While we know proper oral hygiene habits have a positive impact on oral health, there’s unfortunately no guarantee that you will never have to face a serious dental problem of some kind. Some of the most common oral issues can be affected by genetics, by unhealthy habits, or by other circumstances outside of your control.
That’s why it’s important to know how dental discounts can help you treat advanced oral conditions, in addition to discounts toward more common services like general cleanings and exams. Here are four oral issues that you can save on treating with a discount dental program:
1. Tooth decay
Tooth decay can certainly be accelerated or made worse by failure to brush and floss daily. But there’s actually a genetic factor behind why some people deal with tooth decay more often than others. This issue weakens the enamel coating that serves to protect your teeth against decay caused by bacteria.
Of course, daily oral hygiene habits help keep bacteria under control, so these practices are still the first line of defense against tooth decay (also known as dental caries or cavities).
A dental discount plan can help treat tooth decay in many different ways:
- General exams and cleanings can identify decay early, making effective treatment quicker and easier. By making these services more affordable, dental discounts help improve tooth decay prognosis and can lessen suffering.
- One of the most common treatments for decay is the removal of the decayed tissue and the installation of a filling. The Dental Solutions dental discounts program offers significant savings on this procedure.
- In the worst cases, a tooth fighting decay may need to be removed. A discount toward an extraction using a dental savings card can save hundreds on the procedure.
2. Gum disease
"Gum disease can be caused or worsened by genetic predisposition, prescription medications that result in a dry mouth, diabetes..."
Gum disease (also known as periodontal disease) is often a common result of poor oral hygiene. However, gum disease can also be caused or worsened by genetic predisposition, prescription medications that result in a dry mouth, diabetes, hormonal changes, and smoking. In fact, there are five things you need to know about preventing gum disease.
The first stage of gum disease, gingivitis, is a result of the bacteria-rich plaque that naturally coats the teeth hardening into tartar, which then begins to irritate the gum line. The more serious stage of the disease, periodontitis, occurs when the tartar extends below the gum line and the body’s immune system begins to attack it, often resulting in severe inflammation, receding gums, and even destruction of the gum tissue and bones holding the teeth. Savings for treating gum disease include:
- Cleanings by a professional can remove hardened tartar. Once again, by making these services more affordable, dental discounts help prevent gum disease, or catch it while it’s still in its beginning stages.
- If periodontal disease has progressed for long enough, the tissue surrounding the teeth may be too weak and damaged to hold the teeth in, meaning one or more teeth may need to be removed. As noted above, a discount toward a standard extraction can you save significantly on the procedure.
- Repairing the damage caused by extensive and prolonged periodontitis my even require gum surgery, a service discounted by the Dental Solutions dental discount program for a savings of hundreds on average.
3. Discoloration and other cosmetic issues
Discoloration, misshapen or crooked teeth, large visible gaps between teeth, and other cosmetic dental issues are not always included with dental insurance, as they’re not usually considered to be medically necessary.
However, as anyone who has dealt with a cosmetic dental issue can tell you, it can be challenging to deal with the self-consciousness and anxiety that can accompany such a condition.
- As an alternative to dental insurance, dental discount plans offer significant savings on cosmetic dental treatments, such as bleaching, denture fitting, and orthodontics for teeth straightening.
- Since many of these services can be very expensive, the amount a dental discount plan can save is often hundreds off the full retail price.
4. Tooth alignment and bite problems
Alignment issues between the upper and lower jaw (creating an overbite or underbite, or failing to completely close without grinding teeth) can be inconvenient, frustrating, and painful, especially while eating. They can also result in speech impediments and difficulty communicating.
- A dental discount plan can make orthodontics and other mechanical straightening of teeth more affordable through significant discounts that could help save a patient thousands.
- In addition, treatment of serious misalignments may require that one or more teeth are removed to allow room for the rest of the teeth and jaw to be reshaped to better align. Again, these extractions become much less of a financial burden with access to a dental discount plan.
Even if your teeth are generally healthy, the above list illustrates how a discount dental program can be a wise decision to help save not only on general cleanings and exams, but if and when an advanced dental issue arises.
