Should Children Get Dental Sealants?

Children should receive sealants on permanent molars as soon as they erupt (about ages 6 and 12 years).  Children with unmet dental needs suffer the daily distraction of chronic toothaches, the acute and searing pain of dental abscesses, disfigured smile, dysfunctional speech, and difficulty eating.  Children with dental decay who lack access to dental care are often not brought to seek care until decay is severe.

Children are not stigmatized by being singled out during the screening and sealing process.  Children need dental sealants applied again when new molars emerge, usually around twelve years of age.  Children should get sealants on their permanent molars as soon as the teeth come in  before decay attacks the teeth.  Children who would benefit most from sealants include those with existing pits and fissures that may develop cavities or those with risk factors for cavities.  Children with sealants still should: Brush twice a day with a pea-size amount of fluoride toothpaste.

There are normally six molars in each arch, three on the left and three on the right side.  They are referred to as first, second and third molars.  Some people never develop third molars and often these are the molars that are so far back in the mouth that they have difficulty coming in and in many cases have to be taken out.  The role of the molars in chewing is to grind the food.

Here are a few helpful tips in keeping your dentures clean 

1) Rinse and brush your dentures in clean, warm water with a denture brush.

2) When cleaning dentures, be care not to brush then too hard. By brushing your dentures too hard you can cause damage to the plastic or metal parts of the dentures.

3) Brush your gums, tongue, and natural teeth with a fluoride toothpaste, before reinserting your dentures. This will help remove plaque from your teeth, stimulate circulation in your mouth, and help maintain good oral health.   After brushing, rinse with a mouthwash, to give your mouth a refreshed feeling.

4)Never try to adjust your dentures yourself. This might cause harm to your mouth or damage to your dentures.

5)See your dentist as often as advised in order to maintain your dentures as well as your oral health care.

Question: Two days ago I went in for my regular dental cleaning, check up visit.  My dentist told me that I needed to have a deep cleaning.  I told him I would look into it and see if I can afford to have it done after speaking with my insurance company.   I called my dental insurance company that stated that without the ADA codes they could not tell me my cost for the service.  I told them it is just a deep cleaning but they said it was not enough information for them to tell me cost.  What are ADA codes and where do I get them?

Answer: You would get the ADA codes from the dentist that you are going to. There are many different types of deep cleaning codes depending on what your dentist feels would be best for you.  That is why some insurance company will not quote out a rate for dental services without knowing the ADA codes. The insurance company does not want to give you the wrong cost information. To give you an idea of codes for periodontics dental work I listed some of those codes for your review.

4210 Gingivectomy/gingivoplasty, per quad
4211 Gingivectomy/gingivoplasty, per tooth
4250 Mucogingival surgery, per quad
4260 Osseous surgery, per quad
4341 Periodontal scaling & root planing, per quad
4355 Full mouth debridement
4381 Delivery of chemotherapeutic agent
4910 Perio maintenance (following active therapy)
4999 Initial perio charting for moderate or advanced cases

Question: I want to change my old silver filling to tooth color fillings.  Thinking about getting dental insurance to help with the cost.  What would be the best dental insurance plan for that?

Answer: Generally dental insurance will not cover changing out silver fillings to tooth colored fillings unless there is new dental decay in the tooth that needs to be address. What you want to have done is more cosmetic and is not a covered benefit in most dental insurance plans.   Therefore you may want to review a low cost dental discount plan. Under a dentist discount plan you can save money for that type of dental service at least 20 percent or more.

Question: I do have health insurance though my employer and although it does offer dental benefits it is pretty limited in coverages with regards to dental care services. Can I buy another individual dental plan and use that instead?

Answer: Yes, In fact our website currently offer 46 different dental insurance and plan options for your review. Our member services at 310-534-3444 will be happy to assist you with these options if you have any questions about our dental insurance plans.

Question: I shopping for dental insurance but do not know much about insurance, what is the best dental plan? 

Answer:  The fact is people have many different dental needs and depending on your own dental needs and what you may want will determine what is the best plan for you.  Such as if you are on a fixed income you may want a lower cost dental insurance such as an HMO. However, if you are wanting to stay with a certain dental provider you may be better off with a PPO that lets you choose dentist in and out side their network of dental providers.

In  addition what type of dental services you are wanting to have will also help determine the plan the best fits your needs. Take your time and read though a few dental insurance plan options. This website provide dental many different dental insurance plan choices in all states.  Give member services a call if you have any question about any of our dental insurance plan options at 310-534-3444

Question: I looking for an individual dental insurance plan for my minor son. Preferable a PPO insurance plan so he can keep is current dentist.

Answer: There are very few insurance companies that will let you buy a individual dental insurance plan for a minor.  However, we do have one PPO insurance though StandardLife dental that well accept a parent buying an individual dental insurance plan for their minor child. To review our StandardLife Dental insurance plans just enter your zip code in the quote box provide on our website.