Lift your tongue up and look underneath then look at the floor of your mouth for any color changes that are unusual. Gently press your finger along the floor of your mouth and underside your tongue to feel for any lumps, swellings or ulcers.

Gently pull out your tongue and look at one side first and then the other. Look for any swelling, ulcer or change in colour. Examine the underside of your tongue by lifting the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth.

Open your mouth and pull your cheeks away, one side at a time, with your finger to look inside. Look for any red or white patches. Use your finger in the cheek to check for ulcers, lumps or tenderness. Repeat on the other side. Your tongue can be helpful to locate sore areas, ulcers or rough patches.

Use your thumb and forefinger on the inside and outside of the gum working your way around the gum to feel for anything unusual.

Using your index, middle fingers and thumb to feel the inside of your mouth. Pull your upper lip upwards and bottom lip downwards to look inside for any sores or changes in color. Use your thumb and forefinger to feel around and inside your lips checking for any lumps, bumps or changes in texture

Run the fingers under your jaw and feel along the large muscle either side of neck using the balls of your fingers. Are there any swellings? Does everything feel the same on both sides?

Look at your whole face. Are there any swellings you haven’t noticed before? Inspect your skin. Has anything changed recently? Have moles become larger or started to itch or bleed? Turn your head from side to side. This stretches the skin over the muscles making lumps easier to see.

Did you know: Close to 48,250 Americans will be diagnosed with oral or pharyngeal cancer this year. It will cause over 9,575 deaths, killing roughly 1 person per hour, 24 hours per day. Of those 48,250 newly diagnosed individuals, only slightly more than half will be alive in 5 years.

Historically the death rate associated with this cancer is particularly high not because it is hard to discover or diagnose, but due to the cancer being routinely discovered late in its development. Today, (2016) that statement is still true, as there is not a comprehensive program in the US to opportunistically screen for the disease, and without that; late stage discovery is more common.

Question:  I do not have any dental insurance and need to have an estimated cost idea for dental services.  Need dental help ASAP since I am in pain.  The pain is really effective my daily life at school and at home.  The pain goes from the side of my face up to my head.

I know I need some major dental care. I need help in finding cheap dental insurance and a low cost dental office and a ways to go about  paying for my dental services.  I would love an idea of  how much all this would cost.

Reply: My suggestion would be to review our dental HMO insurance plans we offer a few in CA such as California Dental 411, 460 & 595 as well as Delta Dental, Uninted Health Care and PrimeCare.  All of these plan are lower cost dental insurance plans that will greatly reduce your dental care cost.  As far as cost for services each of these plans lay out your cost for each dental service that is covered under the plan. This let you compare and choose the best one for your dental care needs.

With that said you do need to choose a dentist with in their plan providers. I would advise calling the dentist in the plans network and confirming that they still take the plan and in your case ask if they offer any type of payment plan options if cost is still outside your budget to pay in full.

Many dentist are worried that teenagers are putting their teeth and oral health at risk by trying dangerous do-it-yourself teeth-whitening techniques found on the Internet. Many teenagers go to on line tips of do it yourself whitening since money and access to proper dental whitening care may not be in their reach.  However Children who are mixing  up quantities of different chemical and applying them for long periods of time are at risk of eroding their tooth enamel and damaging their gums. In turn increasing their risk of oral infection. The best course of action is to talk to your dentist about safely whiting your teeth or what over the counter product they my suggest to be use.

Around 50 years ago (give or take) American did not take the best proper care of their teeth. There were no guidelines set forth on how often one should see a dentist.  In fact at that time many dentist were about fixing dental problems rather then preventing them.

Dental and health care organizations tried to set standards for preventive dental care.  Not having any guidelines or much evidence to go by they made the best guess or judgment call they could at the time. Which was that people should see the dentist twice a year for check up and cleanings.  Over time this became the rule of thumb. And for the many people seeing a dentist twice a year still is acceptable.    However there are many reason why you may need to see a dentist more often then just the twice a year suggested average. People with high risk of dental disease may need to visit the dentist three to four times year or more as suggested by their dentist. This high risk group of people could include

1)Smokers
2)Diabetics
3)People that currently have gum disease or gingivitis
4)People that have a weak immune response to bacterial infection
5)Seniors may need to see dentist more often due to illness and or medications they are taking
6)People who tend to easily get cavities and plaque build up.
7)People that had very poor dental care in the past may also need to see the dentist more often in the future.

By taking good care of your teeth at home you may still be in the group of people that only has to see the dentist twice a year.  However, talk to your dentist, and see what is best for you and your dental care. Everyone is different and have different dental needs the rule of seeing a dentist twice a year is still just a good guild line to go by but it is not written in stone.

One complaint that I hear about dentist is that they do not seem to listen or they seem to always be in a rush to get to the next person in the waiting room. So when picking a dentist for yourself or your child an important factor to consider is whether you feel comfortable with the dentist you are seeing.

Are you able to explain symptoms and ask all the questions you may have without getting the feeling the dentist is checking his clock. Do you feel like your dentist hear and understands your worries or concerns. If you have dental fears and or anxiety are you able to address them with your dentist?  Would you refer a family member or friend to your dentist without thinking they may not like him or her.

Some people feel locked into staying with their dentist even if they feel they are not the best dentist for them.  But that does not have to be the case.  You are in control over who you see.  Even on a dental HMO plan where you have to choose from the plan providers, there is no stopping you from changing dentist if you choose to do so. Just make sure if you choose a dental HMO insurance plan that it has more then just one local dental office near you. The more options you give yourself the higher likelihood of finding the dentist you like and will see on a regular bases. At the end of the day that what’s important.

Do you know what plaque is and how to avoid having plaque build up?  First it helps to know what plaque is.  Plaque is a sticky film of bacteria that constantly forms on your teeth. It is normally colorless until there enough build up on your teeth which it then becomes tartar. Plaque is the main cause of tooth decay and gum disease like gingivitis.  That is why it is very important to brush twice a day to remove plaque before it causes dental problems.

You should know that everyone develops plaque because bacteria is always forming in our mouths.  What is important to understand is to avoid plaque build up. Preventing plaque buildup is easy with proper preventive dental care such as brushing thoroughly  twice a day. Flossing daily to remove plaque form in between your teeth and under your gumline.  Try to limit the amount of sugary or starchy foods.  And make sure you schedule regular dental check ups at your dentist.

Flossing is not only good for your teeth but very important to maintaining healthy gums.  When you flossing you want to use about 18” of floss making sure you leave an inch or two to work with. Gently follow the curves of  your teeth being sure to clean beneath the gum line. Avoid snapping the floss on the gums and be gentle and take your time you want to avoid cutting your gums.   If you have any questions if your are flossing correctly talk to your dentist.  Show your dentist how you normally floss a dentist will tell you if your are flossing incorrectly

Many people may brush their teeth twice a day but still not get the full benefits of brushing since they are brushing incorrectly.  When brushing your teeth you want to make sure you tilt your brush at a 45 degree angle against the gum line. Sweep or roll the brush away from your gum line. Gently brush the outside and inside of your teeth make sure you brush the chewing surface of each tooth using short back and forth strokes.

Also when you finish brushing your teeth gently brush your tongue this will help to remove bacteria and also freshen up your breath.  If you are not sure if you are brushing correctly ask your dentist to show you.  This is not a silly question since preventive dental care starts at home.

Having good dental care habits and maintaining proper care of your teeth is your first step in having a life time of healthy teeth and low dental cost.   Good dental hygiene up to you to maintain. Having good dental hygiene is important for healthy teeth and gums.

Daily preventive dental care start with you by properly brushing and flossing your teeth. By brushing and flossing  you will help help or prevent dental problems before they develop.  Keeping your dental cost at the dentist low and affordable and making going to the dentist less painful and worrisome.   Good daily dental healthcare would include:

Brushing thoroughly at least twice a day. Flossing at least one a day more when needed. Eating a healthy balance diet is good for your over all health including your teeth.  Try to limit snacking between meal and having to much surgery foods.  There are many good dental products available. Find a toothbrush you like use tooth paste that includes more then just whiting care, different mouthwash have gum care and will also help prevent plaque build up.  Try finding dental product you like and will use daily.  After having a meal try drinking a 8oz glass of water.

Having good dental care habits will not void the fact that you still need to have regular dental visits at least twice a year more when advise by your dentist. Including a good dental insurance and or dental plan will also help control your dental cost.

Although many people may not be an insurance expert, it is still important to know what your needs are, and if the insurance plan you are considering paying for is going to be suitable for those needs.

As an example of limitations: If you have periodontal (gum) disease like 47% of adults in the U.S., then you may be require more frequent, cleaning’s. Many plans only cover two cleaning’s a year of any kind. Furthermore, on many PPO’s and free choice of provider plans will consider a periodontal cleaning under class II or class III and waiting periods may apply.

Say you are wanting a dental insurance plan for dental implants. Sadly as of today many dental insurance plans still do not provide benefits for dental implants and that would be and example of an exclusion.

Take your time when reviewing each plan and remember at CaliforniaDentalInsurance.com our member service line at 310-534-3444 would be happy to help you with the available plan options if you have any questions.

Sometimes finding the plan with “the” lowest cost, isn’t the best solution. It’s should be about finding a quality dental health care  insurance plan at a competitive price.  Costs for dental procedures can be quite high but, by having dental  insurance it will help make dental services more affordable.

Today’s health insurance, including your dental plan, is designed to help you get the care you need at a reasonable cost.    Most individual dental insurance plans tend to emphasize preventive dental care.  By offing free to very low cost preventive dental care to the insured it helps the company save money in paying out larger dental claims.  If preventive dental care is affordable under the dental plan, the odds are higher that you will go and have the required dental check ups and cleanings. Therefore a dentist will be able to catch small dental problems before they become major dental services. In the long run saving money not only for the company but the plan holder.

In combination with information about different costs, benefits, discounts, choices and services make sure to compare dental insurance plans carefully.  Look at more then just preventive care. Compare some of the higher cost dental services whether you need them now or not.   By buying a dental insurance plan that offers good benefits on more then just preventive care you will be more likely to keep and use the dental insurance plan you purchased.

When shopping for a dental PPO insurance plan, often times people that want a PPO is because that what to stay with their current dental provider. Although these types of dental insurance plans usually lets you go to dentist that are not in the plans network your coverages may be reduced.  Also by going out side a PPO provider network, you increase your chance of having UCR fees.  This is important to know and understand.

Delta Dental provides exceptional service, extensive dentist choice, and substantial claims savings through its affordable dental coverage to over 24 million enrollees.  Delta Dental’s generosity has enabled more than 750 volunteer dentists and 140 dental laboratories to contribute over $10 million services for over 6,100 vulnerable individuals with seriously neglected problems. Delta Dental is a leader in improving oral health statewide.

Delta Dental has recognized that by treating children’s dental needs, we have improved their overall health and self-esteem.  They offer solutions that expand access to care while preserving the widespread availability and affordability of dental benefits.  In addition, Delta dental plans collectively serve more than 54 million Americans representing more than 90,000 groups. Delta Dental is the oldest and largest dental health carrier in California, covering nearly 20 million Californians.

Delta Dental’s Customer Service staff speaks English and Spanish, and has access to interpreters for many other languages.  Delta Dental is the largest dental plan system in the United States.  Member companies serve over one-quarter of the estimated 165 million Americans with dental insurance.

Delta Dental’s roots go back to 1954 with the formation of dental service corporations in California, Oregon and Washington, which were created by dentists who recognized the need to increase access to oral health care.  Delta Dental companies are actively engaged in many studies, grants and partnerships with dental schools and community health organizations to increase access to professional dental care as well as to research evidence-based dentistry and the efficacy of new benefit designs.