Sensory issues is probably one of the main anxiety triggers at the dentist for individuals with an ASD. The obvious areas of difficulty will be tactile and auditory. Mouths are extremely sensitive places and for a person with an ASD the sensation of a cold instrument entering their mouth could be very painful. In addition, the noise of the drills and cleaning instruments could also be a problem. Sometimes the taste of the mouth wash or the paste being used will also have an adverse impact.

It is also important to check whether there are any factors in relation to the dentist as an individual that might cause distress; for example, their perfume, mustache, or the color of their clothing. An information sheet on ASD and sensory issues is available through our Autism Helpline

The number of preschoolers with serious dental tooth decay is on the rise, across all income levels. Some young children have six to ten cavities. Some of the reasons for the increased rise in tooth decay among young children, is mainly snacking and juices or other sweet drinks t bedtime.  But other reasons includes children drinking bottled water instead of fluoridated tap water.  As well as parents who have simply grown lax about making their kids have proper dental care habits such as brushing and flossing daily.

According to a study,dental care is a significant unmet health care need for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Many children with ASD do not receive dental care because of fear associated with dental procedures; oftentimes they require general anesthesia for regular dental procedures, placing them at risk of associated complications. Many children with ASD have a strong preference for visual stimuli, particularly electronic screen media. The use of visual teaching materials is a fundamental principle in designing educational programs for children with ASD.

Too many American, particularly kids are showing up in emergency rooms with rotten teeth issues.   According to surveys done by the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 10 state within the past three years, the percentage of third graders with untreated tooth decay running as high as 40 percent in Arizona, to just under 15 percent in Washington State.  A study by the Pew Center for the States found that preventable dental conditions were the primary reason for more than 830,000 emergency room visits in the U.S. in 2009, up 16 percent from just three years before.

Many people have dental fears or anxieties over going to the dentist.  Dental anxiety refers to the sense of unease that is associated with the unknown.  Therefore if you suffer from dental anxiety your may find that working with your dentist and having open communication will help create a more comfortable atmosphere which can greatly improve your experience and help you over overcome your anxiety.

Where as dental phobia is an intense and possible irrational reaction to a specific situation or objects that is perceived as threatening.  If you suffer from dental phobia you may react to the sound of a drill, the expectation of pain or another aspect of dentistry for which you have a strong dislike or fear. Overcoming dental phobias can be more difficult to address then dealing with anxieties and you may require professional assistance

Dental fear is the term often used for a more milder case of dental phobia. Talking to your dentist and being open about your fears will help you address your fears. Also the dentist will be better equipped to help you when they know you have fears that may need to be address during treatment.

It is important to keep in mind that by having proper dental care habits at home  and seeing a dentist regularly, not only helps to reduces the risk or tooth decay and gum disease, but save you money in the long run.

Preventive dental care services such as, office visits, X-rays and cleanings are much more affordable then filling, root canals and crowns. Take into account that even lower cost dental insurance plans offer free to very low cost preventive dental care, it makes no sense not to maintain your dental health. By taking care of your teeth with good dental habits and seeing your dentist you decrease your chances of developing larger more costly dental issues.

Due to my fear of going to the dentist I have not been in to see one in over 8 years. However one of my back top tooth broke due to an old cavity. I work up with sever tooth pain.  I would like to know if there is any home remedies to try to get some relief.

Answer: To help with the pain.  Cold water can help to give you some relief, you may also try Ibuprofen as needed, and cloves may help just put two or three in your mouth chew them up a little and put them on the gum and bad tooth this will help to numb the toothache.

However it is very important to understand all you are doing is numbing the pain in one fashion or another you are not fixing the real problem which is the tooth.  By deferring your dental care for eight years you now have this much larger issue going on that will only get worse if continue to go untreated. Many people have dental fears but seeing a dentist is the only way to fix your tooth. You may want to read our blogs about addressing your dental fears as this may help you when you go to the dentist

Many parent do encourage their children to practice proper dental care habits at home.  But having the right dental health care products for your children to use is important as well.

For children who do not brush their teeth on their own yet, you may want to avoid toothpaste with fluoride until they know not to swallow.  However for older children, the Center for Disease Control recommends that parents get their children toothpaste that contains fluoride in order to protect their teeth.

Also with regards to using mouthwash parents may want to avoid using mouthwash that contain alcohol.  There are many kid friendly mouthwashes that do not contain alcohol just read the label to make sure.

Flossing is an important part of dental care, however your child needs to know how to floss correctly.  Make sure you or your dentist correctly shows your child how to floss.  A parent should floss their child teeth until they are able to do so on their own.

If you have a dental insurance plan where you have to file claims (such as a PPO) it is a good idea to get a pretreatment estimate on the dental work needed before dental services are started.  By doing this, it will let you know in advance what dental procedures are covered, and the amount the plan will pay toward the treatment and how much you will be financially responsible for.

However it is important to remember a pretreatment estimate is not a guarantee of payment.  When the dental services are complete and the claim is received for payment the insurance company will calculate payment based on current eligibility, amount remaining in your annual maximum limitation and any deductible that may be required.

More then 130 million Americans do not have dental insurance.  Those that are lacking insurance tend to put of dental care due to cost.  Even though early childhood is a critical time period for kids to learn effective dental health care habits, many parents can not afford their needed dental care.   Many schools in effort to help children build strong dental health care habits, reach out to volunteer dental hygienists and dentist that are willing to visit their school and provide dental education and free dental screenings.  See if your child school is active in having such programs available.

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.

Having good dental care habits established early on could help avoid dental issues in the future.  Good oral health care is more the just having healthy teeth. According to the Surgeon General oral health is integral to general health care. However, sadly many parents may not realize proper dental care, like traditional medical care should begin in infancy to prevent the development of disease.

The American Dental Association advise new parent to have the first dental visit before the child first birthday. Pediatric dentist are specialist in treating children dental care needs. The dentist has the same goal in mind for your child dental health care “Prevention” With maintenance, routine check-ups and cleanings on a regular basis it will help prevent larger dental care needs.

Dental care cost can be high even just preventive dental services without dental insurance can cost over $150.  Where as most dental insurance plans provide preventive dental care for free.    Keep in mind you have an obligation to pay as agreed to the dentist any dental service provided. If you can not afford dental treatment do not agree to have any dental care until you are able.  Dental insurance helps in making dental care more affordable so you do not have to put of needed dental care services.

People can get upset with their dental insurance plan when they do not fully understand the plans limitations and exclusions before buying it. Most dental insurance plans includes limitation and exclusions which means the plan does not cover every aspect of dental care.  Understanding that dental insurance plans are designed to help with part of your dental expenses and may not always cover every dental need you have, is an important part of shopping out dental insurance and buying what best fit your overall dental needs.

Limitations and exclusions can relate to the type or number of procedures, the number of visits or age limits, when certain benefits may be effective under the plan and how much is to be paid out per person per year. However these limitations and exclusions are carefully detailed, therefore before buying a dental insurance plan make sure to read the plans limitations and exclusions.  By fully reading each plans limitations and exclusions, it will help you develop realistic expectations of how dental insurance can work for you.

It is important to understand that your family dentist is not a mind reader.  You have an obligation to be truthful with your dentist.  What you do not reveal they can not know.  If you have additional information tell them and do not hold back on your opinions and or feeling this go for positive as well as negative.  Keep in mind most dentist want you to be happy.  If you do not let them know you are displeased about something how can they take measures to correct the issue.

An Endodontist dentist is a dental specialist who limits his/her practice to treating disease and injuries of the pulp and associated periradicular conditions.

When taking your child to see a dentist here are some tips that you should know. 

Make sure that the dentist provide you complete information about any dental care services being advised.  Make that the dentist explains things to you in a language you can under stand.  (Note Many dentist have their own language “dental talk” that many people may not completely understand)

Make sure the dentist is providing you with all available options. It is hard to make an informed choice unless you know all your available options.  Ask you dentist to understand why they are suggesting one option over another.     Don’t forget you always have the right for a second opinion any time you want additional information from another source.  Do not be afraid to get a second opinion a good dentist will not get insulted.

Make sure you have a dentist that treats you and your child with respect at all times.  A dentist should not be rude because you are asking questions about your child dental care and or dental treatments.  Respect also includes the privacy and security of your records and the privacy of your discussions with the dentist and staff members.   It should go without saying but the dental office that you choose to go to for you and your family dental care should be clean. Cleanliness and sterility is what you are looking for if you do not see that leave.

Many dental insurance plans (such as PPO and Indemnity) offer three classes or categories of coverages (Preventive, Basic, and Majors). Each class provides specific types of treatment and typically covers those services at a certain percentage. Reimbursement levels can vary from plan to plan, so once again reading each plans benefits, limitations, and exclusions is very important in order to buy the plan that best fits your dental needs.  However here is an example of how a dental insurance plan may brake down the three levels

* Class 1 (Preventives):  Preventive services normally include diagnostic, office visits, X-rays and cleanings.  Class 1 procedures are typically covered at the highest percentage such as 80-100 percent up to the plans maximum allowance.

* Class 2 (Basics): Basic services normally include fillings, Space maintainers and re-cementation of crowns. Class 2 procedures typically covered at a little less such as 60-80 percent up to the plans maximum allowance.

* Class 3 (Majors):  Major services normally include root canals, treatment of gum disease, oral surgery and crown, bridges, partial and dentures.  Class 3 procedures are usually reimbursed at the lowest percentage, such as 40-50 percent up to the plan maximum allowance. Many plans also have waiting periods for class 1 and 2 in addition to deductibles. Keep in mind the above is only an example and each dental insurance plan can vary in both coverages and reimbursement levels

It is important that children’s dental and oral health care needs are met.  Having healthy teeth and gums is also important to a child over all health care. In order to meet a child dental care goals it is important to have proper preventive dental care habits at home, as well as a dental care provider.  Seeing a dentist regularly is just as important as seeing your doctor regularly.   Talk to your child dentist, go over some healthy dental care habits to have a maintain from home.

A periodic oral evaluation is an evaluation performed on a patient of record to determine any changes in the patient’s dental and medical health status since a previous comprehensive or periodic evaluation. This may require interpretation of information acquired through additional diagnostic procedures. Report additional diagnostic procedures separately.  Generally under most dental insurance plan it is a type of preventive dental care service that is normally covered at 100 percent.