If you are concerned about the high cost of dental care and the almost complete lack of cost coverage – even when you have insurance – you are definitely not alone. One thing we should not overestimate is the importance of our dental health.

You may scarcely notice your teeth when everything is fine. However, when something hurts, you have a cavity or perhaps need a root canal, you do notice. Most likely, at that point, you are willing to pay the price to get this dental work done. That price, as you undoubtedly know, can be very high, depleting your savings or causing you to ‘make payments’ to your dentist or credit card company.

What if there were some simple things that you could do to actually prevent expensive treatments in the first place? Here are some things to keep in mind.

1. The pH balance of your mouth is extremely important. Bacteria multiply more rapidly in an acidic environment and foods and beverages that are acidic can leach the calcium and phosphate right out of your teeth causing them to weaken and be more susceptible to – you guessed it – cavities!

Beverages like soda and coffee can drive the pH balance to the acidic side. You can sip on milk or water while eating or drinking such things. That will help, but you really should consider a pH balanced rinse or chewing xylitol gum after eating such meals.

2. Plaque build up – This is an amazing simple, yet complicated problem. It should be obvious to you that brushing and flossing are not a fool-proof method of avoiding dental problems. If there were, there would not be a need for so many dentists. The key here is that plaque is actually relatively easy to disrupt. No need to brush hard, just often! Consistency can help you win the fight against plaque.

3. The same acidic foods and drinks can increase plaquing as well. Even some ‘healthy’ foods can do this. Blueberries are one of the worst foods that contribute to plaquing.

Is the answer to avoid all ‘bad’ foods. That, in my opinion would be impossible.

As I write this, I am situated inside a coffee shop in Kansas City. There is literally zero healthy food here. When I get hungry, I end up eating a cookie or piece of cake or an unhealthy sandwich loaded with meats and cheese – it doesn’t even taste good. But, when you are hungry, you will eat anything!

Therefore, to counteract the effect of acidic foods and beverages, I try to keep some xylitol gum on hand. Xylitol has a powerful pH balancing effect. But not all xylitol gums are created equal. Some barely have enough put in by the manufacturer simply so that they can claim it on the label. It is virtually useless and because of the other ingredients in it, it could very well be harmful!

Xylitol, pH balanced mouthwash, milk and water can all help you avoid the long term damage that can come from exposing your teeth and gums to harmful, acidic foods. Do not be the person who sips on soda or coffee all day. You are constantly putting acid in and doing nothing to change your mouth pH, you are doing this all day long! What do you think will happen long term – after years of this behavior?

The same conditions that improve your chances for dental caries also can contribute to the development of gum disease. Both conditions can be expensive to treat.

Read more on the topic of prevention.

Author: You can learn more about prevention at http://www.Gingivitiskiller.com . David Snape is the author of the book: What You Should Know About Gum Disease.

This article is for information purposes only and does not intend to render advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have or think you might have a health condition of any kind, visit your dentist or doctor for advice, diagnosis and treatment. The USFDA has not evaluated statements about products in this article.

I find it to be surprising the number of people I hear from and the benefits they get from oral irrigation. However, these folks are not just using any old oral irrigator.

Irrigators are not all created equal. Some have a special technology that allows them to reduce more plaque build up than others.

The principle behind reducing plaque is very simple. Actually, reducing it isn’t actually the goal, although reducing it does help. The hydrofloss is the tool that has been shown to reduce plaque build up between office visits.

You see, plaque is a very mundane term for something that is a bit more insidious when explained. Plaque is a alive! It is a living biofilm made up of a number of substances, the worst for us being bacteria.

The plaque creates a problem for us human beings. Since it is a film, it produces a more or less airtight space. It is in this space that something terrible happens. Some bacteria, when they do not have oxygen, revert to a form of metabolism called ‘anaerobic’.

This form of metabolism is harmful to the human host because of the toxic byproducts that come from it. These acidic, toxic substances can harm our dental enamel and our gum tissue.

This explains the reason why you have been told to brush and floss daily. Trouble is, that may not be enough. The proof is in what dental health care professional and public health workers know. Statistics say that up to 75% of people have some form of gum disease in their mouth right now!

It is staggering when you think about it. Most people brush, fewer floss, but even if you do both, you may still be headed for trouble.

Gum disease can lead to tooth loss and researchers suspect that it can lead to many systemic diseases such as heart attacks and stroke.

Learn more about the ‘best’ oral irrigator.

Read more on the topic of saving your teeth and gums and preventing expensive dental bills!

*  This article is for information purposes only and does not intend to give advice, diangosis or treatment.  If you have or think you might have a health problem, including but not limited to a dental health problem, be sure to contact your dentist or doctor for advice, diagnosis and treatment.  The USFDA has not evaluated statements about  products in this article.

There is an incredible misconception that you must have broken and crumbled teeth and receding gums as a consequence of aging. Is this really the truth?

I remember a coworker who broke a tooth while eating. The tooth split in half on some morsel of food that may or may not have been very hard. Even in the worse case scenario a piece of the tooth may have chipped, but for the tooth to split in half means there must have been some underlying weakness that allowed this to happen.

Our teeth are very important to us. We need them to eat – that is obvious. But we also need them to insure that our jaw does not deteriorate. You can lose bone mass when the jaw has no tooth to support. In addition, a lost tooth can cause your teeth to shift creating an uneven bite which in turn can cause uneven wear and tear on your teeth.

Therabreath makes a line of products that may be helpful to your dental health.

Oramd is an essential oil blend that is used as toothpaste.

The Hydro Floss is an oral irrigator – irrigators can help you in your efforts to reduce plaque build up between office visits

I will theorize for the rest of this article. I would speculate that my friend’s problem may have had two components. One would be nutritional and the other would be repetitive failure to maintain proper pH of the mouth.

Much depends on both – as I continue to speculate. You can imagine the teeth as being made of calcium and phosphate ions. When there is a more acidic environment those ions can be dissolved or ‘pulled’ right out of the enamel of your teeth, thereby weakening them. You could imagine that over time, this could be a problem.

Energy drinks, coffee drinks and fruit juices can all lower the pH of the environment in your mouth, making it more acidic. What if you consistently were to raise that pH back up after eating or drinking an acidic food or beverage?

Author:  David S.

For meditation – visit FalunDafa.org

Disclaimer: This article is for information and entertainment purposes only. It does not intend to render advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have or think you might have gum disease or any other health problem, visit your periodontist or physician for advice, diagnosis and treatment. The USFDA has not evaluated statements about products in this article.

There more I hear from people interested in the hydro floss, the more impressed I am. I have my own experience with this device as well and I’m very happy with what it can do in regards to my dental health.

Many dentists are also recommending the hydro floss. This is because of the history of this device. Studies have documented it’s effectiveness. The second study was designed to disprove the first, however, it showed the hydro floss to be even more effective than the first study.

A personal dental irrigator may be very helpful to you. You would be surprised just how much comes out of your mouth even after you have brushed and flossed.

Cost is not a factor because if you are able to buy one of these devices for less than the cost of a single office visit, isn’t it worth it? That seems to be especially true if it can save you from expensive dental treatments. A scaling and root planing treatment might cost you up to $1600

Some people have to replace their teeth. I met a gentleman who spent $26,000 to have his teeth fixed / replaced. That makes the cost of a $100 home dental instrument sound miniscule doesn’t it?

Wouldn’t it be nice if we shifted our focus a bit from treatment to prevention. Imagine the health care dollars that we could save. Imagine the personal pain and suffering that would no longer be necessary.

We have always known this to be true. Remember the saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"? This quote is as true today as when it was originally coined. We have moved to far away from prevention, let’s get back to it.

Unfortunately, prevention and what it means is something that each of us needs to really understand personally. You can not leave prevention in the hands of someone else and expect the kind of results that you are deserving of as a human being.

Author: Dave S.

Disclaimer:  This article is for information purposes only.  If you have or think you might have any type of health problem at all, visit a physician for advice diagnosis and treatment. The USFDA has not evaluated statements about products in this article. 

Change is right around the corner. There are many things on the horizon. For example, they can regrow teeth if there is any root left alive. It has been done in a lab. But when will it be commercially available? Who knows?

Gum tissue can be grown in the lab from the patient’s own cells. This saves the need to grab donor tissue from the roof of the mouth or some other area. Again, we have no idea when we will see this commercially.

Unfortunately, many people are suffering from gum disease and receded gum tissue. Some even have loose teeth. It is important for people to understand that almost all of the time, but not always, this is going to be due to the presence of gum disease. Prevention is better than cure and that is why you may wish to shop for a hydrofloss.

Ask almost any dentist or especially periodontists, they will all tell you that most people have problems with their gum health. What I find perplexing is why dentists don’t mention this more often to their patients. Some dentists will simply allow a problem to get worse until it reaches the point of needed a Scaling and Root Planing. If interested in prevention, you may wish to buy a hydrofloss.

This, in my opinion, is not the greatest service to the patient. Humanity is cruel. Many dentists know that what I am saying is true. Please don’t misunderstand, there are many good dentists. I just wish there could be some behavioral or attitudinal changes out there. Patients deserve the best.

I understand the frustration of doctors. Perhaps they believe they are wasting their time when they spend it educating the patient. Perhaps there are other reasons. Whatever is going on in any specific practice, I hope that the focus can shift more towards what is best for the patient – even when the patient has no idea about what is going on. Some buy oramd.

What happened to the age old idea of doing good for goodness’s sake. It isn’t necessary for anyone to realize that you have done them a good deed or not, just do it. If we all operated that way regardless of what place or station in life we occupy, wouldn’t the world be a better place?

Author: David S. All Rights Reserved:

Disclaimer: This article is for information and entertainment purposes only. It does not intend to render advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have or think you might have gum disease or any other health problem, visit your periodontist or physician for advice, diagnosis and treatment. The USFDA has not evaluated statements about products in this article.