As your dental clinic, it’s our responsibility to help guide you through your oral health care so it is as easy & affordable as possible. As a result, we’re dedicated to helping you make the most of your dental insurance, ensuring you get the care you need & you take advantage of every benefit available to you.

Did you know that your dental benefits don’t roll over from year to year? Once you reach the end of the calendar year, your annual dental benefits disappear for good, whether or not you’ve used them.

What do we mean by dental benefits? One of the best examples of a dental insurance benefit are the preventive care services that are usually covered between 80% to 100%, meaning the insurance company pays 80%-100% of the cost of the service . For example, most dental insurance plans give you two teeth cleaning visits each year covered at 100%, meaning you pay nothing out-of-pocket for your dental hygiene visit. Most insurance plans also fully cover at least one set of full mouth x-rays each year.

However, if you’ve visited the dentist for one teeth cleaning this year, that doesn’t mean you get three teeth cleanings next year! Instead, that free cleaning that you skipped goes away at the end of the year & you never get it back!

Another example of your insurance benefits is your annual maximum, meaning the maximum amount that your dental insurance company will pay toward your dental care each year. Annual maximums vary greatly, but say your plan’s maximum is $2,500. If you’ve only used $500 of that $2,500 by the end of the year, the remaining $2,000 disappears & you never get to use it. Essentially, you’re leaving money on the table!

So what should you do if the year is almost up & you still have some of your annual maximum left? Well, this is why the end of the year is a great time to start recommended treatment. First of all, if you haven’t had both your teeth cleanings this year, call us as soon as possible to schedule your second cleaning before the end of the year!

As another example, imagine we told you that you need a crown on one of your molars but you haven’t actually completed the treatment yet. If you continue to put off getting the crown until the beginning of next year, you’ll be throwing away your remaining annual maximum for this year & using up next year’s benefits early instead. That means if you need any other treatment during the course of next year, you will have already used up your annual maximum & will have to pay out-of-pocket for it. Using up this year’s insurance maximum could actually save you money next year by ensuring you don’t hit your maximum too early!

So if you have dental treatment recommendations from us that you haven’t completed yet, give us a call as soon as possible so we can schedule your visit before the end-of-year rush. We’d be happy to help you check to see if you’ve hit your annual maximum yet & help you make the most of the money you have remaining on your insurance plan.

There have been unanswered calls, deleted voicemails,  ignored texts, & friendly reminders that never make it out of the envelope…we both know it’s been a while since you visited the dentist. If all our efforts to reconnect with you haven’t convinced you, maybe the following 5 reasons to see the dentist will get you to take care of your teeth properly again!

Oral Pain

If you are experiencing a toothache or pain in your gums or another part of your mouth, you should see us as soon as possible. We know this sounds obvious, but a surprising number of people put off going to the dentist when they’re in pain, either because they think it might get better on it’s own, or they’re afraid of what the treatment will cost. We can tell you from experience putting off getting treatment for a toothache will make it more expensive, not less! Plus, we don’t want any of our patients to be in pain for any length of time. The sooner you see us the sooner we can make the pain go away. If you’re experiencing oral pain, especially if accompanied by swelling or redness, please call right away.

Sensitive Teeth

While tooth sensitivity can be a result of relatively harmless things such as over-brushing or sensitivity to chemicals in tooth whitening toothpaste, it can also be a sign of a serious oral health problem. Tooth sensitivity to heat or cold can be a sign of a cracked tooth, a filling that’s gone bad, a cavity, tooth erosion, or even gum disease. If you’ve suddenly developed tooth sensitivity, please come in to see us. Not only will we be able to diagnose potential problems, we can offer treatments or advice that may reduce or eliminate the sensitivity.

Bleeding Gums

Bleeding gums can be a sign of serious oral health problems, particularly gingivitis & gum disease (periodontal disease), which can lead to lots of pain, expense, & tooth extraction. Still, we know that many people see a bit of blood when they brush or floss their teeth & don’t think much of it. But consider this: you wash your hands all the time as a way to prevent disease. If your hands started bleeding every time you washed them, wouldn’t you contact your doctor? Same goes for your mouth: if it bleeds when you brush or floss, call us right away!

Health Changes

It’s easy to forget that your oral health affects your overall health & that the opposite is also true. If you have been recently diagnosed with diabetes, you should let us know, as this condition puts you at higher risk for gum disease & poor oral hygiene has also been shown to exacerbate diabetes symptoms. Patients who are starting treatment for cancer should also contact us, as many cancer treatments can have serious side effects on your oral health. If you’ve recently been put on a medication that causes dry mouth, you may be more prone to tooth decay or other problems, so please let us know which medications you’re on & which side effects you’re experiencing. Women who who have become pregnant should also tell us right away, as pregnancy can create changes in your oral health, particularly your gums. These are just a few examples. If you’ve experienced a serious change in your health, please let us know so we can keep an eye on its effect on your smile.

It’s Been a While

Your teeth don’t hurt, your gums don’t bleed, you brush & floss regularly, you don’t have that much plaque or tartar build up, your teeth are not too yellow, you think your breath smells fine, so why should you visit the dentist? The truth is, many potential dental problems start with no noticeable symptoms at all. Visiting us regularly for a teeth cleaning & dental exam is the best way to detect unseen problems. For example, we do periodic x-rays of your teeth during your visit because it helps us spot cavities that may be starting between your teeth or under fillings that would otherwise not be visible to the naked eye & aren’t yet causing your pay. When you visit us we can detect signs of a problem that you may not know to look for, such as signs of tooth grinding or even oral cancer. Plus, why would you want to miss out on that wonderful smooth & fresh smile that you can only get after a cleaning at the dentist?

Our team has been caring for our community for a while now & we’ve noticed many patients come to us with the same questions over & over again. Always feel free to ask us questions when you have them! In the meantime, check out the FAQ & answers below to learn more about your oral health.

1. What causes tooth sensitivity & should I be worried about it?Patients often notice tooth sensitivity as pain when eating hot or cold foods or beverages. Tooth sensitivity is caused when the tooth’s surface has been worn away (leaving underlying dentin layer bare) or when gums have receded, exposing the sensitive root of the tooth. This exposed dentin allows heat, cold or pressure to reach your tooth’s nerve directly, resulting in pain. Tooth sensitivity can be a precursor to other dental problems, because exposed dentin is more vulnerable to decay & receding gums is a sign of possible gum disease. If you have sensitive teeth, please tell us right away so we can make recommendations on how to deal with it.

1. How often do I need to visit the dentist?You should visit us every six months for a teeth cleaning. Your regular teeth cleaning appointments are not just an opportunity to get your teeth much cleaner than you can just by brushing & flossing at home, they’re also an opportunity for us to examine your mouth for potential problems. We generally take x-rays of your mouth at least once a year at your cleaning appointment, if not more often, so we can detect hard-to-see cavities & other issues. However, we should note that if we have diagnosed you with gum disease (periodontitis) or the beginnings of it (gingivitis), the doctor may ask that you come in more frequently so we can treat your condition & keep it from getting worse.

1. What is better, a manual toothbrush or an electric toothbrush?With the proper technique, both manual & electric toothbrushes perform about the same. However, if your manual brushing techniques are less than optimal, an electric toothbrush may help you be a bit more thorough. Many electric toothbrushes have a built in timer that can help you make sure you brush for the recommended two minutes. If you are interested in an electric toothbrush, we’d be happy to talk with you about the options that would be best for you.

1. What is gum disease?Gum disease, known clinically as periodontal disease or periodontitis, is when bacteria surrounds your teeth & invades your gums. The disease generally starts with little or no symptoms, so unless you visit the dentist regularly you may not even know you have it. Early stages of gum disease, often called gingivitis, can start with red, swollen gums that bleed easily & have started to recede from the teeth (your teeth might start to look longer than they used to), persistent bad breath, & gum sensitivity to acidic foods. Later stages of gum disease include abscesses, tooth pain, bone loss in the jaw & tooth loss. Gingivitis is treatable in it’s early stages, but if it becomes gum disease, it cannot be cured, only managed. Your best option is to prevent gum disease by practicing good oral hygiene habits, visiting us frequently for professional cleanings & checkups, & telling us right away if you have any of the symptoms listed above.

1. My teeth don’t hurt & they look just fine. Why do I need to see the dentist?There are many dental problems that have no detectable symptoms, at least not at first. It’s possible to have cavities & tooth decay, gingivitis, gum disease, tooth grinding, an infected tooth or oral cancer & not have any obvious symptoms. Even if you aren’t experiencing pain, sensitivity, swelling or bleeding & can’t see anything wrong with your teeth in the mirror, there may still be a problem. That’s why we use all the latest technologies & techniques at our office, so we can detect potential problems even when you haven’t told us that something is bothering you. Visiting us every six months for a teeth cleaning & a brief dental exam is important to detecting potential problems before they become both costly & painful! We’re not trying to scare you or shake you down, we just want to keep you smiling!

What if we told you the more often you see your dentist, the less you’ll spend on dentistry? We know it sounds like a contradiction, but that is the power of preventive dentistry.

We recommend that you visit us at least twice a year for a teeth cleaning appointment, which also includes a basic exam. You’ll hear dental professionals refer to this kind of appointment as prophylaxis (prophy for short), which is a word that comes from a Greek term that means “guard”. The services we perform during your teeth cleaning & checkup are intended to guard against the spread & development of disease, particularly tooth decay & gum disease.

Think of your preventive dental care in terms of this metaphor: you’re at home & a bad rain storm is coming. What would you rather respond to, a weather report telling you that there is a flood warning, or three feet of water in your living room? Wouldn’t you want the early warning so you have time to place sandbags to keep the water out?

As a dental patient, which would you rather have, a dental hygienist gently removing plaque & tartar from your teeth, or the dentist telling you that your tooth is too far gone to be saved & has to be removed?

We say this not to scare you & not as a threat, but because we want you to think of preventive dentistry as an early warning system for your mouth. We’d rather let you know about the risks to your health & help you take preventive measures than be on the phone with the insurance company telling them about the damage.

A few dozens sandbags are a lot cheaper than replacing your belongings & repairing damage to your house. Preventive dentistry, like teeth cleanings, is much cheaper than restorative repair to fix decay, such as fillings, crowns, & bridges or gum disease treatments. If you have dental insurance, most of your annual preventive dental care is covered & won’t cost you any extra money. That’s like if your homeowner’s insurance offered you a load of sandbags for free twice a year, just in case there was a flood. If you knew there was a risk of flooding, why would your refuse the offer?

So if you want to avoid costly restorative dentistry or gum disease treatments in the future, be sure to come see us every six months for your preventive care & cleaning appointment. An hour of your time twice a year is well worth trying to repair the damage after a catastrophe!