Another Dental Healthcare Tip Make sure to drink plenty of water.  Water helps to keep your mouth moist which in turn minimize the amount of bacteria in your mouth that can cause bad breath. Drinking water is also very good for your over all health care.

Question: I noted that you offer many different dental insurance plans for a family.  Can you give me some helpful tips on how to choose the right one for my family and I?  I am not sure what would be the best plan and would like some help in braking them down.

Answer: Choosing a dental insurance plan that would be right your you and your family would depend on several factors.  Such as if you are trying to stay with your current dental provider or if you have current dental needs that need to be taken care of ASAP.  Our dental PPO insurance plans would let you stay with your current dental office, however this type of dental insurance plan normally come with waiting periods that would effect the type of dental services you can have right away.

Where as dental HMO plans do not normally have waiting periods for certain dental services but may not let you keep your current dental office if they are not a provider of the plan.  Look over our plan options and please feel free to call our member service line at 310-534-3444 if you have any questions about any of our dental insurance plan options.

Prolong dry mouth can start to cause dental issues like bad breath, periodontitis, and dental decay. Certain medications such as chemotherapy drugs to treat cancer are linked to dry mouth. However, the most common culprits as far as drugs are antihistamines and anti-depressants.

If your prescriptions are causing dry mouth, talk to your doctor about swapping to another.  In addition make sure to see your dentist regularly to prevent dental damage due to dry mouth.

Hopefully if you need a root canal you already have current dental insurance.  However for many that is not the case even though by having dental insurance it will help make having a root canal much more affordable.  It may be already too late to buy a dental PPO or Indemnity plan do to their plan waiting periods.  Therefore when reviewing dental HMO insurance plans you want to make sure the plan you are reviewing provides coverages for specialist (case you need to get refer to one) and if it does cover for specialist know the coverage amount. In many cases HMO plans that do provide benefits for specialist do so at lower coverage, on average between 20 and 30 percent.

A study conducted by University of Manchester researchers finds a toothbrush can contain over 10 million bacteria including E. coli and Staph.

Toothbrush can be contaminated by the water splashed when we wash our hands, or worse, by bacteria from an open-flushed toilet.

Nasties that fall from toilet spray remain airborne long enough to settle on surfaces throughout the bathroom. And if you drop your toothbrush on the floor, the five second rule does not apply.

Think about keeping your toothbrush out of your bathroom. Also you may want to soak you toothbrush in germ killing mouthwash once a week or so.

For the most part dental HMO’s insurance plans have fewer limitations then dental PPO’s and Indemnity insurance plans.  Yet, they still have limitations that need to be carefully read and understood before buying.   One such limitation which many people may know is that you have to go to dentists that are providers of the plan.  There  are no benefits if you choose to go to a dentist that is not a provider of an HMO plan.

Generally under an HMO dental insurance plan, coverages are based on a fee schedule which shows the cost for all the different dental services that are covered under the plan. Yet the fee schedule that is provided is normally only for the general dentist you picked to be your provider.  The fee schedule is normally not the benefits you receive if you need to be refer to a network specialist.   This is important to understand, since HMO plans will either not cover for specialist or only provide saving of around 20 – 30 percent off network specialist depending on the plan.

Although HMO plans will not normally have a yearly dollar max limitation per person per year they may have limitation on how many of one dental service you can have. You may already know the two cleaning per person per year but many HMO’s insurance plans will only provide benefits up to four to five crowns per person per year.

A poor diet along with bad dental hygiene habits can lead to cavities and decay along he gum line.  This gradual dental decay will result in reduced saliva production beneath the tongue, and eventually chronic and uncomfortable dry mouth, which will exacerbate tooth and gum rot even further.  Make sure to visit your dentist regularly and maintain good dental habits in order to maintain good dental health and avoid dry mouth issues.

If you do not currently have dental insurance and you need a dental bridge, then cost can be a factor.  Buying dental insurance to reduce the cost is a good idea.  However make sure you are buying the right plan for this need.  Normally dental insurance plans such as PPO or Indemnity will have long term waiting periods for dental services such as bridges.  That is important to understand that if you buy these types of dental insurance plans in order to stay with your current dental provider,  you may not have any benefits for the dental service you currently need.  When buying PPO or Indemnity plan it best to think ahead and have it in force prior to any major dental issues.

Although diabetes can cause many different health issues one effect that it has on your dental care is dry mouth. One sign of diabetes is often chronic dry mouth, which occurs when blood sugars are high and uncontrolled diabetes.

When this occurs, ketones lose fluid or inadequate saliva is produced in order to keep your mouth moist. The end result is severe dehydration and dry mouth as well as difficulty chewing and swallowing food. If you are a diabetic make sure to talk to your dentist about proper dental care in order to maintain your dental health

Many kids still do not get the dental care they need. Mostly this is do to the increasing cost of dental care.  However by having a low cost dental insurance plan such as and HMO dental insurance plan you are able to provide your child the needed dental care at a more affordable cost to you. By making sure your child has good at home dental habits and maintaining there regular dental visits you are also able to avoid larger or mostly dental care needs in the future

Some of the sings and symptoms of dry mouth can include

* Trouble speaking

* Eating or Tasting food

* Swallowing

* Dry mouth may cause chapped lips

* Persistent cough

* White Tongue

* Fungal infection like  yeast

* Burning tongue

* Gum disease

* Dental decay

Having and maintaining proper dental care is very important at all ages. Even for new born babies who do not have any teeth. Within a few months their gums harden and the first teeth will begin to show. Generally the first teeth sprout from 4 to 7 months. It is perfectly fine if the child has her or his teeth after a year. Care for new teeth is a must.  Having good dental care habits is important for your own oral health but it also lets you teach your children good dental habits.  If you are not sure how to provide good dental care to your new born talk to your dentist for help and advise.

Previously, the American Dental Association had recommended kids younger than two years old have their teeth brushed with water, before moving onto a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste through the time they’re six years old.

Now, the ADA says go ahead and give your baby fluoride toothpaste that is about the size of a grain of rice once that first tooth comes in.

This recommended change comes after a new review published in the February issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association found that brushing with fluoride toothpaste had statistically significant benefits on preventing decay and cavities.

The new guidance says kids younger than three should just get a “smear” of toothpaste before graduating to a pea-sized amount when three to six years old to prevent cavities and avoid fluorosis. Kids should spit out the toothpaste as soon as they are old enough to do so.

Often times people think about baby dental care when the teeth start to come in. However it is important to start cleaning your child’s mouth even before his or her teeth come in.  Wipe your baby’s gums off after each feeding with a warm, wet soft washcloth, wrapped around your finger. Also available in most food/drug stores is a soft rubbery devices that fits over your index finger to be used for rubbing off excess food.

Question: In another six months I will receive dental benefits though my current employer.  Right now I need to have a short term or temporary dental plan that can help me out on a few of my current dental needs.  I been trying to put of buying dental insurance since I will be getting dental benefits soon. However one of my teeth are really staring to hurt me.  Can you advise if you have any dental plan that I do not have have to keep for a full year or more?

Answer: I would suggest reviewing our dental discount plans as they will help to reduce your overall dental care cost and you can cancel the plan at any time with a 30 days written request to do so. You may also want to review our Dental HMO plan. Although you do pay for the plan annually it is not too costly and may still workout better for you.

It is suggested that a parent should watch/supervise their child while they brush their teeth  until around the age of six.  Here are some other helpful tips on dental care.

1) Make sure your child uses only a pea-sized amount of toothpaste and take care that your child does not eat or swallow the toothpaste.

2) Use a soft bristle tooth brush

3) Brush the inside surfaces of all teeth first. Angle bristles toward the gum line. Gently brush back and forth. Make sure to clean all outside surfaces of the teeth in the same manor.

4) Place tooth brush so bristles are on the chewing surfaces of the teeth then brush gently back and forth.

Question: I live in Texas and I am a low income mom of two.  I do not have any dental benefits only medical right now. I am worry that I can not afford my children’s dental care without some help.  Do you offer any low income dental plans?

Answer: Our lower cost dental insurance plans options would be the dental HMO plans we offer on our website when you enter your zip code in the quote box provided.  You may also want to review and compare the dental discount plans we provide as well. Both dental plan types are affordable and help to reduce your family dental care cost.

Most dentist advises that a child should start going to the dentist by their first birthday.  In addition to giving your dentist child dentist a chance to monitor their dental growth and development, this is your chance to learn about tooth development and how to help your child maintain proper dental and oral hygiene.

Good oral/dental habits is one of the most important health lessons you can teach your kids. Teaching your children how to correctly brush twice a day daily, showing them the proper way to floss, and by limiting in between meal snacks you help them learn good dental habits that will continue though out their life time.

Question: I would like to get a inexpensive dental care plan for just my five year old son.  I do not have much money so right now I am only looking to get something for my son dental health care since what I do have on him does not offer any thing for dental.  He has only been to the dentist once and I worry that he may have cavities or something not be check up on and fixed.  Can you advise if you have any dental plan that can help me afford proper dental care for my son.

Answer: Our website offer a few dental insurance and plan types. For the lower cost options you may want to review our dental HMO plan and or our dental discount plans.  With the discount plans you can buy the plan only for your minor child. With the HMO you will need to buy a couple plan but even the cost for the couple option is pretty affordable.