Whenever I brush my teeth my gums bleed. I brush twice day with a regular toothbrush so I am not sure why my gums are bleeding.

Answer: It is possible that you may have gingivitis. Gingivitis is a form of periodontal disease. Gingivitis is due to the long-term effects of plaque deposits on your teeth. Plaque is a sticky material made of bacteria, mucus, and food debris that develops on the exposed parts of the teeth. It is also a major cause of tooth decay. One of the signs of gingivitis is bleeding gums while brushing.  Talk to your dentist and get a complete dental check u

I live in CA and I know that most dental insurance plan that I been seeing on line seem to have long term waiting periods. I in need of more then just preventive dental services but I am willing to wait if I can get a good dental plan that has the best future dental care benefits. I do not want to get a dental plan and wait out the waiting period only to still find that it is not such a good plan. How do I make sure that what I getting is the best and not just a waste of money and my time?

Reply: You will want to review and read carefully each plans terms and conditions. The benefits are lay out for you so that you can compare current need benefits to future needs. If the plan has different benefits for first, second and third years they will reflex that when you are reviewing the plan prior to purchase

I seem to get bad breath late at night.  I do not know why when I brush my teeth all the time.  It is starting to make me feel insecure.  

Reply: People can have bad breath for many different reasons.  Even though you are brushing your teeth at night your bad breath can be due to other reasons such as what you are eating throughout the day, dental decay, medications you may be taking, your diet, dry mouth and any ongoing illnesses.   

If you are not already, make sure that during your dental habits routine to brush not only your teeth but your tongue as well. Your tongue holds onto many bad breath causing germs. Try using an alcohol free mouthwash. If your bad breath continues talk to your dentist and see what they can advise

I have two cavities one on the top right back and one on the top left back.  Will I get two shots or one?  Just wondering having to go to the dentist to get them fixed but really do not like getting the numbing shots.  

Reply: More then likely you will need to have two shots one on each side of your mouth.  In addition sometimes it will take more then one shot on each side to achieve the desired amount of numbness.  However before your dentist starts you can ask him/her how many shots he/she is planing to give you so that you can be prepared for them. 

I chew tobacco, brush my teeth three times a day, along with flossing regularly and using a strong mouthwash.  I am not at the point where I want to stop chewing tobacco but I also do not want bad oral health.  

Answer: If you can you may wish to rethink chewing or start to slowing reducing how much you chew until you are able to quit completely.

Their are many different potential side effects of chewing tobacco, but since we are talking about your teeth here are the side effects related to just your mouth. 1)  Stained teeth  2)  Bad breath  3)  Sores on the gums and in the mouth that are stubborn to heal  4)  Some of the effects on dental health are escalated by the sugar that is added to the tobacco during processing to improve the taste.   5)  A higher risk of developing oral cancer

Is there any dental insurance available for getting braces? I like to get braces but want to get some help with the cost. Is there any dental insurance plan that helps pay for adult braces? 

Answer: Yes you can get dental insurance and dental discount plans to help you with the cost of having braces. With respect to dental insurance make sure the plan you want to get covers not only braces but braces for an adult if you are over the age of 19. In regards to dental discount plans age is not a factor and in general the average discounted saving is around 20% off.

I never had a tooth pull before but one of my back teeth needs to be pull and I am worried about having it done. I am not sure what to expect will I be in a lot of pain during and after. I want to ask questions but I do not want to bug the dentist or get him upset with me for asking stupid questions.   

Answer: When going to the dentist and you are unsure of what to expect.  Try going to your dentist appointment a little early.  Ask the dentist to explain to you want they are going to do in order to pull your tooth.  Do not let them pull it until you understand the process. 

Do not worry about the dentist getting upset, a good dentist will take the time to go over all your questions until you can feel okay with the dental work needed. Also there is no stupid question if you do not know the answer.  

If your dentist dose not know that you have concerns or worries they can not address them with you.   By doing this you will  feel better about having the work done and not so worried about it.

How may times you are supposed to brush and floss your teeth a day?

I brush my teeth before I go to bed and floss at least three to four time a week. I do not always remember to floss every day. My mom complains I need to brush and floss more but why I do not have any cavities.

Answer: It is best suggested for good oral and dental hygiene habits that you brush your teeth at least twice a day for two minutes, and floss daily. Though if you do eat something that leaves a film on your teeth or food bits between your teeth, brushing or flossing afterwords is a good idea even if it means brushing three times in a day.

When I was younger I did not take good care of my teeth and gums and got gingivitis. However now I am brushing two to three times a day flossing once or twice a day and using Listerine after brushing my teeth. I also see my dentist two the three time a year depending on what is needed. Yet I like to know if there is anything else I need to do to control or avoid getting gingivitis again that I am not currently doing.

Answer: You stated that you are bushing your teeth two to three times a day. That you also floss at least two times a day and you are using Listerine mouthwash after brushing, as well as seeing your dentist for the required cleaning. I think you are covering all your bases very well. There is not much more you can do. I know that there are some mouthwash that will indicate that they have gingivitis protection maybe look for that.

I had a really bad a dentist that hurt me while doing a filling. After that going to the dentist really scares me.  I tend to avoid going even for check up and cleanings.  

Answer: I do not know how long ago you had that experience at the dentist. However, this might help you to know that most dentist now will numb your gums before doing  dental fillings. It is also a good idea to explain to your dentist about your fears.

Dentist are not in the business to cause any one any unnecessary pain. They would not stay in business very long if they were. However if they know about your fears or concerns they can be a little more cautious when treating you.

I had two of my wisdom teeth removed three days ago and my jaw still hurts when I try to eat or open it too wide.  I worry that I may be getting dry socket since I was told that hurts for a long time and it been three days now.   

Answer: Pain after wisdom extraction is normal and for some it does take longer to recover then others. From how you are describing your pain  it  seems more like a jaw pain then pain from the extractions. This may be because of having your mouth open for a long period of time when they did the extraction. Sometimes because of that your jaw can hurt for a longer period of time. 

As for it being dry socket. From my understanding dry socket would be very painful, since you are exposing a nerve. So off hand I would say you may not have to worry about it being that. But go see you dentist anyway have him/her confirm what the real issues are  so that they can treat you for it.

I brush my teeth twice a day and floss daily I see my dentist at least twice a year and have no cavities.  However my gums are mostly pink but in some spots they seem light brownish is that okay? 

Answer: It sounds like you are taking really good care of your teeth and gum health. The fact that you are seeing a dentist and he/she has not commented on the color of your gums might be because they are just fine. You may want to directly ask you dentist about your gum color the next time you go in for a check up.

The increase people going to the emergency room with dental problems is largely driven by young adults who do not have dental benefits, according to the ADA Health Policy Resources Center. The number of dental emergency room visits in the U.S. increased from 1.1 million in 2000 to 2.1 million in 2010, according to the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. The survey also showed dental ER visits as a percent of total ER visits increasing from 1.06 percent in 2000 to 1.65 percent in 2010—a change HPRC cites as statistically significant.

Veneers are costly and when many dental insurance plans do not offer benefits on veneers, you want to make sure to take proper care not damage them. On average dental veneers can last up to 10 years or more with proper care.

However,  veneers are thin so they can break, chip or even fall off if not taken care of. To avoid this from happening to your veneers do not bit your nails, chew on hard objects.  Do not use a hard bristle tooth brush and stay way from toothpaste with abrasive like baking soda. Follow the care instructions provided by your dentist and keep in mind that it is still important to maintain proper dental hygiene.

There are steps you can take to make sure you receive the most out of your dental checkups.  Our oral health is also closely related to our over all health care, so make sure to communicate with your dentist any concerns or problems  you may be having.

The dentist should know about any new health problems, since the last visit. As an example diabetes effects teeth and gum health.  You may want to make a list of any medication or supplements you are taking to show to your dentist, since some medication and supplements can effective teeth health.

It is important to let your dentist know ahead of time if you have any dental anxiety. Dental fears are common, however most dentist can work to make you feel more comfortable during the checkup process.

Lastly talk to your dentist about any changes you may have notice with your teeth or gums.  The sooner the dentist know about pain, sensitivity, or any thing suspicious you may have notice, the earlier he or she can diagnose and treat it.

There are many possible reason for having sensitive teeth. One of the reason why you may have sensitive teeth could be that you have a receding gum line that exposes part of your tooth root that is not covered by your tooth enamel. The tooth root which is exposed has tiny tubules leading to the tooth’s nerve center. So when you have hot or cold items it reaches the nerve in your tooth, which can then results in the pain you may feel. The same thing can happen if you have a wearing down of your tooth enamel. Make sure to talk to your dentist about any prolong problem of teeth sensitively

My five year had to have three crown put on this year, one of them just came off. My daughter did not have a good experience last time and I am wondering if the dentist will numb her. I hoping since I saved the crown it can just be re-cemented. Her dental appointment is in two days from now.

Answer: Generally speaking as long as there is not any additional damage to the tooth in question, your dentist should be able to just re-cement the crown back onto the tooth.

Question: A few days ago I went in for my regular dental cleaning, check up visit.  My dentist told me that I needed to have a deep cleaning.  I told him I would look into it and see if I can afford to have it done after speaking with my insurance company.   I called my dental insurance company that stated that without the ADA codes they could not tell me my cost for the service.  I told them it is just a deep cleaning but they said it was not enough information for them to tell me cost.  What are ADA codes and where do I get them? 

Answer: You would get the ADA codes from the dentist that you are going to. There are many different types of deep cleaning codes depending on what your dentist feels would be best for you.  That is why some insurance company will not quote out a rate for dental services without knowing the ADA codes. The insurance company does not want to give you the wrong cost information. To give you an idea of codes for periodontics dental work I listed some of those codes for your review. 
4210 Gingivectomy/gingivoplasty, per quad
4211 Gingivectomy/gingivoplasty, per tooth
4250 Mucogingival surgery, per quad
4260 Osseous surgery, per quad
4341 Periodontal scaling & root planing, per quad
4355 Full mouth debridement
4381 Delivery of chemotherapeutic agent
4910 Perio maintenance (following active therapy)
4999 Initial perio charting for moderate or advanced cases

shopping for dental insurance and or a dental plan can get to become over whelming if you are not sure what is best for you and your dental needs.
Dental Discount Plans   A discount plan is really great if you have current dental needs that have to be address right away. Such as a toothache. Since most dental discount plans start the next business day from signing up. Thus allowing you to see the dentist right away as well as reducing your dental costs.

Another great benefit with a discount plan is that you get discounted saving off on dental services that may not be covered under most dental insurance plans. Such as Whitening, Veneers and Implants to name a few. Note: A dental discount plan is not dental insurance, therefore it is not a filed product with the department of insurance. You must stay within the network of providers . Only the network dentist have agree to reduce or discount their cost to you as a plan member. 

Dental HMOs insurance:  DHMO refers to a dental health maintenance organization  These insurance plans, also known as “capitation plans,” operate like their medical HMO cousins. This type of dental plan provides a comprehensive dental care to enrolled patients through designated provider office.  Generally speaking HMO do not have waiting periods, yearly maximum limitations or deductibles. Like a dental discount plan you have to go to dentist that participate in the plans network. There is no out side net work coverage.  companies that sell HMO dental insurance plans are regulated by state insurance departments.  What was stated is generally how each type of plan works. However, each plan is different that is why it is important to read and understand the plans terms and conditions before making your final choice.

How much would a bridge cost and is it permanent? 

I am missing a few teeth and I want to get a bridge.  What is the normal cost for a dental bridge and do they stay in your mouth or do you take them out?  

Answer: Cost factors very greatly depending on how many teeth you are replacing and what types of material you are using.  Also cost can very depending on where you live.  I would suggest to find a dentist that is willing to give you a free consultation. That way you can get a more accurate cost quote for your dental care needs.  Dental bridges are fixed and not removable where as partials can be taken out. Talk to a dentist to see which is right for you and which best fits into your budget.