appointment.  Help keep your dental cost low by having either dental insurance or a dental plan in place.  This website can help you with that.

Question: I am a full time student. My parents are dropping me from their dental insurance plan.  My mom said that I can get dental insurance on my own if I want. She is not going to pay for it so if I do get dental insurance I need something cheap.  Maybe a plan that offers a student discount on the cost would be great.  I do not want to spend a lot for dental insurance since I only go to the dentist twice a year.

Reply: I do not know of any dental insurance plans that offer student discounts. However we do offer very affordable dental HMO insurance plans in most states.  In addition with most of our HMO dental insurance plans they provide low cost to free preventive dental services. To review your plan options just enter your zip code in the quote box provided on this website.

Scientists have discovered that bacteria, normally found in our mouths, is a tool that can be use to invade heart tissue, causing a dangerous and sometimes lethal infection of the heart known as endocarditis.  S. mutans is a bacterium best known for causing cavities.    Normally, S. mutans  normally confine themselves to the mouth, but sometimes, after a dental procedure or even after a vigorous bout of flossing, the bacteria can enter the bloodstream.

Our immune system usually destroys them, but occasionally – within just a few seconds – they travel to the heart and colonize its tissue, especially heart valves. The bacteria can cause endocarditis – inflammation of heart valves – which can be deadly. Infection by S. mutans is a leading cause of the condition.    The study raises the possibility of creating a screening tool – perhaps a swab of the cheek, or a spit test to gauge a dental patient’s vulnerability to the condition.

Question: I have a small business with three employees.  Although right now I do not offer any medical insurance I thought it would be nice to at least offer some dental insurance to my employees.  However I am finding that hard to do since the dental insurance companies I am calling state that my group is not large enough that I need 5 – 10 employees to get a group dental plan.  Any suggestions.

Answer: What you may need to do is forget about buying a group dental plan because you only have three employees.  Instead you may want to buy separate plans for each of your employees. You can still pay for their dental insurance, but that way you do not have to worry about how many or few employee you have.

If instead of waiting days or even  weeks for a dental cast to be produced, you could have your prosthetic dental implants, false teeth and replacement crowns made, by your dentist by quickly scanning your jaw and “print” your new teeth using a rapid prototyping machine known as a 3D printer?   In Iran a Researcher explains how medical imaging coupled with computer-aided design could be used to create a perfect-fit blueprint for prosthetic dentistry. Such technology has been used in medical prosthetics before, but this would be an early step into prosthetic dentistry using rapid prototyping.

Question: Is there any dental insurance plans that I can get for a signal person for less then $20.00 a month.  So far all the plans I see for dental insurance are around $30.00 – $50.00 a month.  I am willing to have longer waiting periods if that will help reduce my monthly cost.  I have no major dental needs but I hate not having dental insurance just in case something was to come up.  Can you offer me a low cost dental insurance plan?

Reply: Yes you can find low monthly cost insurance. What you would want to look for are the HMO dental insurance plans. They normally offer very low affordable monthly cost as well as good over all coverages.

Another choice also would be a dental discount plan. They to are very affordable on a monthly cost bases and will also help reduce your dental services needed.

We provide both of these plan types in most states. Just enter your zip code in the quote box provided in order to review the dental insurance and plan options we have available in your state.

In a study to the Identification of unrecognized diabetes and pre-diabetes in a dental setting, published in the Journal of Dental Research, researchers at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine found that dental visits represented a chance to intervene in the diabetes epidemic by identifying individuals with diabetes or pre-diabetes who are unaware of their condition. Since Periodontal disease is an early complication of diabetes, and about 70 percent of U.S. adults see a dentist at least once a year.  This said by Dr. Ira Lamster, dean of the College of Dental Medicine, and senior author on the study.

Question: I have to pick between an dental Indemnity plan and a PPO dental Insurance plan.  My work has both as a choices but I am not sure what the difference is.  They seen the same to me. My job is paying for the plan, so I can go either way.  Is there a difference between the two that  I should know?

Reply: The main difference between the two would be whether or not the PPO plan you are reviewing lowers there cover amount if you decide to go outside their network of providers.

If they do then you may be better of choosing the indemnity if your dentist is not in the PPO’s plan network of provider. On an indemnity plan they have no dentist network you simply go to whatever dentist you want. That way your coverages are the same for whatever dentist you choose.

Having poor oral health can have dire consequences for anyone. However, currently Medicaid benefits that cover dental care are only extended to children.  More than 30 million Americans live in areas with too few dentists to meet their dental health needs, and even still millions of children and retirees lack access to good oral health care because they can’t afford the cost of dental care.

Question: Do orange peels or banana peels whiten teeth? Are there any other home remedies I could try?

Reply:  Although all the home remedies that are listed may help to whiten your teeth only a dentist can get your teeth the whitest.

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 also 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 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 whitening, mouth wash with whitening, gum with whitening. 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 a  study of over 1,000 post-menopausal women it was forecast that over one in four post-menopausal women have a higher risk to suffer from tooth loss over a five year period.  This risk increases to nearly 90 per cent if other risk factors are present, especially diabetes and if they smoke. Having proper dental care and maintaining good oral hygiene reduces  the risk factors.

Question: I do not understand why dental services need to be so expensive.  I just got back from my dentist yesterday and was told that I would need two root canals.  I would also need to have the two teeth crowned as well.

I am lucky that at least I have dental insurance with my job. However even with that my cost is going to be almost $2000.  I just feel this is highway robbery.  It is costs like these that keep the middle class families from ever getting ahead.

Reply: Although $2000.00 may seem expensive even with insurance it is not for two root canals and crowns. If you shop out your rates to dentist stating you do not have insurance you will be able to see the going cost and just how much your dental insurance is saving you.

If you just saying cost in general is too high and why is that. I have no real answer for you.  Cost for most things in life continues to go up.  I can say if you want to keep your cost low, you need maintain your oral and dental health so that you do not have larger more costly dental care needs.  Sure, larger dental care services can happen even with great at home dental care habits but you do reduce your risk greatly.

But it dose not stop with just good at home dental habits. You need to make and keep your twice a year (more if advised by your dentist) dental appointments. In addition, with most dental insurance plans preventive services such as check ups, x-rays and cleaning are little to no cost.

Studies show that gum disease can extend the time it take for a woman to become pregnant.  The importance of having and maintain good dental and oral health care is many times underestimated.  However new research is showing that for woman there is yet another reason to maintain good oral hygiene and 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: Any one know of about how much it would cost to get a full mouth worth of dental implants?  My husband had dentures top and bottom right now but seems to always have problems with them.  He would like to get full implants.

However, we do not have insurance that would cover him getting implants.  Is there anything I could get that will help us with the cost of implants?  If so about how much?  I am thinking we may not be able to afford him getting implants even though I would like him to have them if we could.

Reply:  Most dental insurance plans do not provide for the cost of dental implants because cost is too high.  There are dental discount plans options that can save him around 15-20 percent off the cost of implants.  With a full mouth implants that would be extensive savings but you will need to find a dentist in the plan that provide that type of dental service.

Implants cost will very depending on your area and the dentist.  But average range can be from around $1000-$2000 per tooth.  You can see where cost for full mouth can get extremely costly. However normally the dentist provides discounts for having more then just one implant you will just have to shop around to get an idea of cost.

One of the most common infectious diseases found in indigenous children in the US and Canada is early childhood tooth decay. Resulting in additional adverse health effects.  The American Academy of Pediatrics and Canadian Paediatrics Society provide recommendations for prevention of dental disease in you children and pregnant women in a new policy statement, “Early Childhood Caries in Indigenous Communities,”  Which involves the collaboration with primary health care providers, policy makers, and public health practitioners in indigenous communities.

Question: Although I have some dental insurance coverages though the Vet Affairs dental reimbursement program.  I am having a hard time getting any help for my missing tooth and the dental implant I need.

The costs for the dental implant exceeds their fee schedule so I am not going to get anything reimbursed to me.  I tried looking for dental insurance that I could get on my own but they have a missing tooth clause that I fall under so I can not be covered for my implant though another dental insurance company.  What do I have to do go to Mexico to get my dental needs at a reasonable cost to me?

Reply:  Although many insurance company will not cover your dental care need due to having a missing tooth cause, another problem is that many dental insurance plans also do not cover for dental implants. The suggestion I can make is to review out dental discount plans options.  Dental discount plans will reduce your cost by 15 – 20 percent for a dental implant and they do not have any missing tooth causes to worry about.  However, you do need to go to plan providers so make sure to check their provider data base to make sure there is a dentist that provides implant services.

You may be able to go to Mexico and have your dental implant done for less. However keep in mind if anything goes wrong you may not have any recourse to correct it.

If you suffer from headaches,  often the first step of action is the medicine cabinet for pain relief or a visit to the Doctors. However,if your Doctor does not have a reason for your headaches and the problem persists it might be something you should mention to your dentist. Many times the persistent cause of headaches lie inside your mouth.

Question: My fiancée has been in pain due to a rotten tooth that broke four days ago.  He went to the hospital which gave him some pain killers and antibiotics but that is all.  They told him to have the tooth pulled of fixed he will need to see a dentist.  As long as he takes the pain killers, he does not have any pain but without dental insurance he is worried that it would be to pricey to have his tooth fixed.

Reply: The antibiotics will help to keep down any infections and the pain killers will help with the pain but they do nothing to fix the real problem. After he out of pain killers and antibiotics he will be back in the same boat.

Seeing a dentist is very important since this issue will only get worse if he dose not fix it right away.  There are many good low cost dental insurance options that will help to greatly reduce your dental care cost.  Review our HMO insurance plan options as they are the lower cost plan types. Although we offer many good PPO and Free choice of provider dental insurance plans they will not be able to help your immediate dental care need do to their waiting periods.

Many dentist are worried that teenagers are putting their teeth and oral health at risk by trying dangerous do-it-yourself teeth-whitening techniques found on the Internet. Many teenagers go to on line tips of do it yourself whitening since money and access to proper dental whitening care may not be in their reach.  However Children who are mixing  up quantities of different chemical and applying them for long periods of time are at risk of eroding their tooth enamel and damaging their gums. In turn increasing their risk of oral infection. The best course of action is to talk to your dentist about safely whiting your teeth or what over the counter product they my suggest to be use.

Question:  I do not have any dental insurance and need to have an estimated cost idea for dental services.  Need dental help ASAP since I am in pain.  The pain is really effective my daily life at school and at home.  The pain goes from the side of my face up to my head.

I know I need some major dental care. I need help in finding cheap dental insurance and a low cost dental office and a ways to go about  paying for my dental services.  I would love an idea of  how much all this would cost.

Reply: My suggestion would be to review our dental HMO insurance plans we offer a few in CA such as California Dental 411, 460 & 595 as well as Delta Dental, Uninted Health Care and PrimeCare.  All of these plan are lower cost dental insurance plans that will greatly reduce your dental care cost.  As far as cost for services each of these plans lay out your cost for each dental service that is covered under the plan. This let you compare and choose the best one for your dental care needs.

With that said you do need to choose a dentist with in their plan providers. I would advise calling the dentist in the plans network and confirming that they still take the plan and in your case ask if they offer any type of payment plan options if cost is still outside your budget to pay in full.