How to shop for dental insurance

While we realize that it can be frustrating dealing with dental insurance, it is a necessity and we at McCauley Dental will do everything in our power to assist you. Here is an article to help you with your dental insurance shopping.

(BPT) - Dental health is essential to overall health, affecting everything from our hearts to our mental well-being. Yet despite ample research that underscores the importance of taking care of our teeth, millions of Americans never go to the dentist. A lack of dental insurance is one of the top reasons Americans don’t keep up with their dental care.

“In 2008, the last year for which statistics are available, the National Center for Health Statistics estimated that 45 million Americans were without dental insurance,” says Stacia Almquist, senior vice president of dental for Assurant Employee Benefits. “Five years and a recession later, it’s reasonable to assume that number has stayed the same or grown. While at the same time dental insurance is as important – and affordable – as ever.”

Most people covered by dental insurance today receive the benefit as part of an employer-sponsored benefits package. And as awareness of the importance of dental health grows, more people are urging their employers to offer the benefit or are looking at buying individual dental coverage.

Not all dental plans are created equal, so it is important to understand what you are purchasing. “Changes in health care law and increased opportunity for people to purchase their own health coverage have made many consumers more aware of the need for informed decisions when choosing health insurance,” Almquist says. “Choosing a dental plan should also be an informed decision.”

If you’re in the market for stand-alone dental coverage (and if you don’t already have dental insurance, you should consider it) or get to pick a plan through your employer, keep these points in mind when comparison shopping:

* Understand the alphabet soup of dental plans – Two common insurance acronyms include PPO (preferred provider organization) and DHMO (dental health maintenance organization). Most PPO plans have a large dental network of providers and provide 100 percent benefit coverage for preventive care, cleanings, check-ups, protective sealants and X-rays, while major services such as crowns and bridges are usually covered at 50 percent. A DHMO usually has a smaller network of dentists than a PPO network, with the trade off being that members typically pay less out of pocket for services.

Dental discount plans are also available. Discount plans are not insurance, but are similar to wholesale store plans where you pay a discounted fee for products or services. 

Read more from Journal Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/sponsoredarticles/health-wellness/how-to-shop-for-dental-insurance8074640304-241600141.html#ixzz2ribww1M5 

Dealing with the dentist: Kids' dental checkup tips for parents

Taking your child to the dentist for the first time can be a very trying experience. Even if your child has been to the dentist before it helps to have tips to make things go more smoothly. This article will help you with your next trip.

As back to school approaches, more and more parents are trying to get those last few dental and doctor appointments scheduled. After all, we hate taking children out of school for their annual checkups and many of us have school forms that need to be completed. However, if your children are anything like mine, it has been some time since they last saw the dentist and they may be experiencing some fear about their upcoming visit. Find out how we handled the fears of two young children before and during their dental checkup.

Take a tour. My favorite pediatric dentist (as well as others in the area) actually offer mother's groups, preschools, and daycares a tour of the office and exam room if you have a group. Get a few friends together and contact your local dentist to see if one is available for you. A trial run at the dentist office can go a long way towards relieving fear and anxiety for the real deal at the dentist office.

Let's pretend. Do you have a stuffed animal at home with a mouth full of teeth? Hit the dollar store for inexpensive toothbrush items and act out brushing, flossing and cleaning teeth. Or you can pick up a pretend dental kit at a toy store, or use the sample items from your dental tour to act out what happens at the dentist office.

Read more:

http://shine.yahoo.com/dealing-dentist-kids-dental-checkup-tips-parents-181700844.html

When Should Your Child First Visit the Dentist?

This is a very informative article for people with children who are wondering when the appropriate time to introduce them to the dentist is. There may be a difference of opinion when you ask your own personal family dentist, but this is still good information.

As soon as that first tooth sprouts, many parents find themselves in a dental dilemma as to when is the right time for their child to see a dentist. Is it after their first tooth sprouts — or can you wait until they have a mouthful of pearly whites at age 2 or 3?

We spoke with dental experts to get the tooth truth!

Many parents think it is a waste of time to take their baby to see the dentist after that first tooth sprouts — after all, how much trouble could one little tooth get into? Is it a good idea to wait until your child is older before he sees a dentist for the first time? We spoke to the experts to get the scoop.

When should your child really first see a dentist?

We went straight to the experts and spoke with Dr. Warren Brill, who is the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) president and national spokesperson.

“In order to prevent dental problems, children should see a pediatric dentist when the first tooth appears, or no later than their first birthday,” says Dr. Brill. “The earlier the visit, the better. It is important to establish a dental home to ensure that the child’s oral health care is delivered in a comprehensive and ongoing manner by a pediatric dentist. “

Not all dentists, however, think it is necessary to see a dentist that soon. Dr. Adam R. Salm of Madison Dental Spa says that kids can first go see a dentist at 2 years of age, instead of when that first tooth erupts.

“Usually all baby teeth are in by 2 years old, which is a standard time to first go for a dental exam,” Dr. Salm says.

However, Dr. William R. Cherry III of Coastal Carolina Pediatric Dentistry in Wilmington, North Carolina, says he thinks it is important to see a dentist as soon as that first tooth erupts, as this first visit provides vital educational tips for parents.

"At this visit, we look at the soft tissues and the teeth that are there and will place fluoride on the teeth, but the main purpose of the visit is anticipatory guidance,” Dr. Cherry says. “There are many parents that do not know — or do not realize — that some of their practices at home may not be very good for their children's teeth, and we like to help them with this. This can include not putting your child to bed with a bottle and not realizing that milk has a good amount of sugar present in it. Once the teeth are brushed at night, one should not have anything to eat or drink other than water."

Read more:

http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1025621/when-should-kids-first-visit-the-dentist

Understanding the Bone Grafting Procedure

Complicated dental procedures and oral surgery can be intimidating.  Intimidation often originates from a patient not fully understanding why a particular procedure is necessary and what to expect during the procedure.

For example, in the case of dental implants, the jawbone must have enough bone to support them. Tooth loss often leads to more loss of bone over time. The tooth loss may be caused by any number of factors including periodontal (gum) disease, cavities and infection, injury or trauma, or a defect in development.

                                   

If the bone under a patient’s gum is not tall enough, not wide enough or both, he or she will need a procedure to add bone to your jaw before implants can be placed.

Bone augmentation is a term that describes a variety of procedures used to "build" bone so that dental implants can be placed. These procedures typically involve grafting (adding) bone or bonelike materials to the jaw. The graft can be the patient’s own bone or be processed bone (off the shelf) obtained from a cadaver. After grafting, the patient will have to wait several months for the grafted material to fuse with the existing bone before receiving an implant.

Most bone augmentation procedures involve the use of bone grafts. An excellent choice for a bone graft is a patient’s bone. This most likely will come from the chin or ramus (the back part of the lower jaw). If a dentist cannot get enough bone from these areas, he or she may need to get bone from your hip or shin bone (tibia) instead. The hip is considered to be a better source because the hip bone can provide a large amount of bone. The marrow from either the hip or shin (tibia) contains bone-forming cells.

If you don't like the idea of having bone removed from your body to be placed in your jaw, other excellent options are available. Your dentist can use materials made from the bone of human cadavers or cows. Synthetic materials also can be used for bone grafting. Newer products, such as bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), are also available. BMP-2 stimulates certain body cells to turn into bone, without grafting. This protein occurs naturally in the body.

As always, if you feel intimidated by any dental procedure, you should fully discuss all of your options with your dentist and make a decision together about a proper course of action.