Does the plan give you the freedom to choose your own dentist or are you restricted to a panel of dentists selected by the insurance company? If you have a family dentist with whom you are satisfied, consider the effects changing dentists will have on the quality or quantity of care you receive. Because regular visits to the dentist reduce the likelihood of developing serious dental disease, it’s best to have and maintain an established relationship with a dentist you trust.

Who controls treatment decisions–you and your dentist or the dental plan? Many plans require dentists to follow treatment plans that rely on a Least Expensive Alternative Treatment (LEAT) approach. If there are multiple treatment options for a specific condition, the plan will pay for the less expensive treatment option.  If you choose a treatment option that may better suit your individual needs and your long-term oral health, you will be responsible for paying the difference in costs. It’s important to know who makes the treatment decisions under your plan. These cost control measures may have an impact on the quality of care you’ll receive.

Does the plan cover diagnostic, preventive and emergency services? If so, to what extent? Most dental plans provide coverage for selected diagnostic services, preventive care and emergency treatment that are basic for maintaining good oral health.

But the extent or frequency of the services covered by some plans may be limited. Depending upon your individual oral health needs, you may be required to pay the dentist directly for a portion of this basic care. Find out how much treatment is allowed in any given year without cost to you, and how much you will have to pay for yourself.

Dental PPO: In a preferred provider organization (PPO), network dentists accept a contracted fee as payment in full instead of their usual fee. Covered patients pay a percentage of the contracted fee, which is called coinsurance, the insurer pays the rest and the percentage varies with each category of service, which is typically broken down into sets of procedures that are diagnostic and falls under preventive, basic, or major restorative. In theses types of plan you will typically have to satisfy a deductible or office co-pay, as well as have n annual maximum limitation and waiting periods(depending on the plan).

It is important that you understand the terms and conditions/limitation of a PPO plan. However one main benefit of a PPO plan is that they normally have a larger provider data base and in most PPO plans you are able to also choose providers not in the plan network, allowing you to choose and or stay with your current dental provider.

Dental HMO: Most HMO plans requires enrollees to choose a dentist form the plan network of dental providers, for most dental care needs. Members may pay a co-payment normally based on a fee schedule (a fixed dollar amount) at the time of the visit, but they normally won’t have to satisfy a deductible or bump up against annual plan maximums.

Before buying a dental insurance plan make sure to read the terms and conditions of the plan so you have an full understanding of how the plan works and benefits you.   Making sure you understand a dental plan’s benefits, which may include co-payments, deductibles and annual maximums, is key to getting the most value from a dental plan and avoiding surprises.

Question: I have a friend that likes to eat toothpaste, she does it all the time but I thought that would be bad for you.

Answer:  If your friend is eating tooth paste with fluoride. Fluoride is toxic. On most tooth paste with fluoride you can read a warning label. Note below:

ADA POSITIONS & STATEMENTS  ADA STATEMENT ON FDA TOOTHPASTE WARNING LABELS  The American Dental Association’s (ADA) Council on Scientific Affairs believes that one part of the warning now required on fluoride toothpastes by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could unnecessarily frighten parents and children, and that the label greatly overstates any demonstrated or potential danger posed by fluoride toothpastes.  The label language, “If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, seek professional help or contact a poison control center immediately” is now required on all fluoride toothpastes.

But the ADA, in a letter sent to the FDA last year, pointed out that a child could not absorb enough fluoride from toothpaste to cause a serious problem and that the excellent safety record on fluoride toothpaste argues against any unnecessary regulation.  Recent media coverage has focused attention on the safety of fluoride toothpastes, but the coverage has not revealed that the ADA limited the amount of fluoride allowed in ADA-Accepted toothpaste years ago for this reason.

In addition, back in 1991, the ADA began requiring that toothpaste manufacturers include the following language on all ADA-Accepted toothpastes: “Do not swallow. Use only a pea-sized amount for children under six. To prevent swallowing, children under six years of age should be supervised in the use of toothpaste.” The new FDA labels are consistent with the ADA statements, with the exception of the poison control warning.

The ADA warning labels were required to help reduce the risk of mild fluorosis, which is a cosmetic defect noticeable as very light spots on permanent teeth and develops only while the teeth are still forming. Fluorosis only occurs when more than the optimal daily amount of fluoride is ingested.

Through its ADA Seal of Acceptance program, the toothpaste manufacturers must submit clinical data to the ADA in order to meet its guidelines on safety and effectiveness. Additionally, all products with the ADA Seal must submit the product’s advertising and packaging for review so that consumers and dentists have assurance that the claims the product makes are supported by the clinical data.

Insurance companies do their best to ensure that their policyholders understand their plans and benefits, but it is up to an individual to make sure that they are making informed choices. The differences in the various plans you can choose from are:

The type of third party funding the plan.
Methods of selecting a dentist.
Compensation of the dentist’s services to you.
The calculations of benefits and payments.

Understanding these differences will enable you to make an informed decision when selecting a dental plan that is best for you or your family. It will also help you understand the insurance companies really do care about your dental health and want you to be informed of your choices.   Keep in mind the dentist is a reflection of the insurance company. They both are here to help you keep that pretty smile healthy.

Part of why people are afraid of different things is because of the lack of understanding of what it is or what it is about.  Try to find out all there is to know about wisdom teeth extractions. There are many very good websites that go over the step by step process.  Also ask your dentist all the questions you have about the process and the care after the removal.

Tell your dentist about your fear and concerns.  This will help him explain to you how the process is not really all the scary.   One other resource  is a course this blog.  Many people have the same fears of the dentist and extractions.  There have been many good replies to those questions.  Try checking them out as well.

This all comes down to shopping around and doing your homework. I do not feel that one is necessary better the the other and would be un–fair to make a blanked statement like that. I am sure that there are good dentist and bad dentist in both. Here are some suggestions you can do when trying to find a dentist.

1) Call the dental offices you have in your area that you may want to go to. Ask them all the general questions you may have.  This will help give you get an  idea of how they are.

2) You may want to just stop by. I have done this before. Just walk in and see what it looks like. Is it clean are the people friendly. Also talk to the people who are waiting. What better reference you can get. Ask them what they think of the dentist and the office. Most people will tell you the good and bad about their dentist.

3) You mentioned cost and not wanting to pay exorbitant amount for services. For this you may want to invest in getting either dental insurance or a dental discount plan.  Either will help you control your dental cost.

4) When you find a dentist you might want to go to,  find out what plans they participate in.  This way you can look for those plans.

5) Do not forget the power of the internet. You can do a search on the dentist to see if there has been any comments about the office or the dentist by others that went there.

6) Finding a good dentist takes time but it is worth the effort you will put into it.  Good luck to you in your search.

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.”

A large proportion of people in the countries where sucrose became widely available developed rapidly-advancing dental caries which began in the tooth enamel. For reasons that we now understand well, these individuals experienced pain, severe localized infection within relatively dense bone and then systemic illness. Suddenly, a disease which could be extremely painful and even deadly became common in children and young adults.

When the epidemic began no-one understood its cause. All that people could do at the time was treat its consequences. Treatment was by surgery, usually by extracting the tooth, and was very difficult for the surgeon (and very painful for the patient). Surgeons were not particularly admired at the time, because their work was crude, painful and often failed. A new type of surgeon, the dental surgeon, was needed. The dental profession began as a group of people who were also not very admired, but were very much needed.

Mucus – part of the 0.5% of saliva that is not water – contains salivary mucins, compounds that actively protect teeth from damage by the cavity-causing bacterium Streptococcus mutans, according to a new study.

Previously it was thought that salivary mucins – large glycoproteins – did little more than keep mucus in saliva slippery and elastic, contributing to its gel-like properties. But now it seems they play an active role in defending against pathogens and keeping the human microbiome healthy.

Most individual dental insurance plans require you to satisfy waiting periods and deductibles before having major and sometimes even minor restorative work done. Discount dental plans help make maintaining good oral health a lot more affordable. And, with no waiting periods or complicated coverage procedures, dental discount plans are about as simple as you can get.

How do discount dental plans work? As we become aware about our oral health, there has been a demand for affordable dental care. Discount dental plans are the newest option for those without coverage. These dental discount plans are much cheaper than traditional dental insurance, and also offer almost equal coverage for all dental work, even cosmetic procedures not covered by standard indemnity dental plans.

The catch is that dental discount plans are not really insurance at all. They work more like club memberships, where the cost of membership (your “premium”) earns a steep discount on any club service (dental work) you buy. The discount normally applies to all dental office services performed by an approved “plan” dentist, but no procedure is covered completely.

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 are the ins and outs of discount dental plans? When it comes to dental discount plans, the good news is afford ability, breadth of services, and immediate coverage. The bad news is greater financial risk and responsibility on your part.

Although the monthly cost of most discount dental plans is very low compared to the price of a traditional dental insurance or indemnity insurance policy, there’s more allover financial risk with a dental discount plan. No care is totally covered, so an expensive procedure will mean a big out-of-pocket expense, even with the dental plan. And even when undergoing a low-cost service (like cleaning), you’ll still be expected to pick up a part of the cost.

However, on the plus side, discount dental plans are effective immediately – so are many procedures you need now will be covered as soon as you buy the dental discount plan. Traditional indemnity and/or insurance dental plans usually impose a waiting period of between 6 and 18 months for any major procedure. The last “pro” is that all good dental discount plans should come with a money-back guarantee.

In the 1960s, a singer named Betty Everett belted, “If you wanna know if he loves you so, it’s in his kiss!” Covered by Cher in the 1990s, the song neglects to mention what is also “in his kiss” – 80 million bacteria, according to a new study published in the journal Microbiome.

Indemnity or Dental Insurance Plans This type of dental plan pays the dental office (dentist) on a traditional fee-for-service basis. A monthly premium is paid by the client and/or the employer to an insurance company, which then reimburses the dental office (dentist) for the services rendered. An insurance company usually pays between 50% – 80% of the dental office (dentist) fees for a covered procedures; the remaining 20% – 50% is paid by the client.

These plans often have a pre-determined or set deductible amount which varies from plan to plan. Indemnity plans also can limit the amount of services covered within a given year and pay the dentist based on a variety of fee schedules.

Some typical features of these plans:

High deductibles before coverage begins (well-designed plans don’t apply the deductible to preventive services)

Probationary periods on certain procedures that last up to a year

Annual dollar limit on benefits

Chose your own dentist

Your average monthly cost: $35+

Companies selling these plans are regulated by state insurance departments.

The research found that incisor teeth grow quickly in the early stages of the second trimester of a baby’s development, while molars grow at a slower rate in the third trimester. This is so incisors are ready to erupt after birth, at approximately six months of age, when a baby makes the transition from breast-feeding to weaning.

Question: I want something I can wear daily that does not look like ridiculous cartoon teeth while I save up for actual dental work. My teeth are stained, and gaped/crooked and it is really something that upsets me. I found some different types of temporary false teeth online but still not sure what to do. Obviously, snap in teeth are not going to look perfect and natural but I’d really like to find something that is passable for the time being.

Answer: I would say that Snap on smile is the best and looks the best. Snap on smile is a good temporary solution.  It is a removable appliance that covers your teeth. However since they go on top of your teeth, they do not always blend well with your gums and may not look natural if you show your gums when you smile.

Another thing to keep in mind is price. If price is a factor for you, they can run between $500 – $1000 per arch.  That is a lot of money to just cover up teeth that still need to be repaired.  In addition most dental insurance companies do not offer any benefits for snap on smiles.

This may not be what you want to hear but I would really look into this more and talk to your dentist and see what options are good for you.  Make sure it cost effective.  You stated you are in the process of saving your money to fix your teeth, I would not waste money on something that is temporary and instead just focus on getting the required dental care you need for your teeth so that you can have a better smile as well as good oral health.

One of the causes of sensitive teeth is wear and tear through brushing too hard, using a hard-bristled brush. This can wear down the enamel and expose the dentine.

To help reduce tooth sensitivity, brush with a soft-bristled brush, taking care around the gums so as not to damage or remove gum tissue. Also, make sure to floss regularly and use interdental brushes. The point is to gently dislodge food debris and plaque. You can also use a toothpaste designed for sensitive teeth.

It is also important to visit a dentist regularly and ask them about correct oral hygiene.

The memory and walking speeds of adults who have lost all of their teeth decline more rapidly than in those who still have some of their own teeth, finds new research. The association between total tooth loss and memory was explained after the results of a study were fully adjusted for a wide range of factors, such as sociodemographic characteristics, existing health problems, physical health, health behaviors, such as smoking and drinking, depression, relevant biomarkers, and particularly socioeconomic status. However, after adjusting for all possible factors, people without teeth still walked slightly slower than those with teeth.