8 GREAT TIPS IF YOU GAG IN THE DENTIST CHAIR

September, 2013 »  

Gag Real —

Do you hate going to the dentist because you have a gag reflex while x-rays are being taken or impressions are being done?  It can make for a very frustrating dental visit for both you and your dental provider.  Your throat has the tendency to be “on guard” if it feels like there is a potential choking hazard or that your airway can be blocked and you are unable to breath.  Some people have a worse gag reflex than others and some don’t have it at all.  Gagging can stem from a bad dental experience you had in the past or just a general anxiety.  Don’t feel alone if you suffer from this condition because you are in the company of many others.

We have had our fair share of gaggers in our dental chairs at Szmanda Dental Center and we have found a few tricks that may help you get through your dental visit.

1. Breath through your nose.  Obviously this will curtail the reflex of gagging if you are concentrating on breathing through your nose and not your mouth.

2. Be aware of when you feel your gag reflex is at it’s worst.  Is it in the morning or in the afternoon?  If you take note of this, try to schedule your dental appointment before or after that touchy time.

3. Numbing Spray.  We do have a spray available that is similar to Chloraseptic in which it numbs the back of the throat for a brief time.  We can also place a little bit of our topical anesthetic on the roof of your mouth which will have a numbing effect and may help to relax your gagging.  Both are a fabulous cherry flavor!  (Sorry for you cherry haters.)

4. Salt.  Just take a pinch and place it on your tongue.  This trick seems to work well for most of our patients.  It’s not the tastiest thing in the world, but because of this, your mind tends to concentrate on the salt over gagging.  We keep salt at all of our offices so no need to worry about bringing your own.

5. Lifting your left.  Your brain can also be bamboozled by a simple lift of the leg.  While you are sitting in the chair, bringing a leg up off the chair a few inches and holding it in that position makes you focus on something else.  It also tightens your stomach muscles, which helps with that gagging reflex.

6. Hum your favorite tune.  One thing that RDH (Registered Dental Hygienist) Magazine suggested that we have not tried yet is to hum.  By simply humming, you are producing airflow, which keeps you breathing.  A telltale sign of a gagging episode that is about to begin is when the patient stops breathing.  So, even if your hygienist or dentist doesn’t suggest it, let them know you are going to be humming a little ditty while they need to do their treatment.  Try something simple like “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”

7. Get serious with wrist bands that apply pressure.  There is also a suggestion from RDH to try a product called Sea Bands or Accustraps.  If you know you are a serious gagger and are willing to try anything, you may want to get your hands on these.  Typically they are used for motion sickness or morning sickness.  It is a band you wear around your wrist, which fits snug and applies pressure.  The nerves that carry signals to the brain understand pressure faster than pain or nausea, thusly preventing gagging.  We hope to have these at our offices in the near future.

8. Practice at home.  If you want to try to break your gagging habit, you can practice by taking something like your toothbrush and touching it to the roof of your mouth (dentalfearcentral.com).  Hold it there for longer increments each time and when you have that spot mastered, start moving it back further and further.  Yes, it sounds terrible and like it’s a pain in the butt, but if it helps, it will make life a little easier.  Just remember that you have to practice and build upon it for it to work, so don’t give up!  You can do it!

Please don’t let your gag reflex deter you from coming to your dental appointment.  We want to keep your dental needs in check before a problem arises.  Szmanda Dental Center would like to provide you with the best possible care and we would like to help you in any way we can.  Please feel free to ask us any dental questions.  That’s what we’re here for.

Information compiled from RDH Magazine, dentalfearcentral.com and Staff at Szmanda Dental Center 

© Szmanda Dental Center, S.C. 2013

ENTER TO WIN $100 WALMART GIFTCARD

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CANKER SORES AND COLD SORES. THEY BOTH SUCK.

August, 2013 »  

Canker Sores and Cold Sores.  They Both Suck. —

Canker sores and cold sores plague many people.  They both are a drag.  Let’s talk about what they are and why we get them.

Canker sores are painful sores or a single sore on the inside of your mouth including your tongue, cheeks, and towards the back of your throat. They are usually white in color or have a red border.  Normally you can tell you are getting a canker sore because you may feel a tingling sensation prior to seeing any physical evidence.  Canker sores tend to take about 1-2 weeks to heal and the pain lessens as they go away.

Unfortunately, it is not known for sure what causes canker sores.  Some people think that it may be caused from getting bumped in the mouth or stress.  However, there do seem to be some foods that tend to activate them.  Try to avoid eating certain trigger foods, which include citrus fruits, acidic vegetables and spicy foods. 

There is not a cure for canker sores.  Generally you just have to ride it out.  Just be sure to brush your teeth right after eating to get rid of any food debris that may irritate the sores and be careful while you brush to not bump them.

If you are experiencing pain in your mouth from what you feel is a canker sore and it lasts longer than several weeks, please contact us at Szmanda Dental to have one of our dentists check it to make sure it’s not something else.

Cold of the mouth sores are found around the outside on or near the lips.  They look like blisters and tend to swell.  Usually they end up cracking and turning into a scab, which heals in about 1-2 weeks.  Some people feel pain in the area prior to the outbreak, swelling and maybe even a fever.

Coming into contact with the herpes simplex virus causes cold sores.  Contact may have been from kissing someone who was infected (even a parent with a child) or something as simple as sharing a drink or a fork with an infected individual.  Once the virus is in your system, you cannot get rid of it.  It will be with you for the rest of your life.  This means that you need to be careful when you are having an outbreak to not spread the virus.  Make sure to wash your hands often during an outbreak.  Try to wear lip balm and sunscreen, as sunlight tends to activate cold sores.

There are medications for a cold sore; however, there are no quick remedies.  There are some ointments and pills you can take, but they only shorten the sore for about 1-2 days.  Bummer.  Although, according to the Mayo Clinic, antiviral medications taken during an outbreak can reduce the frequency of reoccurrences.

If you feel you are getting a cold sore or do have one, it’s probably best that you do not come in for a dental appointment due to the fact that we have to stretch your skin to work in your mouth and can irritate the area.  Also as mentioned earlier, cold sores are highly contagious!

If you have any further questions about cold sores or canker sores, please talk to any of the hygienists or dentists at Szmanda Dental Center.  We are here to keep you informed!

Information compiled from WebMD, the Mayo Clinic and Staff at Szmanda Dental Center  

© Szmanda Dental Center, S.C. 2013

DENTAL INSURANCE 101

July, 2013 »  

Dental Insurance 101 —

Ok, so we all know that sometimes insurance can be complicated to understand.  It doesn’t have to be that way once you know what you are looking at.  Let’s go over the basics of dental insurance to help you get a better grasp of it.

There are a bazillion ways that dental plans are written up, so we are just going to look at a typical generic plan and focus on that (please read your plan carefully to check on all the specifics).

First off, you have a dental maximum amount of dollars to use per your dental year.  This year typically runs from January 1 to December 31.  Some plans run on a different schedule due to hire dates and things like that, so you may have one that runs July 1 through June 30.  Knowing these dates will allow you to better prepare yourself to figure out how much time you have left to use up your remaining amount of benefit dollars and when your new year starts over with a new maximum to use.  Once you hit this maximum amount of dollars, that’s it until a new year starts!  Each member of the family on the dental plan has a maximum amount to use.  So, if the plan has a $1,000 maximum, it means that you, your spouse and child each individually have $1,000 of dental benefits. The maximum generally includes all of your services including exams, cleanings and x-rays, along with other things like fillings, crowns, dentures and so forth.  We’ve heard some patients say that they thought cleanings and exams are separate from the maximum, but that would be unusual.

Next: Deductibles.  Just like your car insurance or health insurance, dental insurance generally has a deductible that you need to meet.  This deductible (we see them a lot as $25 or $50 amounts) has to be paid by you prior to your insurance paying for dental treatment.  Most likely, the deductible is waived for things like regular cleanings, x-rays and exams, which are considered preventive care.  It does, however, apply to what is considered basic and major services.  Basic services generally include fillings, root canals, and extractions and some extensive cleanings.  Major services are usually things like crowns, bridges, partials and dentures. 

Let’s look at a break down to show you how the deductible works.  

Let’s say you have a $50 deductible and you need to have a filling done, which costs $150 (let’s sneak a maximum in here also).

Dental Maximum: $1,000    Deductible: $50 (applies to basic and major)

Coverage:

Preventive: 100%

Basic: 80%

Major: 50%

  

Ok, your insurance plan covers 80% of fillings after your $50 deductible is met.  Take that deductible off the top to start with and set it aside.

$150 (cost of filling)

-$50 (deductible)

_________________

$100 that your insurance will now pay 80% after deductible

80% of $100 is $80, which leaves you a 20% co-payment of  $20

Add that $20 co-payment to the deductible that you owe:

$50 deductible + $20 co-payment= $70 out-of-pocket cost to you

Now that your deductible is met, you should not have to meet it again until your new year of benefits starts over.

And, since your insurance will be paying $80, that will be $80 subtracted from the $1,000 maximum leaving $920 to use for the year.

There can be some tricky situations, as we all know happen when dealing with dental insurance.  Sometimes your insurance has something called a pre-existing condition, just like most health insurances.  This will prevent them from paying for certain things due to the initial occurrence happening prior to your coverage starting with that particular plan (confused yet?).  Maybe at one point in your life you had to have a tooth removed; let’s pretend when you were 31 years old.  Now, at 37 years old, you want something to replace that tooth, however you started a new job with different dental insurance and it has a pre-existing condition clause or what may be called a missing tooth clause.  The insurance will not pay for a bridge to replace that tooth because you had it removed prior to starting with this insurance plan.

Another issue might arise where you have a waiting period that needs to be met on a new insurance plan before you have any coverage at all.  Sometimes it will be a 3-month wait but there are times that you have to be covered under that dental plan for a year before they will cover anything major like a crown or partial denture.  Be aware of these things before you jump the gun.  It’s exciting to have dental insurance when you haven’t had it for a while, so although you may be raring to go to get dental treatment done, just make sure that a waiting period doesn’t prohibit you from moving ahead.

Szmanda Dental Center can find out from your insurance plan what your coverage is and any stipulations it might have.  We can also preauthorize proposed treatment prior to you having it completed so you can be aware of exactly what you will have to pay out-of-pocket.  Please talk with our fantastic front desk team for further information on your dental plan and to schedule an appointment.  We are here to help!  To see a list of our current insurance providers click the following link: www.szmandadental.com/financial.html

Information compiled from Staff at Szmanda Dental Center  © Szmanda Dental Center, S.C. 2013

OH SO YUMMY, BUT STAINS NOT SO FUNNY

June, 2013 »  

Oh So Yummy, But Stains Not So Funny —

Did you know that certain things you eat and drink can cause your teeth to stain?  Take note next time red wine is spilled on your carpet or tablecloth.  It can have the same effect on your teeth.

First of all, not all stain comes from food or drink, which is extrinsic staining.  As we age, our teeth naturally become more yellow due to our enamel thinning.  Teeth take a beating over the years and our enamel wears down.  This allows the inner layer of our teeth to show through.  That layer is called dentin and is yellow in color.  This is what would be called intrinsic staining since it comes from within.  Other than age, our diet can play a role in the appearance of yellow or stained teeth.

That’s a one a good a meataballa!!  How do you like your spaghetti?  Most likely you enjoy those noodles with some sort of tomato sauce.  Dark colored sauces (including soy sauce if you are having Chinese instead of Italian this evening) have the potential of staining your teeth. 

A lot of us like to drink coffee and tea. Unfortunately, both can stain your teeth and tea can actually stain worse than coffee can, especially the dark teas.

If you enjoy a good glass of wine, beware!  Wines are very acidic, even white wines, which can lead to staining of the teeth.

Exercising is great and good job if you do it!  In regards to your teeth, the best thing to replenish your body during and after exercise is water.  Sports drinks are highly acidic which leads to eroding of tooth enamel, which then leads to staining.

And the same goes for soda.  It is also highly acidic and can eat away enamel, which allows for particles from food and other drinks to stick and stain.

Ahhhhhhh………..summer is the season for berry pickin’!  Berries are also acidic and can stick to the enamel of the teeth.  So, after your bowl of strawberries or slice (or two) of raspberry pie, try to brush those chompers as soon as you can.

The important thing to remember is that foods that are highly acidic can damage and stain your teeth or allow for other foods to stain your teeth.  The best thing to do after you have any of those goodies is to try to brush and floss or at least rinse with water if those things aren’t readily available to you.

Also, keep up with your regular cleanings with the hygienists at Szmanda Dental Center so they can polish those stains away.  And, please ask them about our teeth whitening options if you would like pearlier whites!

Information compiled from WebMD and Staff at Szmanda Dental Center

© Szmanda Dental Center, S.C. 2013