If you are prone to ditching the dentist, it turns out you are part of the roughly 50 percent of adults in the United States who do not see a dentist on a yearly basis because of dentist phobia(fears), finances, or just plain neglect. Regular trips to the dentist can catch problems such as decay, gum disease, trauma, or cancer at an early stage when they are treatable and solutions are more affordable

In a study of blacks with normal kidney function, those with severe periodontal disease developed chronic kidney disease (CKD) at 4 times the rate of those without severe periodontal disease. The study that will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2014 November 11-16 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA.

Just in case you need yet reason why you need to quit smoking? Talk to your dentist. The nicotine and tar in cigarettes are not only turning your teeth an unsightly shade of yellowish brown, but they are eating away at your gums.   Smoking creates a ripe environment for bacteria and plaque on your teeth and along the gum lines. And that harms tissue and eventually increases your risk of tooth loss. Tobacco chemicals can also cause mouth sores that could turn into cancer. Extra dental care at your dentist will be needed if you are not going to quit smoking.

In a few prior post we provided some tips that you should keep in mind regardless if you are visiting your dentist for the first time or it is a return visit. You should be confident in the quality of care that you receive from your dentist. Starting with your first impressions. Are you greeted with a welcoming reception area and a clean and neat office environment these are often signs of a well-run practice.

Most individual dental insurance plans require you to satisfy waiting periods and deductibles before having major and sometimes even minor restorative work done. Discount dental plans help make maintaining good oral health a lot more affordable. And, with no waiting periods or complicated coverage procedures, dental discount plans are about as simple as you can get.

How do discount dental plans work? As we become aware about our oral health, there has been a demand for affordable dental care. Discount dental plans are the newest option for those without coverage. These dental discount plans are much cheaper than traditional dental insurance, and also offer almost equal coverage for all dental work, even cosmetic procedures not covered by standard indemnity dental plans.

The catch is that dental discount plans are not really insurance at all. They work more like club memberships, where the cost of membership (your “premium”) earns a steep discount on any club service (dental work) you buy. The discount normally applies to all dental office services performed by an approved “plan” dentist, but no procedure is covered completely.

ADA Seal of Acceptance is a designation awarded to products that have met American Dental Association’s criteria for safety and effectiveness and whose packaging and advertising claims are scientifically supported.

After having your dental check up, is a treatment plan presented to you? Have questions about proposed treatment been adequately explained to you, including the risks, alternatives, cost and benefits? Are financial arrangements outlined prior to treatment? Does the office explain how they handle insurance and billing?

Knowing and understanding your dental treatment plan is important so that you can feel what is being done is what is best for you and your dental care needs. Just as important is knowing what your cost are for the dental services and how the dental office handles claims prior to dental services being render so that there is no cost surprises to you that you do not want and or can not afford.

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.

Mucus – part of the 0.5% of saliva that is not water – contains salivary mucins, compounds that actively protect teeth from damage by the cavity-causing bacterium Streptococcus mutans, according to a new study. Previously it was thought that salivary mucins – large glycoproteins – did little more than keep mucus in saliva slippery and elastic, contributing to its gel-like properties. But now it seems they play an active role in defending against pathogens and keeping the human microbiome healthy.

When you go to the dentist for your dental check up and cleaning ask yourself.  Is ample time given to a thorough teeth cleaning? Are your gums checked for overall health and are pocket depth readings taken to assess for periodontal disease? When you have your teeth cleaned, are you given hygiene instructions or is there discussion of the areas of your mouth where more attention is required? It is important that this is being done so that you can have a good understanding of your dental habits and care.

A large proportion of people in the countries where sucrose became widely available developed rapidly-advancing dental caries which began in the tooth enamel. For reasons that we now understand well, these individuals experienced pain, severe localized infection within relatively dense bone and then systemic illness. Suddenly, a disease which could be extremely painful and even deadly became common in children and young adults.

When the epidemic began no-one understood its cause. All that people could do at the time was treat its consequences. Treatment was by surgery, usually by extracting the tooth, and was very difficult for the surgeon (and very painful for the patient). Surgeons were not particularly admired at the time, because their work was crude, painful and often failed. A new type of surgeon, the dental surgeon, was needed. The dental profession began as a group of people who were also not very admired, but were very much needed.

When you go to your dentist is he/she and staff members wearing masks, gloves and appropriate eyewear? This should be required and expected when any dental work is performed. Are gloves disposed of between patients?

Question: I live in California and I just started to have this toothache. I would like to see a dentist but I do not have dental insurance and cost without is too high. Are there dental insurance plans that start right away?

Answer: Yes, you may want to review our dental HMO insurance plans that starts the first day of the next month depending on when when you sign up. There are also dental discount plans that start the next business day from buying the plan.

The study, the most comprehensive analysis ever conducted of RNA molecules in human saliva, reveals that saliva contains many of the same disease-revealing molecules that are contained in blood. It was published online today by the peer-reviewed journal Clinical Chemistry and will be published in the journal’s January 2015 special print issue, “Molecular Diagnostics: A Revolution in Progress.”

When you are having dental care services are you seeing that all dental instruments are stored in sealed bags following sterilization? If you are not sure, then ask your dentist about their sterilization practices. Are all questions regarding sterilization answered to your satisfaction? If not you may want to choose another dental provider.

Premolares are the teeth located distal to the canines.  There are four premolars in each arch and two are located behind each canine in the arch.  These teeth are smaller than the molars and are responsible for crushing food in the chewing process.  These teeth are also only present in the permanent dentition.  The primary dentition only consists of incisors, canines and molars.

This all comes down to shopping around and doing your homework. I do not feel that one is necessary better the the other and would be un–fair to make a blanked statement like that. I am sure that there are good dentist and bad dentist in both. Here are some suggestions you can do when trying to find a dentist.

1) Call the dental offices you have in your area that you may want to go to. Ask them all the general questions you may have.  This will help give you get an  idea of how they are.

2) You may want to just stop by. I have done this before. Just walk in and see what it looks like. Is it clean are the people friendly. Also talk to the people who are waiting. What better reference you can get. Ask them what they think of the dentist and the office. Most people will tell you the good and bad about their dentist.

3) You mentioned cost and not wanting to pay exorbitant amount for services. For this you may want to invest in getting either dental insurance or a dental discount plan.  Either will help you control your dental cost.

4) When you find a dentist you might want to go to,  find out what plans they participate in.  This way you can look for those plans.

5) Do not forget the power of the internet. You can do a search on the dentist to see if there has been any comments about the office or the dentist by others that went there.

6) Finding a good dentist takes time but it is worth the effort you will put into it.  Good luck to you in your search.

When you go to your dentist, does the dental office present a professional atmosphere and a willingness to address your concerns? Is your medical history thoroughly reviewed prior to treatment or is it an afterthought? Health problems, such as high blood pressure, should be monitored at every dental appointment.  If you are not finding this being done ask your dentist about it and or you may want to change dental providers.

Question: Up till now I been paying cash for any dental need that came up. But I like to start seeing my dentist regularly for my check up and cleaning. Therefore I am looking for a dental insurance plan that will let me stay with my own dentist and not have to be picking one in their plan in order to use it.

Answer: The you may want to review our dental PPO plan options as they will provide benefits for you to go out of the plan network of provides. We also provide in most states Indemnity plans. Indemnity insurance plans have no network of providers you just go to whatever dentist you wish to go to.  If you should have any questions about our dental insurance plan options please call our member service line at 310-534-3444

Part of why people are afraid of different things is because of the lack of understanding of what it is or what it is about.  Try to find out all there is to know about wisdom teeth extractions. There are many very good websites that go over the step by step process.  Also ask your dentist all the questions you have about the process and the care after the removal.

Tell your dentist about your fear and concerns.  This will help him explain to you how the process is not really all the scary.   One other resource  is a course this blog.  Many people have the same fears of the dentist and extractions.  There have been many good replies to those questions.  Try checking them out as well.