Researchers compared the effects of brushing alone vs brushing and flossing on bleeding gums in 51 sets of twins. One of each twin pair brushed his or her teeth twice a day and the other brushed and flossed twice a day. After two weeks, the twins who flossed had 38 percent fewer bleeding gum areas.

When shopping for dental insurance you first need to identify your own dental care needs and what you want in a dental insurance plan.  Here are few questions to ask yourself so you can find a dental insurance plan that can best fit your dental care needs.

1) Do you need a dental insurance plan that your dentist/dental office accepts? If so it helpful to find out want dental insurance plan they are a provider of head of time.

2) What are your current dental needs?  Knowing what your current dental needs will help you find a plan that will provide benefits at the best coverage.

3) What are your long term dental care needs?  Understanding your long term dental care needs with also let you shop for a dental insurance plan that can best fit those needs as well.

4) Are you wanting an cosmetic dental care services? It is important to understand the most dental insurance plan do not provide benefits on cosmetic dental services. Therefore you may want to review dental discount plans in order to get saving off your cosmetic dental care needs.

5) Will you need specialist dental care?  Such as for 1 though 5 year old’s may need to see a pediatric dentist.  If so make sure the plan provide coverages for specialist.

One dental care habit that often goes undone is scraping your tongue after brushing you teeth. It is important to clean you tongue daily because the coating that normally forms on the tongue can host foul-smelling bacteria.

You want to gently brush your tongue with your toothbrush. If it is too big to comfortably reach the back of your tongue, try a tongue scraper. A tongue scraper is designed specifically to apply even pressure across the surface of the tongue area, removing bacteria, food debris, and dead cells that brushing alone can not remove.

Brushing our teeth is our first defense against tooth decay and gum disease.  For centuries the basic device for oral hygiene has been the toothbrush. By brushing our teeth we remove the plaque build up and food debris, which can cause tooth decay and gum disease.   However brushing is only the first defense in the line up.  We can not forget about flossing daily and using a mouth rinse that kill germs that causes gum disease. And even though you may be fighting the good fight at home it does not stop there.

At least twice a year you will need to send in for reinforcements. By seeing a dentist at least twice a year, you make sure you are maintaining your oral and dental health care. The dentist will check for any signs of tooth decay, gum disease and any other oral health issues. He or she will provide a basic dental cleaning, removing any plaque or tartar build up.  If there are additional dental needs that need to be address he/she will address such issues with you and come up with a battle plan.

The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) and Oral-B Laboratories released a survey that show many Americans are neglecting to take care of their teeth during the workday.  According to the survey it found that more than three-quarters of respondents are eating twice or more a day at the workplace, while only 14 percent of respondents are brushing every day at work.  Another interesting thing found in the survey is while only 14 percent or the respondents where brushing, 40 percent ranked “smile” as one of the first thing they notice about a person at work.

If you worry about your breath one way avoid bad breath issues is by avoiding food that sour your breath. Onions and garlic are the prime offenders. Unfortunately, brushing after you eat them does not help. According to dentist Richard Price, a spokesman for the American Dental Association, “The volatile substances they contain make their way into your bloodstream and travel to your lungs, where you breathe them out, The only way to avoid the problem is to avoid eating them, especially before social or work occasions when you are mindful of your breath”.

In order to get the best results from brushing your teeth a person need to brush for at least two to three minutes. Even though most people will state they brush three to four on average a person brushes their teeth less then a minute.  Most people are not really timing themselves so what feels like two to three minutes is really much shorter. Therefore a good way to make sure you are brushing a full two to three minutes is by brushing to a song. The average song is about three minutes which is the right amount of time to get the best results from brushing.

Often times people will have an after-dinner mints after a meal.  However, sugary candies promote the growth of bacteria in your mouth and adds to bad breath issues. Instead, chew sugarless gum. By chewing gum it stimulates saliva, which is your mouth’s natural defense mechanism against plaque acids which cause tooth decay and bad breath.

According to Studies Pacifiers Have Both Negative and Positive Effects. There has been much debate regarding the use of baby pacifiers, but there is evidence to show that there are both pros and cons, according to a study in the 2007 issue of General Dentistry, the Academy of General Dentistry’s.

There are some positive effects that result from sucking on pacifiers, according to Jane Soxman, DDS, author of the study and Diplomat of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. “One is that they assist in reducing the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Babies who are offered a pacifier do not sleep as deeply as those who sleep without a pacifier.

Pacifier sucking makes it possible for the infant to be aroused from a deep sleep that could result in the stopping of breathing. Pacifiers also increase sucking satisfaction and provide a source of comfort to infants.”  However according to AGD spokesperson Luke Matranga, DDS, MAGD, ABGD, parents should be aware of the negative effects of pacifier sucking on an infant’s oral health.

Children should stop using pacifiers by age Two. Up until the age of two, any alignment problem with the teeth or the developing bone is usually corrected within a 6-month period after pacifier use is stopped. Prolonged pacifier use and thumb sucking can cause problems with the proper growth of the mouth, alignment of the teeth and changes in the shape of the roof of the mouth.

Here are a few helpful tips on brushing your baby’s teeth.

* Whenever possible make brushing your teeth as a family thing.  Showing your young child how to brush and brushing with him or her will make them want to brush more.

* Try singing songs or making brushing into a game.  If you make if fun for your child to brush the more willing they will be.

* Have your child brush their teeth to their favorite song. Children songs normally last around two to three minutes, which is the recommended time  a person should brush their teeth for.

Keeping your gums healthy is an important part of having good oral health but it also helps to control bad breath issues.  Gum disease, is a common cause of bad breath. Bacteria gather in pockets at the base of teeth, creating bad odors. If you have gum disease, your dentist may recommend a periodontist, who specializes in treating this condition.

You do not get cold sores and or ever blisters, from fevers or colds but they can be triggered by them. The virus that causes cold sores is usually passed via a kiss, shared utensils, or other close contact. Over-the-counter creams and ointments may help discomfort and speed healing. Frequent sores may require a prescription.

Here are a few do not when it comes to taking care of baby’s teeth

* Do not attempt to clean baby’s gum if your baby is cranky or tired

* Do not use toothpaste at an early age. If you are going to use toothpaste use only a smear about the size of a match head and discourage your child form swallowing.

* Around the age of two your child can use more toothpaste about the size of a pea.

* Do not forget to floss. Flossing for children is important and should be done as soon as your child has two teeth next to one another.

Leukoplakia is a reaction to an irritant, like rough teeth, badly fitting dentures, smoking, and smokeless tobacco. It can show up as white patches or plaques in the mouth, is usually painless, and can not be scraped off.

Leukoplakia can also be a precancerous condition. Persistent patches or other changes in your mouth need a dentist’s evaluation.  See a dentist if you think you may have Leukoplakia for an evaluation and treatment.

Right from birth you need to take care of baby dental and oral health. Here are a few tips.

* Make sure to clean your infant’s mouth with gauze or a soft infant toothbrush after feeding and before bedtime.

* Make sure to consult your infant’s pediatrician regarding fluoride supplements.

* Make sure to regulate feeding habits for both bottle and breastfeeding.

* Never let your baby sleep with a baby bottle with anything other then water in it.

This type of dental plan pays the individual or family dental office with insurance on a traditional fee-for-service basis which is helpful when deciding to buy coverage for babies, kids, young teens, and especially seniors. A monthly premium is paid by the client and/or the employer to an insurance company, which then reimburses the family or individual dental office with dental insurance for the services rendered. An insurance company usually pays between 50% – 80% of the individual or family dental office fees for a covered procedures; the remaining 20% – 50% is paid by the client.

Question: Besides brushing my teeth right after drinking coffee which is not always possible how can avoid having coffee stain my teeth while I am drinking it?

Answer: I enjoy drinking coffee too, so I know where you are coming from since the last thing I want is coffee stained teeth.  Therefore try drinking any sustainable drinks such as coffee and teas though a straw.  This will help limit the direct contact the liquid has with your teeth.

Question: I need to have invisaligns, however and the only insurance I have is Medicare. I would like a list of all the kinds of dental insurances that will help cover some of the cost for invisaling treatments.   Please advise how I can get dental insurance and I do not care if it has a year waiting period.

Answer:  Generally speaking most dental insurance plan do not offer benefits for invisaligns. Dental PPO plans may have limited coverages for invisaligns but many do not provide orthodontic services to adults and when they do it is very limited. Therefore in most cases with regards to adult braces and PPO plans they may not be cost effective.  Make sure you read the plan terms and conditions carefully.

HMO dental insurance plans often provide benefits for adult braces. These plan are very affordable and are cost effective however they generally only provide benefits on basic braces and not invisalings.

Another non insurance option would be a dental discount plan. These dental discount plans are not insurance, but they do provide dental saving on all dental care services done by network providers.  Average saving for braces 20 percent including invisaligns.

These insurance plans, also known as “capitation plans,” operate like their medical HMO cousins. This type of dental plan provides a comprehensive dental care to enrolled patients through designated provider office.

A Dental Health Maintenance Organization (DHMO) is a common example of a capitation plan. The dentistry provider is paid on a per capita (per person) basis rather than for actual treatment provided. Participating individual and family dentists receive a fixed monthly fee based on the number of patients assigned to the office. In addition to premiums, client co-payments may be required for each visit.

Some typical features of these plans: Monthly premiums (some require you to prepay a year’s worth)  Co-payments for office visits  Free preventive or routine care  You must select from an approved network of that family or individual dental insurance dentists  May have an initial enrollment fee  Annual dollar cap  Your average monthly cost: $10 to $25  Companies selling these plans are regulated by state insurance departments.