Dental Health

The National Association of Dental Plans estimates that over 97% of individuals have unused dental benefits at the end of each year. If you're not one of the 2-3% of people who has actually used their benefits, you should schedule an appointment immediately. You're paying insurance premiums (even if they are split with your employer). You may as well use the benefits that you've paid for.

Halloween is just a few days away. If you have young children, they are most likely excited about putting on their costume and going trick-or-treating on Thursday. This Halloween ritual is a favorite for many kids, and for good reason. What can be better than coming home with a giant bucket of candy? There’s nothing wrong with letting your kids enjoy some Halloween candy, but it’s important to have a plan in place for making sure these sweet treats don’t cause cavities.

Regular dental checkups and cleanings are an important part of your oral hygiene regimen, and they are crucial to your ability to maintain healthy teeth and gums long term. While the American Dental Association doesn’t outline specific recommendations for how often you should visit the dentist, most individuals typically should schedule dental checkups twice a year.

Seeing a dentist for regular checkups is key to living a healthy life, but not for the reason you may think. Did you know that your dentist does more than keep your teeth clean? They help keep your mouth cancer-free.

Oral cancer affects more than 50,000 Americans per year. Oral cancer screenings as part of your routine dental appointments are your best defense against this disease.

Missing teeth can be unsightly and embarrassing. When you're considering replacement teeth, though, you should look beyond the cosmetics of your smile. Missing teeth can also cause serious problems for your overall oral health.

If you’re missing one or more teeth, particularly if they’re in a hard-to-see area, it may not seem immediately compelling to replace them. However, there are a number of reasons, some cosmetic, others practical, to replace those pearly whites.

Everyone knows you are supposed to floss every day, but a surprising number of people still haven’t incorporated flossing into their daily dental hygiene routine. With Halloween upon us and the winter food holidays fast approaching, it’s the perfect time of year to start flossing to thoroughly clean your mouth of food debris and plaque build up.

For the seventh year in a row the American Dental Hygienists’ Association and the Wrigley Oral Healthcare Program are sponsoring National Dental Hygiene Month to recognize the work of dental hygienists around the country and raise awareness of the importance that good dental hygiene plays in overall health.

Bad breath is a common, and very embarrassing problem. The last thing you want to do when meeting with new clients, acquaintances, or even friends is to leave a lasting impression with your bad breath!

More than 80 million people suffer with bad breath. What they may not know is that bad breath can be the body’s way of indicating that something else is wrong. Bad breath can be caused by a variety of factors, such as: