Oral/pharyngeal or mouth and throat cancer is often not diagnosed in the early stages because symptoms usually do not appear until the cancer is advanced. Part of the reason for that is oral/pharyngeal symptoms can be mistaken for something else, such as toothache.

However, mouth and throat cancer can sometimes be spotted early during a routine exam by a doctor, dentist, or dental hygienist. Your dentists and or doctor may suggest that you look at your mouth in a mirror at least once a month to check for symptoms.  Some of the more common symptoms of mouth and throat cancer are mouth sores that fail to heal, or a pain in the mouth that does not go away.

The people that are at a higher risks for developing mouth and throat cancer are people that use tobacco and alcohol. Most people who have mouth and throat cancer are tobacco users.  People who are infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) is also at a higher risk factor, especially in people who do not use tobacco. The number of cases of oral/pharyngeal cancer tied to HPV has risen sharply in the last thirty years.

I am a part time student and part time worker.  I do not have any dental insurance and need to have an estimated cost idea.  Need dental help ASAP since I am in pain so I would need to get an insurance plan that is not only low cost but provides benefits right away.

Answer: In California this website provide over sixty different dental insurance and dental plans for your review.  Cost start as low as $7.00 a month and can be as high as $60.00 – $70.00 depending on your zip code.

I would suggest reviewing either the dental HMO’s insurance plans or our dental discount plan options. These types of dental plans are not only low in cost but do not have any long term waiting period for dental services to be render.

With the rise of more more sports and energy drink being consumed, related problems has emerged.  According to a new study it find that these types of drinks can cause  irreversible damage to teeth.  The study shows that the high acidity levels in these types of drinks can erode tooth enamel.

Good news for coffee drinkers. According to a new study from the US, it finds people who drink more than four cups of caffeinated coffee a day have half the risk of dying from mouth and throat cancer as people who drink it either occasionally or not at all.  With that said however, the researchers findings still need to be confirmed by more research. So for now enjoy your coffee as you would regularly do and do not run out and recommend to everyone that they should drink four cups of coffee a day.

I am a Army Vet and although I get some dental insurance coverages though the Vet Affairs dental reimbursement program.  I am having a hard time receiving benefits for a dental implant in order to replace a missing tooth.  The costs for the dental implant exceeds their fee schedule so I am not going to get anything reimbursed to me f0r dental implant services.

I trying to find a dental insurance plan I could get on my own, but they all seem to either not provide coverages for a missing tooth or they too do not provide benefits on getting a dental implant.

Answer:  There are a few insurance plans that will help you get a bridge or partial for a missing tooth but at this time many dental insurance plan do not provide coverages for dental implants.

I would suggest looking into getting a dental discount plan.  With a dental discount plan you would receive a discount saving of around 15 to 20 percent off the cost of dental implants.  However, on dental discount plans you need to go to plan providers, therefore you need to make sure there is a provider with in the plan that provides implant services.

Having healthy gums is important in order to maintain good oral health.  There are many factors that can affect the health of your gums.  These factors would include:

1) Not having proper at home dental habits like brushing and flossing
2) Poor diet.
3) Medications taken can also effect the health of your gums.
4) People who smoke or have diabetes are at greater risk for the development gum    disease, as both tend to impair the body’s natural immune response.
5) Not maintaining regularly dental check ups.

Though the word is getting out about baby bottle tooth decay there are still many people that are unaware of the dental hazard that baby bottles can have on baby teeth.     Some parents may put sugary liquids in bottles or dip pacifiers in sugar to make them more appealing to their baby.  However these are bad behaviors that can have an effect on your infants teeth. Increasing their chances of dental cavities.

Saliva flow decreases when your baby is asleep, so if your baby falls asleep with a baby bottle, there is no saliva to wash away the sugar liquid.  However studies show When parents are aware of the consequences of baby bottle tooth decay, about 77 percent stopped putting sweet liquids in baby bottles.

Periodontal (gum) disease is an infection of the tissues that support your teeth. Gum disease is a condition that can occur when bacteria and other substances damage the tissue that supports your teeth. The progression of gum disease is as follows.

1) Poor at home dental habits.
2) Due to poor dental habits bacteria, food particles and mucus start to form a sticky, colorless film on the teeth called plaque.
3) Over time this plaque can harden and form a substance called tartar that even brushing will not remove.
4) Over more time, tartar at the gum line can become inflamed.  At this point the condition is called gingivitis.
5) Gingivitis causes the gums to be red, swollen, and prone to bleeding.
6) Continue to do nothing at this point and gingivitis can start to deteriorate into periodontitis, in which the gums, jaws, and other tissues begin to break down.
7) Periodontitis can lead to loss of teeth.
Although there are other reasons for people to have poor dental health, one main factor is not having proper dental care habits at home. The first step is up to you. Take care of your teeth and gums and see a dentist regularly for good oral health.

Developed by Japanese scientists is a new microscopically thin film that helps prevent tooth decay or make the tooth appear whiter.   The “tooth patch” is a hard-wearing and ultra-flexible material made from hydroxyapatite, the main mineral in tooth enamel, which could also mean an end to sensitive teeth.

Did you know that people who have diabetes are two time more likely to develop gum disease?   However with your dentist help and by maintaining proper dental care, people who are diabetic can keep up their oral health.   There are many step your dentist may take to help prevent gum disease.  The dentist will make sure you get a thorough evaluation at your six month check up and cleaning.

If you are a diabetic you may have to see your dentist more then just twice a year however your dentist will advise.   Your dentist is able to provide recommendations on the type of toothpaste and dental floss you should use. In addition if you have specific concerns about your teeth or procedures for your teeth or gums, your dentist will give you answers or find answers for you.

The number one way to prevent tooth decay in children teeth is by proper preventive dental care habits.   Primary (Baby) teeth are week and can quickly be destroyed by sugar and decay, causing pain and discomfort associated with tooth decay.  However prevention is the key to avoiding dental decay and high cost dental care.  Helpful preventive dental care tips

1) Cleaning your infant gums with a damp cloth. When teeth start to erupt you can brush their teeth gently with a soft baby toothbrush and water.
2) Make sure you take your child to see a dentist either when the first tooth does erupt or no latter then their first birthday.
3) Do not use a baby bottle as a pacifier.  If you are going to let your baby have a baby bottle when not feeding put only water in it.
4) Try to avoid sharing anything that goes in your mouth such as spoons, cups and other utensils.
5) Do not dip pacifiers or teething rings in honey or sugar.

 A growing body of evidence questions the need for wisdom teeth extractions.  According to Dr J Friedman DDS in a Study published in The American Journal of Public Health, over two-third of cases of wisdom tooth extractions are completely unnecessary.    That only 12% of wisdom teeth actually cause an acute issue somewhere down the road that requires the attention of a dentist to resolve.  This would be about the same rate as appendicitis, however people do not routinely and preventively have their appendix removed like with wisdom teeth

Having good oral and dental habits does not take much time and is easy to do.  Make sure to brush your teeth for two minutes twice a day using fluoride toothpaste.  Clean in between your teeth daily with floss.  Try to cut down on how often you have sugary food and drinks and visit  your dentist regularly for your dental checkups.  There are no benefits to having poor dental and oral hygiene but many benefits for having and maintaining a good oral health routine.

According to a long term study done, it suggest that dry mouth is common in those over the age of fifty particularly in older women. In the Swedish study, started in 1992 researchers sent questionnaires to every 50-year-old in 2 Swedish counties. Fifteen years later, they sent the same questions to every 65-year-old in those counties. They also sent them to a sample of 75-year-olds.

The study showed that in every age group, dry mouth was more common in women than in men. The authors speculate that the higher prevalence of dry mouth in women may be the result of decreased saliva production in the mouth following menopause. Dry mouth occurred more often as people got older, and more at night than during the day.

With more studies showing how our oral health care can effect our overall health having good oral health care habits is vital.  Many people suffer from gum disease at some point in their lives, yet gum disease is entirely preventable.  By having a good oral health routine it lowers the risk of gum disease and the possible links to more serious diseases.

After receiving a composite filling, some people may experience postoperative sensitivity. Also, the shade of the composite fillings can change slightly if the patient drinks tea, coffee and any other drinks that can stain.  A dentist can put a clear plastic coating over the composite in order to prevent the color from changing. Composites filling tend to wear out sooner than silver fillings in larger cavities, although they hold up as well in small cavities.

Two studies appearing in a recent issue of Cell Transplantation, now freely available on-line, evaluate stem cells derived from dental tissues for characteristics that may make them therapeutically useful and appropriate for transplantation purposes.

There are many reasons as why someone can have misaligned teeth. Below is a list of what can causes teeth to be misaligned.

* Heredity
* Loss of baby teeth prematurely
* Having a trauma to the face (such as a sport injury or car accident)
* Bad habits such as prolonged thumb sucking.

However malocclusion (Misaligned Teeth) issues can be address by an orthodontic dentist. An orthodontic examinations consists of taking x-rays, photographs and impressions of the teeth in order to determine the proper coarse of treatment. Many time orthodontic dentist will provide free consults.

Two more small studies have strengthens the evidence that links periodontal disease with other health conditions. One Study focused on atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).  The researchers took samples of diseased arteries from 53 people. They also took samples of healthy arteries from 21 other people. They tested the arteries for bacteria that cause periodontal disease.

The study found that 53% of the diseased arteries had periodontal bacteria in them and only 24% of the healthy ones did. The other study focused on people with type 2 diabetes which included 60 people. Twenty had periodontal disease and diabetes. Another 20 had periodontal disease, but not diabetes. The last 20 had diabetes, but not periodontal disease. People with diabetes and periodontal disease had higher blood sugar levels and poorer blood-sugar control than people who had diabetes only. The  people with both conditions also had more of a protein called C-reactive protein. Higher levels reflect more inflammation in the body. This group also had the lowest levels of HDL. The study is in the October issue of the Journal of Clinical Periodontology.

Since dental veneers are often used for improving the appearance of ones teeth, many dental insurance plans will not provide benefits for dental veneers because it is consider to be a cosmetic dental service.

Therefore before having dental veneers check with your current dental insurance plan to confirm is coverages are provided. If not you may want  to review a dental discount as an option to save money of the cost of having dental veneer work done.  Normally dental discount plans can save you around 20-25 percent off the cost of dental veneers.