Metlife Dental and Dentist Cleaning

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So recently I have stated in a previous post on this blog, I have finished up graduate school and now moved to a new area with a new job. My employer offers dental insurance. The dental plan turned out to be Metlife. On their website they allow you to select your type of plan either PPO or HMO (I have PPO) and you also enter in your zip code. Now I found a dentist listed as one of their preferred providers and one of my friends in the area recently went to him so I decided to give it a shot. Unfortunately I didn’t find out the specifics of how much the new dentist would charge for a cleaning and exam which turned out to be $286.00. Metlife sent me a statement in the mail saying they would cover $97 … Read more

Brush Teeth Twice a Day to Help Prevent Heart Disease

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A new study lead by Professor Richard Watt from University College London has analyzed the Scottish Healthy Survey results of 11,000 adults. The study set out to  investigate whether the number of times individuals brush their teeth has any consequences on the risk of developing heart disease. In the survey individuals were asked how often they visited the dentist (at least once every six months, every one to two years, or rarely/never) and how often they brushed their teeth (twice a day, once a day or less than once a day). On a separate the respondents had  nurses collected information on medical history and family history of heart disease, blood pressure. In addition blood samples from those who consented were collected. The samples enabled the researchers to determine levels of inflammation that were present in the body. The results demonstrate … Read more

Wisdom Teeth Survey

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I wanted to remind everyone that the Wisdom Teeth Removal Survey is still ongoing. If you are new to this site or a long time visitor and have not yet taken the survey I encourage you to do so. [polldaddy survey=”6E8CF57E23BD9041″ type=”button” title=”Wisdom Teeth Survey” style=”inline” text_color=”000000″] Below is a response from someone who completed the survey. Remember the survey is anonymous and is not linked to you in any way. I am 23 and currently suffering from the decision for prophylactic removal of my 3rd molars, a.k.a. wisdom teeth. Prior to the operation, I was perfectly healthy. During surgery, the doctor almost ripped a nerve running through my jaw, as my wisdom teeth were particularly complicated to remove, and one of them had the roots wrapped around a nerve. I instructed him to stop pulling after I felt immense … Read more

Wisdom Teeth Pictures Additions

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So I added a few additional pictures to my wisdom teeth pictures section. These high quality photos of wisdom teeth are courtesy of Flickr users allowing me to use them on my site. I particularly like the image I also added below for your viewing experience. This photo shows only one wisdom tooth but has a unique view in front of a dental mirror. It is also quite a bloody wisdom tooth. Flickr image by misswangy. With permission to use. All rights are reserved to misswangy. If you enjoy using Flickr I previously talked about Wisdom Teeth Adventures which is an active group on Flickr.

After Removing Teeth Platelet-Rich Plasma May Aid In Faster Healing Times

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A new study in the Journal of Oral Implantology shows platelet-rich plasma aid in speeding up healing and bone formation after removing a tooth. If a tooth is extracted and the extraction site has poor recovery then excessive jaw bone loss  may delay the use of dental prosthetics or implants. The study looked at patients who had their wisdom teeth removed.  One extraction site was treated with platelet-rich plasma where as the site on the other side of the mouth was served as control. The patients were examined for bleeding,  jaw bone density, healing ,pain, inflammation, and facial swelling for 24 weeks after the wisdom teeth removal occurred. The researchers concluded the platelet-rich plasma treatment had a positive effect on bone density immediately following tooth extraction where as the control sites showed a decrease in bone density during the first … Read more