Having good at home oral and dental health care habits is important in maintaining healthy teeth and gums.  However just as important for your oral health is seeing a dentist regularly.  your dentist does more then just check for cavities and clean your teeth they are also able to spot warning signs of oral cancer.  By having dental insurance in most case you are able to receive preventive dental care for free.

Dental implants is a costly dental service, after having dental implants you want to make sure you take care of your investment.  Therefore you need to do your part so that the implant stays last for a long time.  There are many people have no idea how to care for dental implants. Some even believe that since they have an artificial tooth or teeth that they do not need to brush or floss it. This way of thinking is 100 percent wrong. Yes it is true that dental implants will not decay like our own teeth, however they can still be affected by periodontal (Gum) disease.

Oral hygiene is just as important as it with natural teeth.  Having poor dental plaque control the gum tissue can get inflamed. Long standing inflammation can lead to localized bone loss. This eventually can lead to the loss of the dental implant.

According to Japanese researchers, older adults with more gum inflammation are at risk for kidney problems. The study was done on 317 people who where all 75 years old.  At the start of the study each person had an oral exam. The researchers calculated how much of each person’s gum tissue was inflamed. The people were followed for 2 years. During that time, 45 of them developed kidney problems.

Those with the most inflammation were more than twice as likely to develop kidney problems as the rest of the people in the study. Other studies have suggested a link between periodontal disease and kidney disease. A 2010 study focused on people with both conditions. It found that by having periodontal treatment also improved kidney disease symptoms  This study appears in the October 14th issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.

According to a 2007 study that was published in the Journal of the American Dental Association it found a relationship between people who lost more teeth before the age of 35 and an increased risk of dementia. However,  while researcher found a correlation, they do not know at this point if tooth loss actually causes dementia.

Two studies appearing in a recent issue of Cell Transplantation, now freely available on-line, evaluate stem cells derived from dental tissues for characteristics that may make them therapeutically useful and appropriate for transplantation purposes.

According to some research done by the American Academy of Periodontology, it has connected periodontal disease to heart problems. Researchers have found that people with periodontal disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease as those without periodontal disease.

The theory is, if you have gum disease oral bacteria can enter your bloodstream and cause infection in your heart or lungs. However it is important to note that having poor oral health probably will not give you heart disease. But if you already have risk factors for certain diseases, it can increase your chances of getting them.

In the Journal of Periodontology a study done found that subjects with periodontitis who were exposed to secondhand smoke were more likely to develop bone loss, which is the number one cause of tooth loss.   In previous clinical research it has been proven that there is a strong positive correlation between smoking and gum disease. However, this study done it is unique in that it evaluated the impact of secondhand smoke on periodontitis.  According to the study author Getulio da R. Nogueira-Filho, D.D.S.

Two more small studies have strengthens the evidence that links periodontal disease with other health conditions. One Study focused on atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).  The researchers took samples of diseased arteries from 53 people. They also took samples of healthy arteries from 21 other people. They tested the arteries for bacteria that cause periodontal disease.

The study found that 53% of the diseased arteries had periodontal bacteria in them and only 24% of the healthy ones did. The other study focused on people with type 2 diabetes which included 60 people. Twenty had periodontal disease and diabetes. Another 20 had periodontal disease, but not diabetes. The last 20 had diabetes, but not periodontal disease. People with diabetes and periodontal disease had higher blood sugar levels and poorer blood-sugar control than people who had diabetes only. The  people with both conditions also had more of a protein called C-reactive protein. Higher levels reflect more inflammation in the body. This group also had the lowest levels of HDL. The study is in the October issue of the Journal of Clinical Periodontology.

Many know that having good at home oral and dental care habits can help prevent tooth decay and gum disease. Seeing a dentist regularly also decreases the risk of tooth decay and gum disease.

Yet did you know that by having dental insurance you can reduce the risk of tooth decay and gum disease?  Studies show people who have dental insurance are twice as likely to maintain regular dental checkups with their dentist then people who do not have dental insurance. Another benefit to having dental insurance,  is that it helps to make dental care more affordable.

According to other studies that was presented to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, it found that gum disease could up the time it takes for a woman to become pregnant.

In the study, women with gum disease took an average of seven months to conceive, compared to five months among their peers without gum disease. One hypothesis for the cause is, the inflammation resulting from gum disease.

According to a study in the February 2007 issue of the Journal of Periodontology, smoking can harm the integrity of dental implants and cause them to fail more often than in a nonsmoker.

Researchers from University of Murcia in Spain investigated if smoking impacts the ability of a dental implant to succeed. They found that smoking is a risk factor with regard to tooth loss and dental implant failure.

According to a new study that was published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, it found an association between the use of a non-alcohol antimicrobial mouth rinse in pregnant women and a decreased rate of delivering babies prematurely.

While the study didn’t look to find the reason for the difference, lead author Marjorie Jeffcoat of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine told Reuters that one theory is that gum-disease-induced inflammation could trigger early birth.

Your dentist may remind you at each appointment to make sure you are brushing and flossing daily. Although you may feel the dentist is nagging you about proper at home dental care habits, your dentist knows that along with regular cleanings are the key components to keeping your teeth and gums healthy. In addition your dentist knows that how well you take care of your mouth could actually affect your entire body.

Think about it,  your mouth is the front door to the rest of your body, and it is not pristine. Your mouth is filled with bacteria. Having proper oral and dental care habits helps reduce harmful bacteria in your mouth, as well reduce what is getting though the door to the rest of your body.

Many studies over the years have showed their is a link between Periodontal disease and over all health care.  These studies suggests that people with periodontal disease are at higher risk for developing heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory disease. By having good oral health habits, it will reduce the risk of periodontal disease.

According to CDC (center for Disease Control and Prevention) more then 30,000 new cases of oral cancer are diagnosed each year, and over 8,000 deaths occur annually.     With that said, it is recommended that people should see their dentist for a dental exam at least twice a year (once every six months.)

Dental exams are not only for decreasing your risk of oral diseases, such as cavities and periodontal (gum) disease, but they also may help to diagnose other, sometimes life-threatening, medical conditions, such as oral cancer.

Still to this day baby teeth often get over looked. Many people feel that baby teeth are not really important since they are not permanent.  The ADA advise that a baby should see a dentist on latter then their first birthday yet in just California nearly 25 percent of children have never seen a dentist.

Studies show that the lack of dental care continues to be a significant problem for American children. Each year American children miss about 1.6 million school days due to dental disease.

When you are on a tight budget, it is important to maintain dental insurance so that you can manage your dental care cost. Many people feel that dental insurance is just too costly, and therefore go without hoping that they will not need any dental care services.

Although there are costly dental insurance plans, there are also many low cost dental insurance plans available. A more budget friendly dental plan would be an HMO dental insurance plan.  For an individual HMO plan they can run around $7.00 – $25.00 a month, and for a family plan the range is around  $15.00 – $40.00 a month.

Additional reason why HMO’s dental insurance plans are budget friendly:  Generally under HMO dental insurance plans their benefits are based on a fee schedule.  Providing you the cost for the different dental services covered  under the plan before buying it.  Letting you compare different HMO plans, in order to get the best price for the dental services needed.

If you already have a dentist you trust, you do not need to chance your dentist in order to have dental insurance.  However what is important is knowing your own dental needs and what plans your dentist may be a provider in.  Here are some tips that may help you when buying dental insurance.

* Talk to the person that handles the insurance and claims processing for your dental office. (This is normally the front staffing) Find out what plans your dentist is a provider of.

* Confirm the types of dental insurance plans they may be a provider of. Such as PPO, Indemnity’s, HMO and Dental discount plans.  Knowing will help you in your search for insurance.

* If the dental office you are going to only accepts PPO’s or Indemnity insurance plans make sure to buy these types of plan ahead of time.  Normally PPO’s and Indemnity insurance plans will come with waiting periods. Therefore buying these types of plans in advance is important in order to burn down any waiting periods that may be involved in the plan.

Dental insurance is much like health insurance,  you really do not want to go without even if you are not seeing a dentist as often as you should.  It is best advise to see a dentist at least twice a year for your dental check ups and cleanings.  Yet there are times when people may not go as often and they feel like there is no point in having dental insurance.

So why should you have dental insurance?  Beyond the fact that most dental insurance plans provide preventive dental services (twice a year check ups and cleans) for free, what if there comes a time when you need to have larger dental care services.  Dental care cost goes up greatly once you start needing fillings, crowns, root canal etc. Without a dental insurance plan in place you will have to foot the entire cost.

An additional benefits to maintaining dental insurance is that the odds that you will visits the dentist regularly for your prevent care increases.  Thus reducing your risk of having to have larger dental care services needed.