Inexpensive Dental Care Plans For Children in Pennsylvania.

Question: I would like to get a inexpensive dental care plan for just my five year old son. I do not have much money so right now I am only looking to get something for my son dental health care since what I do have on him does not offer any thing for dental. He has only been to the dentist once and I worry that he may have cavities or something not be check up on and fixed. Can you advise if you have any dental plan that can help me afford proper dental care for my son.

Answer: Our website offer a few dental insurance and plan types. For the lower cost options you may want to review our dental HMO plan and or our dental discount plans. With the discount plans you can buy the plan only for your minor child. With the HMO you will need to buy a couple plan but even the cost for the couple option is pretty affordable.

North Carolina Individual Dental Insurance for Children.

Question: I would like to get a dental insurance plan for just my daughter. My question is can a minor have their own dental insurance plan without a parent being listed on the plan ? I have to get dental insurance for my ten year old daughter who lives with her mom in a different state. I only want to get dental insurance for my daughter since I am not required to do so for my X. However she seems to think this can not be done.

Answer: It would depend on the dental insurance plan and their own terms and conditions. Many dental insurance plans however will require a least one adult listed on the plan forcing you into buying a couple plan (An adult with a dependent child). However if you are having to do it this way I suggest listing yourself as the adult. Even if you live in a different state. You can do this in most cases, by choosing a dental insurance plan that is in both states.

How Do I Find the Best Dental Insurance Plan?

Question: I am looking for dental insurance, how do I find the best dental insurance plan?

Answer: This is a question that comes up often, but I will tell you there is no sure answer to your question as it is. The reason why is because we do not know the condition of your teeth and what is needed to correct them. Also what does “best” means to you? Is it the best price, or deductible, or maybe you need coverage for orthodontics.

Our website offer a broad range of dental insurance and dental plan options for your review. Letting you compare plans types, cost and coverage’s. In addition we provide a customer service line 310-534-3444 that can help you with our plan options and choices so that you can best pick the dental insurance and or plan right for you and your needs.

Question: I been looking for dental insurance for myself but I am quickly finding out that the plans I seen on line are just costly for me at this time. What I would really like to know is if getting a low cost dental discount plan really a good alternative to dental insurance? I see you offer a few dental discount plans on your site so can you advise if they are a good alternative option.

Answer: Dental discount plans are a good alternative options to higher cost dental insurance plans. However you will want to make sure you have providers under a dental discount plan in your area of in an area you are willing to travel too. Since with dental discount plans you have to go to dentist that are providers of the plan. There is no outside network savings.  Keep in mind that most dental discount plans do not provide preventive care for free but what they do do is reduce the cost for all your dental care needs you have render at a provider office hopefully making your dental care more affordable

Looking for low income family dental insurance plans

Question: My husband just lost the job, I am only working part time and we have two kids under the age of ten. We were a low income household before my husband got laid off now we are just hardly getting by each day. My husband is looking for a full time job. In the mean time I would like to know if there are any low income dental plans we could get.

Answer: I would say to start your search for dental insurance by reviewing our Dental HMO plans we have available in most states. You may also wish to review our dental discount plans as they to are lower cost plans that help you save money on your family dental care needs.

 Insurance companies do their best to ensure that their policyholders understand their plans and benefits, but it is up to an individual to make sure that they are making informed choices. The differences in the various plans you can choose from are:   

• The type of third party funding the plan.     
• Methods of selecting a dentist.     
• Compensation of the dentist’s services to you.     
• The calculations of benefits and payments.

Understanding these differences will enable you to make an informed decision when selecting a dental plan that is best for you or your family. It will also help you understand the insurance companies really do care about your dental health and want you to be informed of your choices.   Keep in mind the dentist is a reflection of the insurance company. They both are here to help you keep that pretty smile healthy.

Part of why people are afraid of different things is because of the lack of understanding of what it is or what it is about.  Try to find out all there is to know about wisdom teeth extractions. There are many very good websites that go over the step by step process.  Also ask your dentist all the questions you have about the process and the care after the removal.  

Tell your dentist about your fear and concerns.  This will help him explain to you how the process is not really all the scary.   One other resource  is a course this blog.  Many people have the same fears of the dentist and extractions.  There have been many good replies to those questions.  Try checking them out as well.

This all comes down to shopping around and doing your homework. I do not feel that one is necessary better the the other and would be un-fair to make a blanked statement like that. I am sure that there are good dentist and bad dentist in both. Here are some suggestions you can do when trying to find a dentist. 

1) Call the dental offices you have in your area that you may want to go to. Ask them all the general questions you may have.  This will help give you get an  idea of how they are. 
2) You may want to just stop by. I have done this before. Just walk in and see what it looks like. Is it clean are the people friendly. Also talk to the people who are waiting. What better reference you can get. Ask them what they think of the dentist and the office. Most people will tell you the good and bad about their dentist.  
3) You mentioned cost and not wanting to pay exorbitant amount for services. For this you may want to invest in getting either dental insurance or a dental discount plan.  Either will help you control your dental cost.  
4) When you find a dentist you might want to go to,  find out what plans they participate in.  This way you can look for those plans.  
5) Do not forget the power of the internet. You can do a search on the dentist to see if there has been any comments about the office or the dentist by others that went there.  
6) Finding a good dentist takes time but it is worth the effort you will put into it.  Good luck to you in your search.

A large proportion of people in the countries where sucrose became widely available developed rapidly-advancing dental caries which began in the tooth enamel. For reasons that we now understand well, these individuals experienced pain, severe localized infection within relatively dense bone and then systemic illness. Suddenly, a disease which could be extremely painful and even deadly became common in children and young adults.     When the epidemic began no-one understood its cause. All that people could do at the time was treat its consequences.

Treatment was by surgery, usually by extracting the tooth, and was very difficult for the surgeon (and very painful for the patient). Surgeons were not particularly admired at the time, because their work was crude, painful and often failed. A new type of surgeon, the dental surgeon, was needed. The dental profession began as a group of people who were also not very admired, but were very much needed.

Most individual dental insurance plans require you to satisfy waiting periods and deductibles before having major and sometimes even minor restorative work done. Discount dental plans help make maintaining good oral health a lot more affordable. And, with no waiting periods or complicated coverage procedures, dental discount plans are about as simple as you can get. 

How do discount dental plans work? As we become aware about our oral health, there has been a demand for affordable dental care. Discount dental plans are the newest option for those without coverage. These dental discount plans are much cheaper than traditional dental insurance, and also offer almost equal coverage for all dental work, even cosmetic procedures not covered by standard indemnity dental plans. 

The catch is that dental discount plans are not really insurance at all. They work more like club memberships, where the cost of membership (your “premium”) earns a steep discount on any club service (dental work) you buy. The discount normally applies to all dental office services performed by an approved “plan” dentist, but no procedure is covered completely.

When it comes to dental discount plans, the good news is afford ability, breadth of services, and immediate coverage. The bad news is greater financial risk and responsibility on your part.    

Although the monthly cost of most discount dental plans is very low compared to the price of a traditional dental insurance or indemnity insurance policy, there’s more allover financial risk with a dental discount plan. No care is totally covered, so an expensive procedure will mean a big out-of-pocket expense, even with the dental plan. And even when undergoing a low-cost service (like cleaning), you’ll still be expected to pick up a part of the cost.    

However, on the plus side, discount dental plans are effective immediately – so are many procedures you need now will be covered as soon as you buy the dental discount plan. Traditional indemnity and/or insurance dental plans usually impose a waiting period of between 6 and 18 months for any major procedure. The last “pro” is that all good dental discount plans should come with a money-back guarantee.

Indemnity or Dental Insurance Plans This type of dental plan pays the dental office (dentist) on a traditional fee-for-service basis. A monthly premium is paid by the client and/or the employer to an insurance company, which then reimburses the dental office (dentist) for the services rendered.

An insurance company usually pays between 50% – 80% of the dental office (dentist) fees for a covered procedures; the remaining 20% – 50% is paid by the client.  These plans often have a pre-determined or set deductible amount which varies from plan to plan.

Indemnity plans also can limit the amount of services covered within a given year and pay the dentist based on a variety of fee schedules. Some typical features of these plans: High deductibles before coverage begins (well-designed plans don’t apply the deductible to preventive services)      Probationary periods on certain procedures that last up to a year        Annual dollar limit on benefits, Chose your own dentist,   Your average monthly cost: $50+   

Companies selling these plans are regulated by state insurance departments.

Question: I want something I can wear daily that does not look like ridiculous cartoon teeth while I save up for actual dental work. My teeth are stained, and gaped/crooked and it is really something that upsets me. I found some different types of temporary false teeth online but still not sure what to do. Obviously, snap in teeth are not going to look perfect and natural but I’d really like to find something that is passable for the time being.  

Reply: I would say that Snap on smile is the best and looks the best. Snap on smile is a good temporary solution.  It is a removable appliance that covers your teeth. However since they go on top of your teeth, they do not always blend well with your gums and may not look natural if you show your gums when you smile.  

Another thing to keep in mind is price. If price is a factor for you, they can run between $500 – $1000 per arch.  That is a lot of money to just cover up teeth that still need to be repaired.  In addition most dental insurance companies do not offer any benefits for snap on smiles.   

This may not be what you want to hear but I would really look into this more and talk to your dentist and see what options are good for you.  Make sure it cost effective.  You stated you are in the process of saving your money to fix your teeth, I would not waste money on something that is temporary and instead just focus on getting the required dental care you need for your teeth so that you can have a better smile as well as good oral health

When your child see a dentist regularly the dentist will be able to monitor the alignment of your child’s teeth.  A large majority of children will need braces to align or straighten their teeth at some point of their dental development. Children with crooked teeth, overbites, structural issues or severe under-bites will get the recommendation to wear braces.

The type of braces that your child will require and the length of time needed depends on how severe the problem is. Retainers can also be used which, like braces, provide a level of pressure to move your child’s teeth into their proper position.  Make sure you talk to your child dentist and go over any recommended dental treatment.

It is important to under stand that brushing and flossing still can not thoroughly get every nook and cranny. So even though you may have given your child all the tools necessary for brushing and flossing their teeth, having a dentist look at your child’s teeth is recommended because dentists have additional tools which will allow them to clean every corner of your child’s mouth. This is also another chance that your child will have to understand the importance of good oral hygiene.

Brushing your teeth before bed is one of the most important children’s dental care tip for your child. When your child is young, make sure to either brush his/her teeth for them or supervise as it can be hard to brush correctly without practice.

The goal for this is to make brushing before bed part of the routine of dental care for children and encourage them to continue it throughout their life. If they are hesitant about brushing, you could try making it a family routine that you all do together.

Dental PPO plans are a great way to be able to stay with or choose your own dentist.  They will normally provide benefits for both in network providers as well as out of network providers.  However it is important to think a head when buying dental PPO plans as they often come with limitations such as waiting periods.   

Dental PPO insurance plans are not the type of insurance plans you would buy at the time of dental issues.  Waiting for larger dental care needs before buying dental insurance is not to your advantage with a dental PPO plan due to their waiting periods. 

Many PPO plans have waiting periods up to six months for basic services such as a filling and up to twelve months for major services such as a crown. Therefore if staying with your current family dentist is important think about getting a dental PPO plan now in order to maintain your current preventive needs and burn down any long term waiting periods before such needs arrives.

Often times parents believe that children’s dental care does not really begin until their first tooth appears. However that would be incorrect. By brushing your child’s gums at a young age, before there are any signs of their first tooth, will help prevent the formation of bacteria on your child’s gums and will also help both you and your child set a routine of oral hygiene that can last for the rest of their life. Just make sure to brush the gums with a soft toothbrush as using a harsher one may damage the baby’s gums.

Find affordable individual and family dental insurance online though our website dental4less.com. Get free quote and compare dental insurance plans in your area. You can buy the dental insurance plan online or over the phone. If you have any questions about the available plan we provide please call our office at 310-534-3444 M-F 8am – 4pm as member services will be happy to help you.

I have a family of four with my youngest at age three. I am looking for a low cost dental insurance plan but all the ones I have review cost over $100 a month.    

Answer: Seems as if you are reviewing dental PPO’s or Indemnity Insurance plans which are the more costly dental insurance plan types.  I would suggest reviewing our dental HMO plans which are much more affordable at a monthly cost around $30 – $40 a month for a family. You may even want to review our dental discount plans which run under $20.00 a month for a family.  These are lower cost dental insurance and plan options which will help to reduce the cost of your family dental care needs

If you feel anxious about a visit to a dental professional, do your best not to convey your feelings to your child. This is very important for emotional well-being. Encourage your child to discuss any fears he/she might have about visiting a dentist, but do not put any new fears into his/her head. It is a good rule of thumb not to mention the words “hurt” or “pain” as it raises a possibility he/she might not have thought of.

What is a dental extraction, and why are they done? A dental extraction is the removal of a tooth from the mouth. There are many reasons why extraction services are needed. Such as when tooth decay destroys enough of the tooth structure to prevent restoration. Tooth decay is one of the most frequent indications of teeth extraction. Periodontal disease (gum disease) and dental trauma are other reasons one may have a tooth extraction.

Did you know that if your child eat sugary snacks, it will take the saliva a minimum of 30 minutes to neutralize the acidity that is created by decay-producing bacteria. A sugary snack every hour can mean your child’s mouth is always acid, increasing the chances for tooth decay.

Find out if the water supply that serves your home is fluoridated. If it is not, you may want to discuss supplement options with your dentist. Keep in mind that toothpastes and various foods may also contain fluoride.

When do you start brushing your baby’s baby teeth with toothpaste?  I will be taking my son to see the dentist for his fist appointment.  He has about five teeth in now.  What to make sure they are looking good and coming in correctly.  But until now I have not use toothpaste just baby teeth wipes.  So I would love to hear when other people changed to brushing with paste. 

Reply: You can start to use toothpaste that does not have fluoride in it. However you should not use toothpaste with fluoride until your baby knows how to spit.  Normally around the age of two.