Twice a day - morning and night - we brush our teeth. It’s one of the few rituals we are taught as toddlers that we continue to do through to old age. If teeth are not brushed regularly, they will become rotten and malodorous.

If your gums are pulled away from the teeth or the roots are visible, your teeth may need scaling or if they are really advanced, gingival flap surgery or tissue graft may be necessary,
check with your dental insurance provider to see if this would be covered.

Until recent years, the majority of us probably learned oral hygiene using a regular tooth brush and learned to brush up and down the tooth’s surface, across the top and behind the teeth paying particular attention to the gaps between the teeth where food debris tends to stick.

Are these new-fangled electric toothbrushes capable of cleaning and polishing our teeth as effectively as the old-fashioned manual ones? The majority who answer yes do so not because it’s labour saving but because they feel reassured that their teeth have been cleaned in much the same way as a dentist would.

The high speed bristles of the electric toothbrush give a more penetrating clean than is possible with the slower manual toothbrush. Whilst the toothbrush does the brushing, all you have to do is to make sure that the bristles are firmly applied to all the important areas. The efficiency of electric toothbrushes means tobacco and caffeine stains are removed much more easily, a great benefit for smokers and coffee drinkers.

Many who use and approve of electric toothbrushes claim that the smaller head of such brushes can be applied to places that are beyond the reach of manual brushes.

Using an electric toothbrush ensures that teeth are brushed in the same systematic way each day and the round heads are designed to push the debris away from natural crevices where bacteria normally breed. Bacteria are the main cause of bad breath. Bacteria, if unchecked, will also manifest into gingivitis and periodontal diseases. A manual toothbrush exerts more pressure than an electric one; this has deleterious consequences especially round the gum line where plaque has to be eliminated. Receding gums - gum abrasion - can result if excessive pressure is applied around the gum.

There’s no need for much pressure; just apply the brush evenly and consistently. The thinned enamel caused by brushing too hard results in a greater sensitivity to hot and cold foods.

The electric toothbrush is especially useful for those people - arthritics, for example - who can’t easily hold a toothbrush.

Never forget the over-riding importance of regular dental checkups and daily brushing whether you use a manual toothbrush or an electric one. Also try and think about private dental insurance and how this can help you to pay for treatments.

Look around for dental insurance quotes and contact your dentist today for a checkup and advice on receding gums.

As a result of the exodus of dentists from the NHS into private practice there are fewer and fewer local NHS dentists prepared to take on new patients. A lot of NHS practices are already working to full capacity and beyond, and their staff are under great strain. Many people have little choice but to find a dentist who is prepared to accept new patients and who doesn’t over-charge.

Less than fifty percent of the British population even bother with dental checkups which is why over five million people visit dentists with toothache annually. Because the NHS dentists are working up to and beyond their capacity, many of these patients do not receive the treatment they need as soon as they should.

The answer is dental insurance.

You can be sure that a dental emergency will occur just as your finances are at their lowest. Ideally, having money put aside for such an emergency would be the answer and that is what private dental insurance does. Spread the cost of dental insurance to make sure you get excellent service at a reasonable cost. Cheap dental insurance needn’t cost more than going to an NHS dentist and it certainly avoids the long wait for appointments.

When looking for dental insurance quotes, it is important to understand how dental insurance plans work.

Pay monthly or annually for private dental insurance for individual or the whole family, this may be limited. One thing to understand is that there is no standard policy. The number and variety of dental plans differs from one insurer to another. Some policies have pre-defined coverage that covers certain areas and you pick a cheap dental insurance policy that matches closest to your needs. Yet other policies can be customized by adding or omitting specific areas of cover.

Ultimately, of course, the greater the coverage the greater the cost.

A dental insurance plan that includes NHS cover will limit its liability only to NHS treatment. Having an NHS dentist could be convenient in that the costs would be spread over the year. Upgrading this kind of plan is possible if your dentist becomes a private practitioner.

Preventative as well as remedial treatment is also covered by dental insurance plans. Most plans have a waiting period between the times you sign for coverage and when you can make a claim, which may be 30 – 90 days depending on the insurer and the policy. Some plans also require an initial dental visit prior to becoming insured to ensure there is no outstanding dental work. You will usually be required to have a checkup every 6 months.

There aren’t any dental plans without limits. Typically, there is a limit on a specific treatment and a separate limit on that type of treatment during the year. There are dental plans that cover emergency treatment wherever you might be in the world.

Can I afford dental insurance?

Dental insurance plans will vary in cost according to the number of people covered, the extent of the cover and the insurance company. The benefits packages provided by employers often include inexpensive dental insurance plans. If your employment offers this, you are advised to take advantage of it.

It’s the payment for unexpected or emergency treatment that dental plans cover. Many differ but for the most part, will not cover cosmetic treatment.

Select the most appropriate plan

• Take time to understand what you want from a plan

• Choose a plan that gives you options

Select a plan that allows you to make changes as your circumstances change

• Choose a plan you can afford without skimping on essential coverage.

Obtain several dental insurance quotes or visit a dental plan website for quotes to compare and obtain the best plan that suits your needs.