Economic Hardship and Needed Dental Treatment




With the current economic status of the country, one of the issues that hits close to home for us, is the loss of Dental Insurance. Without dental insurance, a lot of families will just ignore the regular trips to the dentist, thinking that it is a “luxury” that you can live without. However, for most people a regular cleaning and exam, brings up some much needed dental treatment that needs to be taken care of, before it becomes an even bigger problem.

Things that you can do, to bring the cost of dental treatment down:
Use your insurance before you lose it.
If you know that you will be losing your dental insurance by the end of the year, call your dentist and get in as soon as possible to have at least an exam, so that any decay or lost fillings can be filled before you lose your insurance coverage.
As soon as something starts to bother you or you lose a filling, call your dentist and get it repaired immediately to insure there is no decay to cause even bigger problems.
If a tooth is broken, a filling may be all it needs to repair it, unless the size of the missing piece is too large to be filled, it will need a crown.
However, if you wait to get the tooth taken care of, decay can set in and then the tooth, depending on the severity of the decay, could use a root canal or extraction.
If you happen to break a tooth and can not possibly get in to see your dentist immediately, try to keep it extremely clean to prevent plaque from getting in there and causing the tooth to decay.
Even if you lose your dental insurance, still try to get in at least once a year for a cleaning and exam, because a cleaning and exam is a lot cheaper than waiting until something is hurting you. At that point it is almost too late to do a filling and then could use a very costly, root canal.
Between visits to your dentist, you could also be more diligent about your home care.
Understanding your own oral health needs
Brush twice daily with a soft toothbrush and a fluoridated toothpaste
Floss at least once daily
If you have well water, use a fluoride rinse in addition to brushing and flossing.
Limit high sugar snacks, and eat a well-balanced diet
Stop using tobacco of any kind
Examine your own mouth regularly.
Also, eating a well-balanced diet gives your gum tissue and teeth the important nutrients and minerals they need to resist infections and stay strong.
Firm, fibrous foods such as fruits and vegetables tend to help keep teeth clean and tissue healthy. When you snack, choose cheese, plain yogurt, fruit or raw vegetables.
Stay away from soft, sticky foods because they tend to remain on the grooves and between teeth, producing more plaque.
If you must seek out dental treatment and cannot possibly afford it, there are some “free” or “low-cost” dental facilities in your area that can help you.

The bottom line is that no matter what the economic status is of the country, the importance of taking care of your teeth never changes.