After our last post, you may wonder how to store your toothbrush safely. Here are some tips you may want to practice.

1) Make sure to rinse your toothbrush well after brushing your teeth. Before putting your toothbrush away, please give it a good rinse with tap water, making sure not to leave any toothpaste or debris in the brush

2) Put your toothbrush upright, in a cup or a holder, allowing the water to drain away from the head of the brush. You want the toothbrush to air dry thoroughly. So make sure it has access to good air circulation and is not suffocating in a small drawer or cabinet when not in use

3) Keep your toothbrush away from other people’s toothbrushes. Even if you are all family members, do not let your toothbrush touch another toothbrush. Bacteria on one brush can cross-contaminate another.

4) Avoid keeping your toothbrush too close to the toilet and sink. In tip two, we tell you to keep your toothbrush out in the open to air dry thoroughly. However, you must ensure it is not too close to the sink. You do not want it to be splashed with dirty or soapy water when family members wash their hands. Likewise, keep the brush at least four feet away from the toilet. If you have a small bathroom that does not let you keep this distance, store your toothbrush in a different room away from your bathroom

5) Sanitize or Not. Although you can buy toothbrush sanitizers (usually a small countertop device), there is no evidence that these make a difference to your health. They can, however, provide you with a safe zone for storing your brush. Also, no study has shown that soaking your brush in an antibacterial mouth rinse makes a difference.

As a parent, you know your child/children must maintain good dental and oral health. Yet increasing dental care services make it harder and harder to afford their needed dental care checkups and cleaning, let alone any other more extensive dental care needs. That is why having dental insurance for your family is integral to keeping dental care costs low. Your budget and dental care needs for your family will help you choose which dental insurance plan would work best. Our website offers a broad range of dental insurance plans from PPO’s, Indemnity, and HMO dental insurance plans. We also offer dental discount plans for a lower-cost alternative. Review our plan options for your state, and if you have any questions, please call our member service line at 310-534-3444, as they will be happy to help you with any of our dental plan options.

I will be having my first child in seven months. Before my pregnancy, I was having regular dental care. I am due for my dental cleaning in a few weeks. I made the appointment before becoming pregnant. My question is, do I still keep my dental appointment? I know a few friends who did not go to the dentist while pregnant. Is that normal?

Reply: It is great to hear that you are taking care of your dental health, and congratulations on your pregnancy! It is important to prioritize your dental care during pregnancy. Regular dental check-ups and cleanings are essential to maintain good oral health. The American Dental Association recommends that pregnant women continue to receive routine dental care and cleanings throughout their pregnancy.

However, it is essential to inform your dentist that you are pregnant. How far along are you so they can take necessary precautions and ensure your safety during the appointment? Additionally, if you have any concerns or questions, do not hesitate to discuss them with your dentist.

Skipping dental appointments during pregnancy can lead to dental problems affecting your and your baby’s health. Poor oral health during pregnancy has been linked to preterm birth and low birth weight. So, it is best to keep your dental appointment and maintain good oral hygiene at home by brushing twice daily and flossing daily.

You can contact our member service line at 310-534-3444, where our team of experts will help you understand each plan’s different options and benefits. They will guide you in selecting the best plan to provide your family with the necessary coverage at a price that fits your budget.

Full-time students with a child

Finding a good dental insurance plan can be challenging. Finding a good dental insurance plan as a full-time student can make things even harder. Finding an excellent, affordable dental plan may be more complicated than pulling teeth if you have a child and live on a fixed income.

You may not get dental insurance through employment as a full-time student. Also, depending on your age and living at home with your parents, you may be unable to stay on your parent’s dental plan.

So what should a student do if they have a baby and want a good dental insurance plan? I recommend looking for an HMO dental insurance plan. HMO dental insurance is not only affordable on a fixed income; they usually do not have long-term waiting periods, annual dollar limits on benefits, or high deductibles. Being a parent and going to school is tough. Finding the right dental plan for you should be easy. Whether you are a full-time student, a parent, or just someone needing dental insurance, finding the right dental plan is essential.

You can contact our member service line at 310-534-3444, where our team of experts will help you understand each plan’s different options and benefits. They will guide you in selecting the best plan to provide your family with the necessary coverage at a price that fits your budget..

A family dental insurance plan is an excellent way to ensure that everyone in your family has access to quality dental care. It covers many services, including routine check-ups, cleanings, and X-rays. With a family dental insurance plan, you can easily schedule appointments with specialists such as orthodontists, endodontists, and periodontists.

One of the most significant advantages of a family dental insurance plan is that it offers affordable rates. Finding the right balance between quality dental care and cost can be challenging, especially when you have a family to consider. But with a family dental insurance plan, you can have both. You will have peace of mind knowing that your family’s oral health is protected, and you won’t have to worry about the financial burden of dental procedures.

Moreover, a family dental insurance plan usually covers preventative services such as teeth cleaning and oral exams. This means that you can take the necessary steps to prevent dental problems from developing without paying any additional costs. By doing so, you can maintain healthy teeth and gums for your entire family.

However, choosing the right family dental insurance plan that suits your family’s needs and budget is essential. You can contact our member service line at 310-534-3444, where our team of experts will help you understand each plan’s different options and benefits. They will guide you in selecting the best plan to provide your family with the necessary coverage at a price that fits your budget.

In conclusion, a family dental insurance plan is an excellent investment in your family’s oral health. It is an affordable way to ensure that your family has access to quality dental care, saving you money in the long run. So contact us today to learn more about how we can help you protect your family’s oral health.

Question: My daughter could use braces. And even though both my husband and I work, we can not afford the extra cost for her to have braces. We have dental insurance with my husband’s job, but it does not pay out anything for braces since my daughter has TMJ. TMJ is the problem and why they will not pay for braces. I do not want my daughter to have to deal with it. I also hear the problem will only get more complicated to correct as she ages. 

Answer:  I understand that you are concerned about your daughter’s dental health and the extra cost of braces. TMJ is a challenging dental issue; unfortunately, many insurance plans do not cover the cost of braces if needed for TMJ correction. However, there are dental discount plans available that could help you save on the cost of braces for your daughter’s treatment. These plans are designed to provide savings on dental procedures, including braces, without restrictions based on pre-existing conditions such as TMJ. Consider exploring such dental discount plans to address your daughter’s dental needs without incurring a significant financial burden.

Need Full Dentures, Looking for an Affordable dental plan: I have had some old dentures for over ten years. They are ill-fitting, and the dentist I took them to told me I should get new dentures. As much as I want to get fitted for new dentures, I can not afford them. Are there any dental insurance plans that can help me with the cost of dentures?

Answer: Yes, many dental insurance plans will cover dentures. Since you have had your current dentures for a long time, you should be able to find a plan that will accept you and provide coverage for new dentures. However, there are two things to keep in mind. First, read the plan terms and conditions for dentures to ensure you receive the benefits you seek. Then, be mindful of dental insurance plans with waiting periods. Some plans may cover you for dentures, but the plan itself has waiting periods that are a year or more before they offer benefits for dentures.

Question: I have a terrible toothache and can not take it for much longer. Most dental insurance companies have waiting periods for dental procedures, and I can not continue to wait things out. I need something now, not six or twelve months from now.

Answer: We offer a dental discount plan that may work for you. With our dental discount plans, they start the next business day after signing up for it online through our website. They do not have any waiting periods, so you start saving on your dental care cost immediately. 

We also have HMO dental insurance options. Our HMO dental insurance plan has no waiting periods, but its effective date will depend on when you buy it. For example, if you buy it on or before the 20th of the month, the plan starts the first of the following month. But the plan’s effective date very so read each plan. 

You can call our member service line at 310-534-3444. Our team of experts can explain each plan’s various options and benefits and help you select the one that best fits your needs and budget.

Question: I have a dental PPO plan through Anthem Blue Cross from my employer. Even though I have had it for a few years, this was the first time I used it for more than my free cleaning. About a month ago, I had some dental work that was rather costly. Now, I get an additional billing from my dentist, who stated that the insurance did not pay much for the full porcelain crown I got. However, my dental plan says they will pay half the crown cost. Calling the dental insurance company immediately, I was told that they do not cover that ADA code but will cover up to the UCR rate for covered crowns on noncovered crowns. It seemed like double talk to me. A crown is a crown! What do they mean by ADA code? Help me understand. 

Answer: ADA codes are the service code for each dental service. This code number does not change, and it lets everyone from the dental office, insurance company, and claims department know what dental service you have done. Although wording can vary, the code does not. There are many ADA codes for crowns. Here is a sample.

2740 Crown porcelain ceramic substrate

2783 Crown ¾ porcelain ceramic

2750 Crown-porcelain fused to high noble metal

2751 Crown-porcelain fused to predominantly base metal

2791 Crown-full cast predominantly base and

2810 Crown-3/4 cast metallic

There are more, but I listed a few to show you that a crown is not just a crown. Under many PPO plans may only provide benefits for a lower-cost crown, so when you get a higher-cost crown, they pay out only up to the UCR for the crown they cover. This offers you some savings, but now, it is as much as if you would have chosen a covered crown. One way to avoid billing surprises such as these is to have your dental office submit claims as a quote only to your insurance company before dental services are rendered. That way, you will know your cost ahead of time and can then decide if that is something you wish to continue with based on your budget.

Question: I have four silver fillings that were put in as a kid. Now that I am older and working, I like to change them out for new white filling. Can that be done? 

Answer:  In most cases, yes, if you ask if a dentist changes out the old silver filling to Resin-Based Composite (tooth color filling). However, if you want to know if dental insurance will provide benefits for this type of dental service, often they will not. Many dental insurance plans will not cover this dental service since it is considered cosmetic.

Yet most dental insurance plans will provide benefits when a new cavity in the tooth has the old silver filling requiring the filling to be removed to fix the cavity. In this case, you do not have to replace the filling with a silver filling but can, at that point, replace it with a resin-based composite filling.