Questions About Family or Cosmetic Dentistry?
1.Firstly, make sure to use a soft bristled brush. Hard bristled brushes can wear down the enamel of your teeth.
2. Place your brush at a 45 degree angle to your gumline. Bristles should contact both the tooth surface and the gumline.
3. Use short back and forth strokes or tiny circular movements to brush your teeth. Each movement should be no bigger than the size of each tooth.
4. Make sure to use gentle strokes while brushing. Gentle strokes are effective in removing plaque, while too much pressure can wear down the enamel of your teeth.
5. Brush all surfaces of each tooth, including the outer, inner, and the chewing surfaces of the teeth.
6. Finally, don't cut your brushing short! Make sure to brush for at least 2 minutes.
1. Take 18" of floss and wind it around the middle finger of each hand .You can use these fingers to take up floss as it becomes dirty. Using your thumb and forefinger, pinch the floss leaving 1-2 inches in between for cleaning.
2. Gently move the floss up and down the spaces of your teeth. Never snap the floss down onto your gums, as it can cause damage.
3. As you move the floss down into the space between two teeth, slide it up and down against the surface of one tooth. Gently clean at the gumline as well. Repeat this for the other tooth.
4. Repeat this process for all of your teeth.
- gums that bleed while brushing
- red, swollen or tender gums
- gums that have pulled away from the teeth
- bad breath that doesn't go away
- pus between your teeth and gums
- loose teeth
- a change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite
- a change in the fit of partial dentures
In-office teeth whitening
In-office teeth whitening works by producing a significant color change in your teeth in short amount of time, usally within an hour. The procedure is done at the dentist's office applying a high-concentration peroxide gel on the teeth after they have been protected with a special shield.
Professionally Dispensed Take-Home Whitening Kits
These whitening kits are purchased from your doctor for use at home. The strength of the gel used in these kits is lower than that used for in-office bleaching, and thus the gel can be applied for longer periods of time. Usually the trays are worn a couple hours a day or overnight for a few days or weeks depending on the product.
Over the counter whitening
Over the counter teeth whitening kits are store-bought and use a lower concentration gel than both in-office bleachin and take-home kits purchased from your doctor. While they are cheaper, they typically are less effective than methods that can be performed by your dentist because of the low concentration gel. Additionally, over the counter trays are not custom fit for your teeth, which can result in irritation to your gums while wearing the trays.
Regardless of the cause of your bad breath, good oral hygiene and regular checkups to the dentist will help reduce it. Brushing and flossing will eliminate particles of food stuck between your teeth which emit odors. It will also help prevent or treat periodontal disease (gum disease), caused by plaque buildup on your teeth, which can lead to bad breath. Dentures should be properly cleaned and soaked overnight in antibacterial solution (unless otherwise advised by your dentist). Finally, make sure to brush your tongue regularly to eliminate any residue.
Well… the letters in UCR stand for Usual, Customary, and Reasonable. Almost sounds like the Insurance company is doing extensive surveys of dental fees in your zip code and then taking the average, say 70% – 75%, fee. But guess what, that is not what the Insurance company does.
Insurance companies calculate the UCR in differing ways, but it’s usually between the 50th and 80th percentile of what fees are in a geographical area. The geographical area is not limited to a certain radius around a certain zip code. It can include an entire state and includes all the rural, urban, and suburban dentists and we all know that location can effect the price for good and services.
The UCR fee guide generated by the insurance company is a price they will allow for every dental procedure they cover. This is not based on what a dentist actually charges, but what the dental insurance wishes to cover for the premium your employer wants to pay.
And to further complicate things the Insurance company typically only covers 80% of their UCR fee, so dental benefits were meant to have some patient out-of-pocket expense.
It’s amazing that the UCR fee varies between insurance companies and even between different plans in the same company.
This is because dental benefits and the associated UCR fee schedule are determine by the negotiations between the insurance company and your employer. And the better the dental benefits the plan offers the more you and your employer pay in the premiums to the insurance company. Your employer has likely selected a UCR fee schedule that corresponds to the premium cost they desire.
So the adage… you get what you pay for…. is alive and well with dental insurance.
