Keeping Your Teeth Clean and Your Wallet Full

When I was a teenager, I rarely ever brushed my teeth and drank far too much soda. My mouth really never forgave me since then. It wasn't until high-school that it sank in my head that I needed to brush my teeth every day, and my parents ended up paying a lot of money for my dental bills. It was only a couple of years ago that I stopped regularly having cavities. Here are some ways that you can keep your mouth healthy and avoid costly dental fees.

The best way to not have a huge dentist bill is to never get dental problems in the first place. Preventative maintenance is vitally important so that you don't have to go to the dental surgeon and pay $2000 to have a root canal and an implant put in. You need to brush your teeth twice a day, and floss once a day. You will soon become the doctor's favorite patient if you can do these basic things. If you get cavities every now and then, consider using a fluoride rinse to strengthen your teeth and avoid getting cavities filled at $65 a pop. There's a product called ACT for kids that tastes like bubble gum that works very well. Don't worry, you can use it as an adult as well!

There's a lot of debate as to whether dental insurance is a good idea. Generally, if your teeth are relatively healthy and have never needed a lot of major dental work, you don't need it. It's just better to self insure. If your place of employment gives it to you as part of your benefits package, go ahead and take it, but on the open market, it's very expensive. If your teeth are poor and regularly have cavities and need other work done, you should definitely get some good dental insurance.

If you find yourself needing of some expensive dental work beyond a cavity, shop around. The prices for dental work can vary quite dramatically from dentist to dentist. If you need something like a bridge or a root canal, call around. Just because you have a regular dentist does not mean that you need to give all of your money to them if they don't have a good price. Call at least 5 area dentists and make sure that you get a good price for your dental work.