Even More Reasons To Visit Your Dentist

Have you ever heard the saying that "your eyes are the window to your soul"? Well, your mouth is a window to your health. More people are understanding the importance of regular visits to their dentist for the health of their teeth. But what about for their overall health? Can your dentist really help diagnose non-dental diseases? Yes, as a matter of fact, they can! Some of the non-dental related diseases that your dentist can help detect include: sexually transmitted diseases (STD), diabetes, heart disease, and even several types of cancerous diseases. When your dentist performs an oral exam, he or she is looking in your mouth for signs of different diseases such as inflammation, bleeding, dry mouth or sores, and suspicious areas around the gum line.
Many dentists also routinely take their patient's blood pressure prior to any procedure, (especially if local anesthesia is administered). There are many instances where patients have high blood pressure and not even know it. During a routine oral exam, your dentist may also check areas on your head and neck for suspicious lesions.
Just a few more reasons why seeing your dentist on a regular basis is vital to your teeth and your overall health. So, when was your last dental check-up?

What are the Different Types of Dental Plans

In the past, people that needed dental coverage had to rely on obtaining a plan from their employer. Thanks to dental plans available online and though medical providers consumers now have a choice of what plans to choose. This allows you to format a dental plan to fit your needs and your finances – making dental treatments a practical and affordable option.

Dental plans differ from dental insurance in that you are able to format a plan based on your needs – ensuring that you don’t have to pay costly fees or premiums if your teeth are perfectly healthy. Discounts can range from 15 to 50 percent and are available through numerous dentists throughout the U.S. Here is a list of some common plans and what they cover.

How to Manage Out-of-Pocket Dental Expenses

Having a strict budget may be very cumbersome especially when health issues arise unexpectedly. Trying to spend a fortune on your dental health may not be a very good idea if you have a tight budget. It would be best if we had an inexpensive dental plan in order to cover most of our bills. The problem is, these types of dental plans are often very rare and expensive.
Many people can obtain a dental plan from their employer where they offer free dental care, or pay for a portion of the expenses. They will issue terms and conditions regarding the dental care benefits. There are limitations to this, like they will only offer oral care services like a cleaning and not cover something more intricate like an extraction.
So how can we manage by ourselves, without breaking our budget? The simplest thing would be to plan your visits and setup a good relationship with your dentist. Planning on your dental expenses gives your fixed budget some flexibility. How? When you plan out ahead of time, you tell yourself to save a portion of your budget and relay it to the next period. Planning also requires having setup a quick visit to the dentist. During this quick visit, have a full assessment of the operations or procedures you need to undertake. This way, you’ll avoid having to come when it is too late and incurring bigger bills.

Dental Plans: What Do They Cover

Dental plans are a good thing to have around. Sometimes, we get caught up in taking care of our body’s health, that we forget that our dental health is just as important. Our teeth and gums are integral to our well-being and they are irreplaceable. Dental procedures, especially major ones, can be quite expensive. Dental plans can help you reduce the out-of-pocket costs of taking care of your teeth.
Many insurance plans don’t cover dental work. So, you must get a separate dental plan to take care of your (and your family’s) teeth and gums. Most dental plans cover our basic needs to take care of our oral health and is usually designed to take a care of a portion of our dental care needs.  Not all procedures will be covered by dental insurance, and most health insurance companies will cap the amount of dental work you can do with a fixed amount, around $1000-$2000 dollars, depending on your company. They will also have a Usual, Customary and Reasonable (UCR) fee guide
Let’s take a look at the different procedures that your basic dental plan can cover, and up to how much.

Dental Plans: How to Find a Plan When You Don't Have Insurance

Dental procedures are very expensive and it can be very hard to pay on your own. This is why people either subscribe to dental insurance or get a dental plan. Dental plans are a much easier and hassle free alternative to dental insurance. The members of a plan have access to participating dentists who have agreed to offer services at reduced rates.

Advantages:
Dental plans have no annual limits unlike dental insurance which sets a limit to the amount you can spend in a year. Also insurance may place restrictions on the type of dental treatments that you take. Dental plans relieve you of such restrictions and limits.

The second big advantage is that most dental plans are activated in a short time; usually within a few business days. On the other hand, dental insurance may make you wait for long periods before you are cleared for treatment. The insurance company will have tedious paper work and written claims. Dental plans have no such hassle and members only need to present their membership card at the dentist’s office.

Dental plans also have no health restrictions. Dental insurance places limits and exclusions on pre-existing conditions for clients. Most insurance plans don’t allow cosmetic dental procedures as well.

So in the end with insurance you end up paying expensive premiums for very limited coverage (most of which is rarely used). However, if you get a dental plan you get an access to a whole network of dentists with great discounts on most dental treatments.

How to care for your baby's gums and emerging teeth

Do I need to clean my baby's gums before his teeth come in?

Yes. Even before your baby sports his first tooth, it's a good idea to get into the habit of wiping his gums with gauze or a soft wet washcloth during bath time. You don't need to use any toothpaste yet. Simply wrap the cloth or gauze around your index finger and rub it gently over his gums.

Bacteria in the mouth usually can't harm the gums before the teeth emerge, but it can be hard to tell when the teeth are starting to push through, so you'll want to start early. Getting your baby used to having his mouth cleaned as part of his daily routine should make it easier to transition into toothbrushing later on, too.

What's the best way to brush my baby's teeth after they start coming in?

As your child's teeth start to appear (generally around 6 months), look for a baby toothbrush with a small head and grip suitable for your hand. (If your child is healthy and still hasn't sprouted his first tooth by the end of his first year, don't worry – some children don't start getting teeth until 15 to 18 months.)
Use a tiny amount of fluoride toothpaste. A dot the size of a grain of rice (or a thin smear) is all you need. To avoid giving your child too much fluoride, be sure to follow this recommendation.
Twice a day, gently brush on the inside and outside of each of your baby's teeth, as well as his tongue (if he'll let you), to dislodge bacteria that can cause bad breath. No need to rinse, because you're using such a small amount of toothpaste.
Replace the toothbrush as soon as the bristles start to look worn or splayed.
For now your baby's teeth are probably far enough apart that you don't have to worry about flossing. In fact, there's no evidence that flossing baby teeth makes a difference. To be on the safe side, though, many dentists recommend starting to floss when tooth surfaces touch so that you can't clean them with a toothbrush.