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Archive for the ‘Teeth Care’ Category

Shaving nicks and toothaches hurt more than they should. While a nick will vanish in a couple of days, toothache will take your pocket for a spin before it goes away. Believe me, dental care is prohibitively expensive, but still a part of necessary health care and very important.

Here comes dental insurance. Not much in the past it was considered a big company perk, dental insurance has today established itself as a must-have benefit. Even most small companies offer dental insurance today to recruit and retain workers. Dental coverage costs less than 10% of total medical coverage so its affordable and preventive procedures, like cleanings, ensure the overall health of employees, which means a decrease in sick time and increase in productivity.

Various dental insurance plans with numerous variations are available today. You should take proper care and time to consider all options.

Most expensive plans:

Direct reimbursement plans

These plans are the most expensive of the lot. They operate by paying for employee dental coverage from a pool of money set aside by the company for this purpose.

The simplicity of this plan makes it the most effective, the reimbursement is made by a simple formula doing away with the complexity of co-payments, deductibles etc. Even though ADA strongly recommends this plan, this kind of direct dental care may not be affordable by smaller companies.

Least expensive plans:

Managed care plans

Similar to a medical HMO, managed care dental plans need to pay for the treatment through regular co-payments and choose forma pool of dentists to get treated. These plans do various cost-control measures and can more affordable for small businesses.

The co-payment amount varies according to procedure. Preventive procedures are usually performed without co-payment, however advanced procedures will bear higher co-payments.

The choice lies with the company and their financial managers, however great care is recommended in choosing the plan.

Cavities can best be described as tooth decay.  As we all know, tooth decay is influenced by what we eat, how we take care of our teeth, and the amount of fluoride in our toothpastes.  If your family has a history of tooth disease or teeth problems, then you may inherit it that way.  This is very common, as many people inherit tooth problems that have been passed down from generation to generation.

Adults who suffer from a dry mouth are more at risk for cavities, as they have a lack of saliva in their mouth.  Dry mouth is very common, and is normally the result of medications, illness, and radiation treatment.  Tobacco users will also suffer from dry mouth, as the tobacco will use up the saliva in the mouth and leave the user with nothing to keep his or her mouth moist.

Cavities are a very serious situation, and if left untreated, can result in the destruction of the tooth.  This can also destroy the nerves as well, resulting in an abscess.  An abscess is very serious, as it infects the root tip.  If left untreated, an abscess can result in death.  Although you may not realize it, cavities are a very serious matter that can quickly spread to something even more serious.

If you visit your dentist on a regular basis, he will check for cavities.  Without visiting the dentist, it is impossible to tell whether or not you have a cavity.  Most cavities develop below the gums, and you won’t be able to see them.  If the cavity exists in the tooth, you will be able to see it, as it will change the color of the affected area.  If you notice a color change or a blackened area in your tooth, you should make an appointment with your dentist immediately.

What you eat is a big contributor to cavities.  If you eat a lot of sweets or drink a lot of soda, you will be at a higher risk for cavities.  Foods that are rich in sugar or starch are eaten by bacteria found in plaque, which will produce acids that eat through teeth.  This acid is very harmful to teeth, as it can eat through the dentin and enamel in no time at all.  If you don’t do something about it, the acid will continue to eat at the tooth until there is nothing left to say – leaving you no choice but to get the tooth extracted.

Over time, the tooth enamel will start to break down beneath the surface of your tooth, even though the surface will appear to be fine.  Once the acid has managed to eat away enough of the enamel below the surface, the surface will collapse, which results in a cavity.  After this has happened, if you don’t get it treated, the tooth will continue to be eaten and the cavity will continue to spread until all of the tooth has been eaten, after which the enamel will be gone and your root will be exposed – which can be very painful.

Cavities will more than likely develop in the pits of chewing areas around the back teeth, between your teeth, or near the gum line.  No matter where they occur, the easiest way to spot them is to visit your dentist.  Your dentist will be able to do x-rays and find out just how bad they are and tell you what options you have.  If you visit him in time, he will be able to save the tooth and stop the cavity before it spreads throughout your tooth.

Also known as the third set of molars, the wisdom teeth are the last set of teeth in the mouth to erupt, which normally happens around the ages of 17 – 25. For many years, there has been a lot of controversy as to the need to remove these teeth.  If the teeth don’t cause any harm or pain, they are normally fine to stay in place.  If they present a bad position or cause you a lot of pain or discomfort, they will need to be removed.

When the wisdom teeth first come in, they will sometimes be impacted.  Impacted teeth will normally need to be extracted.  Sometimes they can be pulled, although in most cases they need to be cut out by a qualified surgeon.  When the time comes to have your wisdom teeth extracted, you’ll need to go to an oral surgeon and have a consultation first.

During the consultation, you’ll take a few x-rays that will let the surgeon know how bad your wisdom teeth are.  He will go over the results with you, take a look in your mouth, then tell you what options you have.  If he is going to pull or cut out your teeth, you’ll have the option of using local anaesthesia or going with an IV sedation.  An IV sedation is the preferred way to have wisdom teeth extracted, as you’ll be so relaxed you won’t know what is going on.  If you decide to just use local anaesthesia, which is numbing, you’ll be fully aware of the procedure.  You’ll also hear the popping and cracking involved, which can make you feel quite uncomfortable.

Depending on the shape, size, and the formation of the wisdom teeth, the removal process can vary from easy to hard.  If the root tips have managed to wrap themselves around the bone, the removal process can be very time consuming and quite painful.  Once the extractions have been completed, there is normally little to no swelling involved.  Your dentist will prescribe you some pain medicine, which you should use as soon as you arrive home.  If you are going to use IV sedation, you’ll need to someone to accompany you, as you won’t be able to drive home.

After the removal of your wisdom teeth, your dentist will go over what you need to do to ensure the proper healing of your gums and mouth.  Normally, he will give you information to go over, to make sure that you experience no problems in the healing process.  Someone will need to be with you for the first 24 hours, to make sure that you ok.  You won’t be able to eat certain foods for the first 48 hours, which is to be expected.  Once you get your wisdom teeth removed through – you’ll notice a big improvement in your mouth – and your health.