Prolonged exposure to soft drinks can lead to significant enamel loss, even though many people consider soft drinks to be harmless or just their just worried about the sugar content. However, the erosive potential of colas is 10 times that of fruit juices in just the first three minutes of drinking, a study last year showed. The latest research, published in Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) journal General Dentistry, reports that drinking any type of soft drink hurts teeth due to the citric acid and/or phosphoric acid in the beverages.

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

Dental Sealants are protective coatings placed over the tops of the back teeth (molars). They block bacteria and acids from sticking in the tiny grooves on the chewing surfaces of these teeth. Sealants can be placed in adults and children. Children can have sealants placed on their permanent molars once they come in, around age six. Sometimes they are also used on primary (baby) molars. Dentists can put sealants on molars with signs of early decay, as long as the decay hasn’t broken through the enamel.

Fluoride  Fluoride penetrates into teeth. Fluoride helps to strengthens teeth by replacing minerals that acid has removed.  The benefits of fluoride to teeth were first discovered in the 1930s. Dentists started to notice that people who drank water that naturally contained fluoride had less tooth decay.

In 1945, communities started to add fluoride to water supplies. Adding fluoride to water systems has been the most successful cavity prevention method to date.  In the early 1960s, fluoride also began to be added to toothpaste. This also had a major impact on cavity prevention. Now almost all toothpastes contain fluoride. Everyone should brush with a fluoride toothpaste every day.

A dentist will need to trimmed or filed down the tooth having the dental crown in order for the crown to fit without it appearing to be too large and out of balance with the rest of your teeth.   Next an impression is made of all the teeth that are to be crowned. The dental crown is then made in a lab according to the measurements of the impression.

While you are waiting for your new crown to come back from the lab the dentist will put a temporary cap on the tooth to protect it.   Once the new crowns come back from the lab, they are ready to be placed over the teeth, they are cemented with a sturdy dental cement to ensure they will stay in place and be just like the natural teeth of the patient. With proper dental care, dental crowns can last a lifetime.

In California our website offers over 40 dental insurance options for your review. A Few of the dental insurance options we provide would be though Delta Dental. Many people who are looking for a PPO or free choice of provider plan finds that Delta Dental fits their needs since often times their dentist is a provider of most Delta Dental plans.

Review your plan options just by entering your zip code in the quote box provided on our website. If you should have any questions about any of our dental insurance plans please call our member services at 310-534-3444 as we will be happy to help you find the best plan for your dental care needs.

To prevent your teeth from decaying, you can do three things:

*   Strengthen your teeth’s defenses with fluoride, sealants and agents that contain calcium and phosphate ions.
*  Have your dentist or dental hygienist place sealants on your back teeth.
*   Reduce the number of bacteria in your mouth.

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.

Consuming dairy products is vital to maintaining good overall health, and it’s especially important to bone health. But there has been little research about how dairy products affect oral health in particular. However, according to a new study, consuming cheese and other dairy products may help protect teeth against cavities.

We may never give much thought to our spit (saliva), but this fluid is remarkable for what it does to help protect our oral health. Saliva keeps teeth and other parts of your mouth moist and washes away bits of food.   Saliva contains minerals that strengthen teeth. It includes buffering agents, that reduces the levels of acid that can decay your teeth. In addition saliva also protects against some viruses and bacteria.

According to dental research done, it has found out that certain factors can affect your risk of tooth decay. These factors include:

* The current number of decayed or filled teeth

* Your fluoride exposure, including fluoride in drinking water, toothpaste and rinses, and fluoride treatments in the dental office

* Parents or siblings with dental decay

* How well you take care of your teeth

* The amount of saliva and the balance of minerals, enzymes and buffering agents it contains

* How often and what types of foods you eat (especially fermentable carbohydrates)  Ask your dentist about the best ways to reduce your risks and limit dental decay.

Question: What is the best dental insurance in CA?  I do not know much about dental insurance but don’t want to spend a lot of time looking into getting a plan just need something for basic checks up and cleaning’s anyway.

Answer:  We often get this question asked to us but really the best depends on your own dental needs. Our member services (310-534-3444) can help you with all our dental insurance plan options and help you best choose a plan that fits your current dental needs.

Even though permanent teeth are meant to last a life the they can and do fall out.  There are many ways in which you can loose a permanent tooth, one of the most common reasons to adult tooth lost is gum disease. Though even with gum disease poor oral hygiene and dietary habits play a causing factor. Other reasons for tooth loss, would include advance tooth decay, and accidental injury

Question: Do minors have access to dental insurance in California without having to have an adult on the plan?

Answer: Some dental insurance plans will write a policy on just a minor but it does depend on the plan. Such as our California dental and our StandardLife Dental plans will write a minor only.

You may also want to review our dental discount plan options though Careington and Aetna as they too will let you have their plan for just a minor.

Question: I brush my teeth once a day I really do not see the need to do some more often.   

Answer: It is advise that a person should brush their teeth at least twice a day. once in the morning and once at night.  By brushing your teeth in the morning you are killing germs left in your mouth and fighting not only plaque build up but bad morning breath.

By brushing your teeth at night you are removing food debris that was left on your teeth by eating throughout the day.  Also it is very important to make sure  your dental care habits do not stop at brushing. You need to floss at night every day too if you want to  maintain good dental habits and healthier teeth and gums.

Generally under most dental PPO insurance plans a limited oral evaluation is consider preventive service. A limited oral evaluation is problem focused, which is an evaluation that is limited to a specific oral health problem.

This may require interpretation of information acquired through additional diagnostic procedures. Definitive procedures may be required on the same date as the evaluation. Typically, patients receiving this type of evaluation have been referred for a specific problem and/or present with dental emergencies, trauma, acute infection, etc.

The ADA had previously recommended the using water to brush toddlers’ teeth until they are two years old and then introducing pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste until they turn six-years old.

However a new study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association brushing with fluoride toothpaste can provide significant protection against decay and cavities, though using pea-sized amounts of fluoride toothpaste can lead to a condition known as dental fluorosis, where staining or changes in the color of the tooth’s enamel occurs in children younger than eight years old who consume large amounts of fluoride.

We have posted several posts about how your oral health can effect your overall health care. Many studies show a high correlation between heart attack, stroke, diabetes, bone loss and lung disease and your oral health.

Take your oral health seriously, have good at home dental habits, see a dentist at least twice a year or as advise by your dentist, and have dental insurance to help keep your dental care cost low. People that have dental insurance are more likely to make and keep their dental appointments.

Dr. Mohamed Bassiouny a professor of restorative dentistry at the Temple University School of Dentistry in Philadelphia stated that Methamphetamine, crack cocaine and soda-sweetened or not-are all highly acidic and can cause similar dental problems.

In his study, Bassiouny found that a woman in her 30s who drank 2 liters of diet soda daily for three to five years experienced tooth rot and decay remarkably similar to that suffered by a 29-year-old methamphetamine addict and a 51-year-old habitual crack cocaine user, according to US News and World Report.

Your health is greatly effected by your oral health. Therefore it is important to maintain your dental health by having your Periodic oral evaluation at least twice a year at your dentist.  If you have dental insurance under most plans this type of service falls under preventive care and is little to no cost to you.