Having gum and tooth pain during pregnancy is not uncommon, however, discomfort is usually a symptom of a more serious underlying dental condition. According to the American Academy of Periodontology, roughly 50 percent of all pregnant women develop gingivitis, or an inflammation of the gums. Left untreated, gingivitis can lead to more severe periodontal disease, causing uncomfortable tooth pain and possible tooth loss. Therefore having proper dental care during pregnancy becomes very important in order to maintain your oral health care.

A detailed and extensive problem-focused evaluation entails extensive diagnostic and cognitive modalities based on the findings of a comprehensive oral evaluation. Integration of more extensive diagnostic modalities to develop a treatment plan for a specific problem is required. The condition requiring this type of evaluation should be described and documented. Examples of conditions requiring this type of evaluation may include dentofacial anomalies, complicated perio-prosthetic conditions, complex temporomandibular dysfunction, facial pain of unknown origin, severe systemic diseases requiring multi-disciplinary consultation, etc.

Although one coffee and tea can be one of our morning and afternoon favorite beverage, they have compounds called tannins, which can cause unsightly stains and discoloring of your teeth. Therefore to avoid staining your teeth try and limited the amount of coffee and or tea you drink throughout the day. If you are going to be drinking coffee and tea do so with a straw to limited contact with your teeth. Also avoid slowly drinking this types of drinks, it can be fun to hang out a the local coffee house and babying the one cup of coffee during your hour or more stay but it is not so fun for your teeth.

The unexpected findings could pave the way for the development of preventative measures in tackling gum, by manipulating the normal bacteria in the same way that probiotic yogurt works to protect the intestine.Researchers at Queen Mary’s Blizard Institute, including Medical Research Council Clinical Research Training Fellow Mark Payne, worked with scientists in the US; they published their findings in the journal Cell Host and Microbe.

How to find the best/right dental insurance plan is a question that comes frequently, though there is one answer to that question. First what dose the “best” means to you? Is it the best price, or deductible, or maybe you need coverage for orthodontics. Maybe you are wanting to stay with a certain dental office or you need a plan that dose not have waiting periods. Finding the “best” insurance plan takes work and knowing your own dental care needs. Trying to find a dental insurance plan that best fit your needs. Sometimes you may have to give up something to get what is most important to you.

• Example: You may want to stay with a certain dental office but they do not accept any HMO plans therefore you may have to deal with waiting periods in order to have an insurance plan that will let you keep your provider

Make sure you read each plan terms and conditions carefully so you know what is covered and what is not and you have an understanding of how the insurance plan would benefit you if you where to buy it.

Instead of snacking on a bag of chips, have cheese with your lunch or as a snack, especially cheddar, monterrey jack, swiss and other aged cheeses which help to trigger the flow of saliva. Saliva helps to wash food particles away from teeth

Question: Why should on have to take a toddler to the dentist when their teeth just fall out anyway when their adult teeth come in?

Answer: It is true that our primary teeth are eventually replaced with our permanent (adult) teeth, but your child dental health is still very important to their oral health and overall health care. Once a baby tooth starts to decay, the bacteria in their mouth progresses pretty quickly, seeping thorough the tooth and going to the bone. Potentially causing dental infections that an even be fatal. Sure that is the worst consequence. Yet even if that dose not happen, if bacteria lurk in the baby teeth, the enamel for adult teeth may not be formed properly and they can be permanently damaged.

Question: My son is 18 months of age and I have been told that he should see a dentist for his regular dental check up. Yet I am not sure if he can go to our family dentist or if he needs to see a pediatric dentist.

Answer: This is a common question for parents to ask. For the same reason you do not take your child to your own internist, you take him to a pediatrician, you would want to take your son to a pediatric dentist.

Children are not miniature adults. Their bodies are very different, and so are their teeth. A pediatric dentist has expertise in those differences

By the time your baby is six months of age, your dentist should assess the likelihood of your baby having a future dental problems. This may include a dental exam of the mother and her dental history, as the condition of her teeth can often predict her child’s teeth. Be sure your child see a dentist after the first primary teeth appear. After your first visit schedule regular visits every six months or as advise by the dentist.

Experts recommend that your baby see a dentist no later then 12 months of age. Babies with dental problems caused by injury, disease, or a developmental problem should be seen by a children’s pediatric dentist right away. If these dental problems are not limited to the surfaces of the teeth you baby should also be seen by a children’s doctor

Your baby’s first teeth usually begin to erupt through the gums at about six months of age, although the timing will vary among children. All of the 20 primary teeth should come in between the ages of six months and three years. Your child will lose his or her primary teeth between the ages of six and eleven. Their fist permanent teeth usually erupts behind the primary teeth at about age six. The last permanent teeth usually erupts between the ages of 12 and 21.

With Halloween around the corner it is a good idea to know about sticky and sugary candy and what it can do to your teeth. Food texture can create issues for your teeth. Sticky substances seem to find their way in-between your teeth and along your gum line. The bacteria in your mouth interacts with the sugars to weaken your tooth enamel. Therefore avoid such candies as toffee and anything gummy if you do eat this type of treat be extra diligent with your flossing and brushing afterwards.

Wine may get better with age but did you know it also ages your teeth? With high acidic content wine starts to wear down on your teeth’s enamel almost immediately. Wine also stains teeth and can cause dry mouth. After drinking wine have a glass of water to help rinse your mouth if possible.

Although one coffee and tea can be one of our morning and afternoon favorite beverage, they have compounds called tannins, which can cause unsightly stains and discoloring of your teeth. Therefore to avoid staining your teeth try and limited the amount of coffee and or tea you drink throughout the day. If you are going to be drinking coffee and tea do so with a straw to limited contact with your teeth. Also avoid slowly drinking this types of drinks, it can be fun to hang out a the local coffee house and babying the one cup of coffee during your hour or more stay but it is not so fun for your teeth

Washington — The Partnership for Medicaid is asking legislators to address a pending Medicaid fiscal cliff that could affect patients and providers in U.S. territories, including American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In a June 20 letter, the coalition — which includes the ADA — asked leaders of the House and Senate to address the cliff before the Sept. 30 deadline.

Source: ADA

Question: My son just turn four month old and I think he is already teething. This is our first child, so we are not sure when a baby will normally start teething. Can they teeth at four month? Should I take him to see a dentist or a doctor?

Answer: There are babies that do start to teeth as soon as three months so do not be too worried if your baby it teething a four months. Some of the signs of teething would be: Drooling, Sucking on their hands and fists, fuss more, sleep less and all kinds of good stuff like that. There are teething products you can get at most stores, or if you have it Baby R Us that is a good place to go too. If you are worried about the teething process you can either go to your babies doctor or pediatric dentist either one should be able to help you. Go to the one you feel best about.

Under most dental insurance plans preventive dental services such as general or basic cleanings are covered at no cost to you. The common dental term used for this type of cleaning is dental prophylaxis, which is a scaling and polishing procedure performed to remove coronal plaque, calculus, and stains.

ADA acts ‘out of concern for consumer safety, customer recourse’

The Association announced July 11 it sent a complaint letter to the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, raising concerns over aspects of SmileDirect Club’s marketing and direct-to-consumer sales of plastic teeth aligners.

The letter, sent on June 27, comes about two months after the Association filed a citizen’s petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, stating that SmileDirect Club is placing the public at risk by knowingly evading the FDA’s “by prescription only” restriction the agency has placed on teeth aligning materials.

“The ADA took these actions out of concern for patient safety and to enable consumers to take action when negative treatment outcomes occur,” said Dr. Jeffrey M. Cole, ADA president.

Source: ADA

Question: I went to the dentist the other day and I had no cavities which I though was good since I have not seen a dentist in many years prior to this point. I was told by the dentist that I do have gum disease and that I need to see a Periodontist.

Why would I need to see a Periodontist? I do not have dental insurance and I know if I go to one of those Periodontist people it will cost me way more then I can afford. Is it really all that important that I go? After all my teeth are just fine.

Reply: One thing you may want to keep in mind is that when you go to a dentist the dentist is not thinking about whether or not you can afford to do what they suggest to you.

The dentist is telling you only what he/she feel is the best thing for your oral health care. One would not refer you to a specialist if they did not believe that would be the best thing for you. At some point you need to tell the dentist that you can not afford to go to a specialist right now so you need to do the next best thing.

The dentist may tell you how important it is to see a specialist, however if comes down to it they know it would be better for them to do what you can afford to have done then for you to do nothing at all. Dentist are not mind readers if you do not explain to them what you can and can not afford to do then do not get upset because they are telling you something that is costly and you can not afford it.

The Washington State Dental Association and Washington State Dental Laboratory Association worked together to lead a successful legislative effort to implement ADA policy on dental laboratory registration.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed the dental laboratory registration and disclosure bill into law April 19, which will take effect on Jan. 1, 2020.

Commencing on New Year’s Day, all dental labs serving dentists in Washington state will be required to:

• Register with the state department of health.
• Disclose in writing to the dentist what materials are in each device or prosthetic.
• Disclose in writing to the dentist the city, state and country where each device or prosthetic was made.
• Have at least one lab technician annually complete 12 hours of continuing education or who is a certified dental technician.

Source: ADA

A Comprehensive Periodontal Evaluation will typically includes evaluation of periodontal conditions, probing and charting, evaluation and recording of the patient’s dental and medical history and general health assessment. It may also include the evaluation and recording of dental caries, missing or unerupted teeth, restorations, occlusal relationships and oral cancer screening.