Flossing Increases Lifespan

Flossing makes you live longer!

Regular flossing, long considered an essential part of daily dental cleansing, has been found to have a positive effect on your life expectancy, increasing it by up to 6 years.

The primary benefit of flossing is that plaque is removed from the sides of your teeth and gum line, resulting in fewer cavities and preventing you from developing gum disease.

If you have gum disease, you are 1.5-2 times more likely to die from a fatal heart attack and 3 times more likely to suffer from a stroke than someone with healthy gums.

Gum disease can be particularly dangerous to the elderly. Infected gums can contain pneumonia bacteria that can be transferred into the lungs. Furthermore, if bacteria from periodontal disease, a more serious form of gum disease, enters the blood stream, people with artificial joints or heart valves are more likely to suffer from a serious infection.

So floss regularly to live a longer, healthier life!

Do Your Dental Insurance Homework

If you need to buy dental insurance, be forewarned that there is no dental best buy or one-size-fits-all dental plan for everyone, but rather an enormous variety of plans that can be catered to your individual needs. For example, if your teeth and the other teeth in your family are perfectly straight, you might not want to shell out for a better dental plan that covers orthodontic treatments.

For each dental plan you consider, make sure that the coverage it provides is what you and your family really need. Does the dentist you see accept the plan you want to buy? Are there exemptions that overlap with your needs? Does the plan have a large deductible? Does it cover a significant percentage of the most expensive procedures such as root canals? If there are large monthly premiums and your family doesn't typically require much dental work, you might want to consider enrolling in a discount dental plan instead of purchasing traditional insurance.

Don't just jump into purchasing a dental plan that is highly recommended or that looks like a good value, do the research to make sure that it's the right fit for you and your family.

Dental Sealants

Looking for a fool-proof way to prevent cavities? Then sealants are a clear dental best buy!

Despite how vigorously you brush your molars or how often you rinse with fluoride treatment, it is almost inevitable that plaque will build up in the deep grooves on the top of your large molars, leading to dental decay.

A dental sealant is a thin plastic layer that is painted on the top of your tooth and prevents plaque from building up and eating away at the tooth's enamel. A sealant is pretty inexpensive and any dentist can apply it, but, despite their obvious benefits, only 20% of Americans currently use sealants!

If you want a fool-proof way to prevent most cavities from forming, ask your dentist about dental sealants the next time you visit for a cleaning.

Two Kinds of Dental Health Plans

Trying to figure out the cheapest way to keep your pearly whites bright and pearly? Unless your employer provides you with a traditional dental insurance policy, you'll probably save more money in the long run if you purchase your own dental insurance out-of-pocket, rather than relying on fate to keep your teeth healthy. These days, there is a dental health plan available for nearly every individual financial and health situation, so the biggest decision you'll have to make is between the different types of coverage available. Two of the most popular types include managed care insurance policies and discount dental plans.

Dental insurance policies require you to pay a monthly fee, cover what is often a large deductible for treatment, and require you to provide a co-payment with every visit. However, they do cover a very substantial portion of your treatment, so if you get a lot of work done on your gnashers a traditional insurance policy could save you a lot of money.

Reduced fee dental plans, also known as discount dental plans, are more affordable and only require a relatively modest annual fee; no other charges apply! Members of a discount dental plan provide dentists and specialists with their membership card at the time of treatment and are offered a discount. The discount will typically not be as substantial as what an insurance company would cover, but if you don't get your teeth dealt with professionally very often the model annual membership fee of a discount dental plan could save you a lot of money compared to the monthly fees charged for traditional insurance coverage.

Even within these two broad categories, there area large varieties of personalized plans available. So before making any big decisions, you should do your research, make some calls, and take your time to find the right dental health plan for your teeth and your wallet.

Mercury Fillings

So you've got a really old, veteran filling sitting in your mouth that was originally made with mercury, a terribly poisonous chemical and one that has not be used in fillings for many years.

Fortunately, just as buildings with asbestos don't need the asbestos replaced unless the building is being renovated, you don't need to get that mercury out of your mouth unless the filling pops out or is otherwise damaged. The American Dental Association has ruled that there isn't enough mercury in the filling material to actually do you any harm, so you're fine letting it be.

If, however, the silver coloring of the filling bothers you and you want a more natural, white-colored filling, you should first check to see whether your dental plan will cover such a replacement. Some dental plans work under a least expensive alternative treatment policy and will not cover a new filling that is being put in for purely cosmetic reasons.

Even though you don't have to worry about replacing your mercury fillings, if you still want to replace them you should consult your dental health plan provider to see if they will cover the procedure.

Gingivitis Treatments

Are your gums a little swollen and bleed easily? Then you may have a mild type of gum disease, called gingivitis. More than 75% of Americans over the age of 35 suffer from some kind of gum disease and, if these are your only symptoms, then you're in pretty good shape. However, if left untreated, gingivitis can become really nasty, so the disease is best dealt with early.

It is recommended that you see your dentist as soon as you can, but if you don't have dental insurance and can't shell out for any of the affordable dental plans on the market, which you should consider doing if at all possible, there are still over-the-counter treatments for gum disease.

Rinsing your mouth with Listerine, or a generic equivalent containing an anti-microbial called chlorhexidine, can help prevent and also help combat gingivitis. Furthermore, Colgate Total, which contains the antibacterial triclosan, is FDA approved to fight gum disease.

If you do notice that your gums swell and bleed easily, and are sensitive in general, see a dentist and try these readily available treatments to bring your gums back to top health.

Brush Up Your Brushing Form

If tooth brushing were a televised sport, the commentators would have a field day with the ridiculously individualized brushing styles each one of us has developed over the years. And yes, some of our styles are more effective than others.

To start with, most of us don't brush for long enough. Studies have shown that most of us brush for only 30 seconds, while dentists and other experts tend to brush from 2 to 4 minutes, that's at least 4 times the brushing action!

Your toothbrush grip also matters. One Finnish study has found that using a pen-like grip, as opposed to the common tennis racquet-like grip, is just as effective at removing plaque but is also much less likely to damage your gums as you're less likely to brush too hard.

However, should you brush up and down or in circles? Actually, it doesn't really matter as much as the duration of your brushing and whether you brush too hard and cause damage to your gums. Go with whatever motion you're most comfortable with.

Finally, even if you're out of toothpaste you can still get the most important benefit of brushing, the removal of plaque, by simply brushing with plain water.

Remember, your daily brushing is the most important and effective part of your individual dental plan.

Affordable Group Dental Coverage for Small Businesses

Is your small business looking to provide it's employees with group dental insurance?

Then you've made a big step. Most small businesses do not even consider enrolling their employees in a group dental plan, as they are intimidated by the associated cost. Fortunately, there are many plans on the market catered especially to the small business, such as BlueCross BlueShield's EmployeeElect Plus plan, which only requires your business to pay $15 per employee per month.

Even by footing such a modest portion of your employees' dental coverage, you can save them quite a bit of money, as group dental plans offered to businesses come at a much better rate than plans purchased by individual or families outside the auspices of a business.

Your employees will appreciate the gesture, and you'll be doing them a good turn in providing dental coverage for them.

Dental Insurance: The Basic Types

If you're shopping for a dental plan, the biggest decision you'll have to make is what type of dental insurance you want. There are many to choose from, including direct reimbursement policies, traditional indemnity insurance, HMO plans, discount plans or buyer's clubs. However, the most common that you'll likely come across are managed care plans, such as PPOs, HMO plans, and discount dental plans.

If you can afford it, a PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) plan is a good way to go, and is the type of plan provided by most employers. A PPO plan comes with a list of preferred providers and covers more than the usual things you might have done to your teeth.

While HMO plan are cheaper then PPO plans, they are not accepted by as many dentists. Those dentists that do treat HMO patients often do so at a loss, according to the American Dental Association (ADA).

On the other hand, discount dental plans are often cheaper than HMO policies and are accepted by a larger number of dentists. If you are looking for affordable dental insurance, you should probably consider a good discount dental plan rather than an HMO insurance policy.

Dental Hygiene and Gum Disease

You must have poor dental hygiene to have gum disease, right?

In fact, more than 75% of Americans over age 35 have some form of gum disease. At its most mild, gum disease is called gingivitis, which consists of weak gums that are a little swollen and bleed too easily. If left unchecked, gum disease can turn into periodontal disease, where the bacteria in charge will cause further damage to your gums, as well as start attacking bone and connective tissue. Gum disease eventually results in tooth loss.

If you want to keep your teeth you must practice good dental hygiene. The root cause of gum disease is plaque around the gumline, so brushing at least twice daily can help prevent gum disease from even beginning. Brushing can't fully hold off gingivitis, however, as flossing is also necessary to remove plaque from the gumline and to strengthen your gums in general.

Even with perfect dental hygiene, your eating habits can take their toll on your teeth and gums, so it really is very important to see your dentist every 6 months for a cleaning and inspection. Since even discount dental plans make these visits affordable, you should stop making excuses and start making sure that your teeth stay healthy with you into old age.

Common Law Marriage and Dental Insurance

One of the great things about getting group dental coverage from your employer, is that your spouse and family will usually get covered as well. However, the same is not necessarily true for your same-sex or lifetime partner with whom you are not married.

If you're in a heterosexual relationship in which you have lived with your partner for several years, you should consult the common law marriage rules for your state. After some period of time, specific to each state, your partner legally and automatically becomes your spouse, no ceremony or “I Do” required. As soon as this happens, he or she should be covered under your employer's group dental plan, though the burden is on you to let your employer know of the change in your marriage status.

If you're in a homosexual relationship, however, there is no such equivalent law and many states do not recognize same-sex marriages at all. Fortunately, some employers choose to recognize same-sex marriages regardless of state law, so you should inquire as to your employer's benefits policies regarding same-sex couples, even if your state doesn't recognize such unions.