With dental insurance your employer purchases a certain policy or coverage for you. You may pay the premium with a payroll deduction or your employer may pay it. But it consists of a particular coverage that your employer agrees to. This coverage will cover procedures at differing rates. For instance 100%, 80% or 50%. If your coverage states that a procedure is covered at 80%, then you will be responsible for 20% of the cost, and the insurance company will be responsible for 80% of the cost of that procedure. There also may be a once a year charge called a deductible, that once paid for each family member does not have to be paid again until the next year. In order to maximize the use of their insurance patients are responsible for looking to see if the dentist they choose is a member for their particular insurance.

Preventive dentistry is simply the regular observation of the teeth and gums. It helps us to find problems while they are small and much easier to repair. For those who are on a budget, preventive dentistry helps us to restore or repair things while they are still relatively inexpensive.

The best and easiest way to improve your smile is to maintain your teeth and gums properly. Good brushing and flossing technique will keep your teeth white and your gums a healthy pink. Beyond that, bleaching teeth is an option to do and relatively inexpensive. For larger issues braces can correct crooked teeth and crowns and veneer made of porcelain can often give you a more perfect smile.

Bleaching is a very safe dental procedure. It can be done with over the counter products or if your teeth are a bit stubborn to whiten, it can be done with stronger bleaching products by a dentist. At Associates In Dentistry, we use two types. In the first, the product is placed in a tray that is custom made for your mouth, and the tray is worn from 2 hours to overnight. In the second, the product is applied while in the office at a scheduled dental appointment. Dental bleaching with these stronger products does need to be done under a dentist’s supervision and can make your teeth sensitive. Do not worry if this sensitivity is a side effect for you, it will stop once bleaching has been discontinued. We at Associates In Dentistry will be happy to discuss these options with you.

It is our office philosophy that each has its place in caring for our patients. White fillings are important and necessary where these fillings may show in your smile, but they do have some limitations. They may only last half as long, they are more expensive, and they often can get new decay around them easier. They can also result in more tooth sensitivity. Metal fillings, although not as attractive, are significantly cheaper for two reasons. They just cost less to do, and they generally last longer. The prime reason they should occasionally be the filling material of choice has to do with the size of the decay. Larger cavities that extend below the gum line can be more effectively restored in metal.

The process of fabricating a denture is the same either way, however what does make a difference is often the care involved in creating the best denture for each individual patient. A dentist will have several different grades and color shades of teeth available, whereas a “cheaper“ denture may use the same quality, shape and color for everyone. A denture clinic may use just average “guesstimates” based on average people’s mouths, a dentist may include a couple of steps to confirm a patients jaw relationship and an actual test try-in for the patient to approve the look and function of the denture. We have found our patients aren’t average. We want the best for all of them.

When teeth are lost for whatever reason, they can usually be replaced with implants. Implants are nothing more than a false root that is surgically placed. Once it has healed you can place a porcelain tooth on it to fill the space created when the tooth was lost. You can also use two or more of them to attach a denture or partial to, in order to need to replace multiple teeth.

What we traditionally refer to as TMJ is a condition where we grind our teeth at night while we are in that unconscious stage of sleep. This is usually caused by increased stress in our lives and almost everyone will do it occasionally. It can cause many symptoms such as premature tooth wear, pain and sensitivity to the teeth, pain in the jaw joint itself, soreness in the muscles of the head and neck, and clicking or other noises upon movement of the jaw. Most of time this is not a chronic problem and it will pass. When it becomes more chronic, it can be treated with a biteguard that is made of plastic and worn in your mouth at night when you sleep.

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