Flossing your teeth should be a fundamental part of your at home dental care habit in order to keep your teeth and gums healthy. However, you only get the benefits of flossing when you do it right. Snapping and popping your way though the process probably does more harm then good, causing friction on your tissues and damage at the gum line.

Instead use about two inches of floss between your fingers, unroll a fresh section of floss for each tooth, and keep the floss tight against your tooth to brake up plaque while leaving your gums in good shape

What is Share of Cost? “Share of Cost” is the amount you agree to pay for health care before Medi-Cal starts to pay. This is called “meeting your share of cost.” Your Share of Cost is a set amount based on how much money you make. You only need to meet your Share of Cost in the months that you get health care services.

If you think you may have an abscessed tooth here are some of the signs and symptoms. Note: if you have some of these symptoms you should see your dentist ASAP

• A toothache that is sever and continuous.
• A fever
• Pain when chewing
• Sensitivity to hot or cold foods or drinks
• Bitter taste in the mouth and foul breath
• Swollen neck glands
• Redness and swelling of your gums
• Swollen area of the upper or lower jaw
• An open, draining sore on the side of the gums.

Dental abscesses need to be treated by a dental professional ASAP as they can effect not only your dental health but your over all heath care.

it is important to know that regardless of your dental insurance plan it is u p to you to know your coverage’s and befits what is and what is not covered under the plan. Many people just assume that the dentist is only providing dental services based on what their insurance plans has to offer. This is not always true. In fact many dentist do not even know what their patients have for dental insurance. The dentist job is not to worry about your dental insurance but to provide the best dental care to their patients.

Whit that said it is up to you to let the front staffing know you wish to stay withing your plans covered benefits. if dental services are being suggested that is not part of your insurance plan covered benefits, you will want a good reason as why. Believe it or not most dentist are not trying to charge you for higher cost treatment. If it is not within your budget or you want to stay with in your plan coverage’s go over your options with your dentist at the time. Dentist are not mind readers. Many are more then happy to work with your plans limitations as much as possible as long as they are aware of them.

It is important to understand you dental insurance plan and to know what is covered and what may not be. There are dental insurance plans that have limitation such as yearly max dollar limits and deductibles. If it is a new dental insurance plan you may also have plan waiting periods. Dental insurance plans that do not have these types of limitations may have provider limitations making you stay within the plan network of dental providers.

Many plans may also limit the amount of one type of dental service you can have within the year. Common examples of this would be one set of X-rays per year, 2 basic cleaning (generally one every six months) However may times plans will limit the number of crowns you may be able to have such as five crowns per year

Another thing to keep in mind is that for the most part dentist do not base their decisions for treatment on what is or is not covered by your dental insurance plan. A dentist job is to be committed to taking care of your child’s teeth, not to worry about your dental insurance, so before dental services are render you should make sure you know what is covered by your plan and what is your cost. That way you avoid any surprises along the way

Question: I have a really good dental insurance plan. However, when I go to the dentist they bill me almost as much as my dental insurance company is paying. I never get any of my money back either. Some people tell me that the dental office I am going to seems to be dishonest where as other people say this is very typical and that dental work is very expensive. How would I know if the dental office is ripping me off or not. Should I just go to a different dental office?

Answer: It is hard to say without knowing the total cost of the services render and how your dentist is filing the claims. First I would suggest find out what your total cost are for you dental care services. How can you know what your true cost is, if you do not know the total billing amount. If you still believe the dentist is not correctly charging you, then call your insurance company to verify the facts. See what your insurance company as paid out. Sometimes they pay less then what your are thinking they did. If it shows that your dentist is over charging address the issue with the dental office first. Mistakes do happen and you want to at least clear up the matter with little hassle as possible.

Statistics reveal that one person dies every hour from oral cancer, and that number is increasing. However did you know that your dentist can help identify oral cancer early so treatment can begin fast to improve the prognosis. In addition people that have dental insurance are more likely to visit their dentist regularly. Make sure to see your dentist at least twice a year and to save money on your dental care needs make sure to have a good dental insurance plan.

Some families are considering alternative teeth whitening options instead of buying expensive commercial products. Some studies have suggested one can whiten their teeth buy combining 1 tablespoon of baking soda with 1/2 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide in a small glass of water while brushing the teeth for 5 minutes with the mixture. Make sure you thoroughly rinse and do not do this more than two times a month.