One way of coping with dental anxiety is by distraction.

When you are nervous it may seem impossible to distract yourself from your dental exam. Yet there are some things that that can do to help distract your thoughts.

Such as: Wear headphones. If the sound of the drill bothers you, bring headphones so you can listen to your favorite music or audio-book. Some dental offices even have televisions or show DVDs. Just make sure to work out hand signals to your dentist if you need to have a brake or to let her or him know about any issues.

Occupy your hands by squeezing a stress ball or playing with a small handheld object. Imagine your happy place and visualize yourself at a relaxing beach or garden.

Did you know that many people have dental anxieties? Though there are people that do not sure the dental anxieties with their dentist afraid that it some how makes them look bad. Which in turn only increases their anxieties.

If you have dental anxieties, or are tense or anxious while having dental care services, do yourself a favor and get your concerns off your chest. Your dentist and dental team are better able to treat you if they know your needs.

Tell your dentist about your anxiety. When you book your appointment, tell the receptionist you are nervous about dental visits. Remind the dentist and dental staff about your anxiety when you arrive.

When a dentist knows you have anxieties she or he will generally go over with you what they are doing and why. Sometimes knowing what is going to happen alleviates any fears of the unknown.

Agree on a signal. Let your dentist know by raising your hand if you need to take a break during an exam. If you experience pain even with a local anesthetic, tell your dentist. Some patients get embarrassed about their pain tolerance or do not want to interrupt a dentist during a procedure. Talk with your dentist about pain before it starts so your dentist knows how to communicate with you and make it more comfortable.

When a person is exposed to latex proteins, a latex-sensitive individual may experience minor symptoms, such as hives or nasal congestion.

Severe cases may result in anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxix is a dangerous reaction that causes a drop in blood pressure, difficulty breathing, swelling of the throat, tongue and nose, and even loss of consciousness. Which can be life-threatening if unattended. Emergency medical attention is needed at the first sign of anaphylactic reaction.

If you have had a prior allergic reaction to latex-containing objects, you will want to consult your doctor. Your doctor can confirm the latex allergy, and determine the best strategy for dealing with it. You should avoid contact with all latex products. Prior to seeing your dentist, as well as update your medical history with the dental office. Your dentist their staff will take the appropriate precautions for your next dental visit.

Question: Will antibiotics help treat my dental pain?

Reply: If you have a fever, an infection may have spread beyond its original source and an antibiotic can help. If you have an infection that hasn’t spread, it might be treatable at the original source. For example: A contained toothache probably won’t require antibiotics, but you might need dental treatment, such as a root canal, depending on the severity of the infection.

When your dental appointment is over, the detnal staff will thoroughly clean the areas where you have been, using disinfectants that are effective against the virus that causes COVID-19 to prepare for the next patient. This helps reduce the risk of illness being passed to others.

If you start feeling ill with the symptoms of COVID-19 within a few days after your dental appointment, call the dental office. You may have already been carrying the virus at the time of your appointment, so anyone who came into contact with you during that time could be at risk for getting sick too.

What you may expect from your dental office at your dental appointment.

If your state or city is requiring people to wear masks in public, be sure to wear one to your dental appointment. When you arrive at the dental office, they may asked you to wait outside until they are ready for you. This will help to reduce the number of people in the office and reduce the amount of time you are close to other people. When you enter the office, they may take your temperature.

The dentail office may have removed items like toys or magazines and put out hand sanitizer for you to use so that you can wipe down items you touch, such as pens, clipboards or furniture.

Your dentist may also be using different protective equipment than they’ve used at previous appointments. This could include different masks, face shields, gowns and goggles. These additional precautions help protect both you and the dentist.

What you may expect from your dental office before your dental appoint.

In order to help make sure that you are healthy when arriving for your dental appointment, your dental office may call you before your appointment and ask you some questions about your current health. They may also repeat these questions when you arrive to make sure nothing has changed.

Your dentist’s office staff may also ask that you limit the number of people you bring to the appointment. That could mean leaving your children at home or allowing older children to go into the office alone while their parent waits outside during their appointment.

Despite these potential risks, there as been no cases of COVID-19 traced to dental offices. This coming from both the World Health Organization and the CDC, and that includes follow-up by the CDC of news reports suggesting such infections

If you have what you feel is a dental emergency, please for your safety and the safety of health care providers, do not visit an urgent care clinic or an emergency room for your dental care needs. Yo will want to contact your dentist for guidance.

Your dentist can handle many situations over the phone, such as helping with a toothache or a filling or crown that has become loose. If you’re unsure about your situation, your dentist will be able to help

The fact is nothing as really changed about keeping your teeth healthy before and after Covid-19 but her are a few tips to refresh you oral healthcare habits

1) Make sure to wash your hands – Aim for at least 20 seconds before and after any personal dental care

2) You will want to brush your teeth at least twice a day– be sure to get those hard-to-reach spots

3) Don’t forge to floss once a day, as this helps remove bacteria and plaque in places your brush can not reach

4) You will want to eat a well-balanced diet, and try to limit sticky, sugary snacks like cake and cookies

5) Limit sugary drinks such as soda and fruit juices can harm tooth surfaces, but do drink plenty of water with meals and between meals

6) Avoid smoking – Avoiding smoking is not only good for your teeth as smoking limits blood flow to your mouth, which makes it easier for bacteria to grow. It is better for your over all health to quit smoking

Depending on the city you live in, as some cities and states reopen up, here is what you should know about dental care 

All health care workers should follow certain safety guidelines. Your dentist and others working with them should wash their hands and sterilize tools. Some gear and needles are never reused. But your dentist’s office may do even more to prevent the spread of COVID-19, like:

• Disinfect all surfaces and tools more often
• Clean, replace, and cover tools between uses
• Wear more protective gear than usual
• Cover your mouth with a rubber dental dam

In addition they may also:

• Space out appointments
• Call you before your appointment to ask about your health
• Check your temperature and other symptoms
• Ask about your recent travel
• Tell you not to arrive early
• Ask you to limit the number of people you bring with you, such as children
• Have you wait outside until they’re ready for you
• Place waiting room chairs 6 feet apart for social distancing
• Get rid of common things people touch in the waiting room, such as toys and magazines.

After asking dental offices to stop non-urgent visits and surgeries because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Dental Association (ADA) and the CDC now recommend that dental teams weigh the risk in their area with the need to provide care for patients.

Keeping your teeth healthy

Question: I am 26 and although I have dental insurance though work, I still do not like going to the dentist. I try and make sure that I never have any real dental issues. Is brushing and flossing enough to keep my teeth healthy?

Reply: Seeing a dentist is an important part of having healthy teeth and gums. Brushing and flossing regularly at home will help to maintain good oral health but you can still develop cavities and gum issues that you could avoid by seeing a dentist.

Low monthly California dental insurance plans.

Question: Why is it that on the low monthly insurance plans that I can afford does not let you go outside of their network of providers. The dental insurance plan that let you do that are so costly I can not afford them. I am upset about this because my dentist I have been going to has always helped me.

Reply: You are reviewing two different types of insurance plan options. frist one being and HMO with dental HMO (generally the lower cost insurane option) you do need to stay with in the plan network of providers. Cost for services are generally based on a fee schedule so you know what the cost for each dental service covered under the plan

The second plan type is the PPO. Typically PPO have plan provider network but allows you to go out side the network. Sometimes at a reduce coverage. These plan types are more costly, but give you the option of choosing your own dentist that is not a provider of an HMO insurance plan, and may be what you would have to buy if you are wanting to stay with your current dentist.

Question: I am in need of two dental crowns. I am trying to find a dental PPO insurance plans that will cover at least 50 percent or more on a crown and one that will start right away without waiting periods, since I am need of the crowns now.

Reply: There are PPO plans and we offer them on this website CaliforniaDentalInsurance.com that do not have waiting periods. However, the benefits affordable dose not start out at 50 percent the first year. Many PPO plans have waiting periods for major a year or more so when plans do not have waiting periods the benefits within the first year are normally reduced.

Question: I live in Kansas and I am in need of dental insurance before moving to California. Since dental offices is not an issue I am looking for a more affordable dental insurance that can help me with my dental care needs. Just not sure what I should be looking for as being online looking for insurance starts to get overwhelming

Reply: Our website CaliforniaDentalInsurance.com provides a broad range of dental insurance plans and plan types. Since as you stated, that a dental office is not a factor, I would suggest you review the HMO insurance plans we offer. You will see that our HMO insurance plans are much more affordable when compared to the monthly cost of our PPO’s.

Not Sure if I Need Braces

Question: My teeth are yellowish and my eye teeth are very pointy and slightly crooked. Also about a year ago I lost a tooth which I did not really mind since it had a black spot on it. The thing is now I have a gap that is in the back of my mouth. Do you think braces will fix this or do I need to have them pulled?

Reply: You will need to consult a dentist. Often time dental offices provides for a free consult if you are a new patient. Braces should be able to correct the crooked teeth issues, yet it also sounds as if you may be in need of more then braces to fix the dental issues you stated you are having.

You can save money on your dental care by having a dental insurance plan in place before hand. Since you are in need of major dental care services I would advise to make sure you are either looking at a PPO that dose not have plan waiting periods or an HMO plan that typically do not have waiting periods. This would be important in receiving the dental care that your currently may need.

Dental Insurance for my 21 year old son not in school

Question: I have three children the eldest one is 21 going to be 22 soon I want to get a family plan for all of us but do not want to have to buy a separate plan for my 21 year old. He is not currently in school but is planing on do so. Will dental insurance include us all?

Reply: Most family dental insurance plans now include children up to the age of 25 and they do not need to be attending school. Just read the plans terms and conditions to make sure with regards to the plan you are reviewing.

Question: I have a family of four and on a very tight budget and although both my wife work we do not receive dental insurance. Our child are at the age where they should be seeing a dentist and I looking for a low income dental insurance plan

Reply: If you are looking for a lower cost dental insurance plan, you may want to review our dental HMO insurance plans. As they run as low as $16.95 to $39.95 a month for a family insurance plan in California

How do you get your six year old to brush their own teeth?

Question: My son six years of age and I feel that by now he should be able to brush his own teeth. However, when I try and get him to brush his teeth I find m just playing around. I get so frustrated by it that I wine up brushing his teeth for him to make sure it gets done and that we are able to run on time

I know I got to stop brushing his teeth for him, but I do not want him to have bad teeth because he is too lazy to brush his teeth correctly. Right now all his teeth are healthy with no cavities however my fear is if I stop brushing his teeth, they will not stay that way.

Reply: You are not teaching your son how to brush his teeth by doing it for him. Though it can be difficult try brushing your teeth with him. When you see that he is not brushing correctly or how you may like for him to

Stop him and show him how to brush his teeth by you brushing yours. Say you do it this way now let me see you brush your teeth like I am doing.
Try and keep it light and as fun as possible, instead of making it a chore. You can play his favorite song why brushing to the music. Since most songs run about two minutes this will help in making sure he brushing long enough.

Remember brushing his teeth should not be turn into a bad time each time he goes and does it or why would he want to brush his teeth.