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562-860-6626

13017 Artesia Blvd, Suite D120, Cerritos, CA 90703

Dentist Cerritos

Jesmine Boghawala DDS

10929 South St #110B

Cerritos, CA 90703

 (562) 860-6626

Does Insurance Cover a Root Canal?

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Root canal treatment can be quite pricey, and the exact amount you pay will also depend on the dentist, the position of the tooth, and the difficulty of the procedure. If your dentist tells you that you need root canal therapy, you might be surprised by the bill and wonder: Does insurance cover a root canal? In this article, we will answer this question and discuss possible hidden undercurrents associated with dental insurance.

Does Insurance Cover a Root Canal?

On average, dental insurance may cover 40% to 80% of the cost of a root canal treatment. This coverage is called co-insurance and typically applies after you meet your deductible. However, coverage eligibility and the amount covered by the insurance might vary depending on the company’s policy and the specifics of the situation. 

In some cases, you must meet a deductible before the insurance company covers the cost of your treatment. In worst cases, if a deductible is equal to or more than the cost of the treatment, the procedure will not be covered by the insurance. 

Some dental insurances do not cover root canal therapy at all and only cover preventative treatments such as cleanings. That is why you must read your insurance policy documents carefully and make sure the root canal treatment is covered. In addition, discuss your insurance policy with your dentist’s office manager to avoid unexpected costs. 

What Is a Waiting Period?

A waiting period means that you might have to wait up to 12 months while paying premiums before you can use your insurance for some dental procedures. This is especially common in cases of more expensive procedures like root canal treatments. If you enroll in insurance just so it can cover your root canal treatment, you might pay more because you will pay for 12 months of the premiums, the deductible, and also the co-insurance. So, sometimes, it is cheaper to pay for your root canal treatment out of pocket. 

We recommend carefully checking all the advantages and disadvantages of the dental insurance plan before making a decision. In addition, if you need root canal therapy, it means that your tooth is not in good condition, and the sooner you get treatment, the more chances you have of saving it. Thus, it is not a good idea to wait for 12 months for the insurance coverage to begin.

How Much Does a Root Canal Cost?

On average, the cost of root canal treatment for one tooth without insurance is $900 to $1500. However, if one of your front teeth needs root canal therapy, the price might be lower, from $700 to $1100. If your insurance covers root canal treatment, the price might range from $300 to $1500, depending on the insurance policy and the severity of the case. 

Keep in mind that often, you will need to get a dental crown in addition to root canal treatment. The cost of the crown might be between $1500$ and $2000$. The cost of emergency root canal treatment is approximately similar to the routine root canal prices listed above. 

Risks of Postponing Root Canal Treatment

Even though root canal treatment is a pricy procedure, it is crucial for your dental and overall health. If the infection in the tooth goes untreated, it can spread to the surrounding teeth, the gums, and eventually to the jaw. This can lead to abscesses in the mouth, tooth loss, severe damage to the jaw, and even stroke, heart attack, and sepsis. 

If you wait too long to get root canal treatment, it might be impossible to save the tooth, and the next step will be tooth extraction. Please keep in mind that tooth loss can lead to jaw bone density loss. Thus, dentists recommend that you replace the missing tooth with a dental implant within the first six months. Getting dental implants is also a costly procedure, so it is probably a good idea to try saving the existing tooth with a root canal treatment while it is possible.

Make an Appointment Today

If you need root canal treatment, do not postpone making an appointment with a general dentist at Jesmine Boghawala DDS Clinic. You should undergo root canal therapy as soon as possible to save the tooth and prevent the infection from damaging other teeth and tissues in your mouth. Our specialists look forward to welcoming you to our office.

Pros and Cons of Porcelain Crowns

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Getting dental crowns is a very common procedure in modern dentistry. Crowns can be made of a variety of materials: gold, silver, composite, ceramic, zirconia, porcelain, and porcelain-fused-to-metal. A patient can choose the optimal option for them based on their budget and health considerations with the help of their dental crown specialist. In this article, we will discuss pros and cons of porcelain crowns and compare them to other materials.

What Is a Dental Crown?

In simple words, a dental crown is a cap shaped like your natural tooth placed on top of a damaged tooth. A crown covers an entire tooth, supporting its structure and preventing decay. Typically, a small portion of the tooth’s enamel has to be removed before a crown can be placed.

What Issues Can Be Treated with a Dental Crown?

A general dentist can choose dental crowns as the best option for:

  • Restoring the function of cracked or chipped teeth
  • Improving the appearance of stained or damaged teeth
  • Protecting weak, worn down teeth or teeth with extensive dental fillings, providing support for the underlying structure of the tooth
  • Improving the appearance of misshapen teeth
  • Lessening teeth sensitivity
    Providing support for a dental bridge and holding it in place (dental crowns are usually placed on both adjoining teeth)
  • Covering a tooth that underwent a root canal treatment
  • Covering the posts of dental implants

Pros and Cons of Porcelain Crowns

In fact, porcelain is the most popular material for dental crowns. It has many advantages, but also some cons you should know about before making a decision about whether this material is right for you.

Pros

Porcelain Crowns Look Natural

Porcelain can be shaped like your natural teeth. Also, the shade of the material can be matched very closely to the color of your natural teeth. This means that porcelain crowns are almost indistinguishable from the rest of your teeth. That is why porcelain is the most popular option if a patient needs a replacement for their front teeth.

Porcelain Crowns Do Not Cause Allergies

Also, porcelain crowns do not contain metal, meaning that they are non-toxic and will not cause allergies.

Porcelain Crowns Do Not Stain Easily

Notably, porcelain is a fairly stain-resistant material. Typically, staining substances do not penetrate deep into the material. This means that a good and regular oral hygiene routine may be sufficient to keep porcelain dental browns in their original state.

Porcelain Crowns Are Durable

With proper care, a porcelain crown can last for up to 10 years. Like any material, including your natural teeth, porcelain can break if significant force is applied, but it is fairly durable for regular daily life.

Porcelain Crowns Have Functional Benefits

Initially, dental crowns are a type of restoration that is used to protect a damaged tooth and to make it functional again. Porcelain crowns perform this task excellently. On top of that, porcelain does not wear out the surrounding teeth, like metal crowns can.

No Need for Special Care

There is no need for any special maintenance of porcelain crowns. You can brush and floss your teeth just as you normally do.

Cons

The Price

In some cases, porcelain crowns can cost slightly more than crowns made of other materials, like silver amalgam or composite. However, taking into account the appearance and other benefits of a porcelain crown, the price might be worth it.

Porcelain Crowns Can Be Less Strong Than Metal Crowns

It is true that, in some instances, porcelain crowns can be chipped more easily than metal, porcelain-fused-to-metal, or zirconia crowns. This can be important when choosing a crown for the chewing teeth in the back of your mouth. Purely porcelain crowns might be the best choice for your front teeth, but you might want to opt for a stronger material for the teeth in the back of your mouth.

Potential Increase in Sensitivity

In some cases, to install a porcelain crown a bigger portion of your tooth will be grounded away compared to other types of dental crowns. Your tooth still will be amply protected by a porcelain crown, but sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures might increase.

Make an Appointment Today

If you have other questions about porcelain crowns or need a dental crown or another type of restoration for your teeth, do not hesitate to call our office today. Our specialists at Jesmine Boghawala DDS will carefully examine your teeth and suggest the best course of treatment for your case. We are looking forward to your visit to our office.

How to Fix Loose Dental Implants

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Dental implants are a permanent replacement for your missing or damaged teeth. Installing dental implants is a surgical procedure that requires some time for healing afterwards and can cause some discomfort to the patient. Thus, naturally, we want our dental implants to be secure and functional as they are meant to be. Below, we cover how to fix loose dental implants.

How to Fix Loose Dental Implants

There are cases, however, when dental implants can become loose due to different factors. However, this issue can be resolved, and in this article, we will explain how to fix loose dental implants.

How Is Dental Implant Placed in Your Mouth?

Typically, a dental implant is practically a special screw that is placed into the jawbone during surgery. This screw, also called a metal post, is placed in the hole drilled deep into the bone. It acts as a tooth root and supports dental restoration shaped like your natural tooth.

After placement, during the healing process, the metal post fuses with the bone, providing secure support for the dental crown or a dental bridge.

Why Dental Implants Might Become Loose?

As a matter of fact, a loose dental implant is not an uncommon problem. If your implants got loose, it does not necessarily mean that the dental procedure failed or was of bad quality. There are several reasons for this to happen, including:

  • Insufficient bone support to hold the implant in place securely.
  • Uneven bites can occur, for example, as we age. The uneven force applied to the implant can cause bone tissue loss around it. Sometimes, this can happen if the implant is not properly aligned with the opposing arch in the beginning.
  • Infection or periodontal disease can also lead to loose dental implants. Infection can cause abscesses around the implant, destroying the supporting tissue. Gum disease also affects the tissue and bone that support the implant.
  • Facial trauma or fractures in the jawbones might also lead to the instability of dental implants. In this case, your dental implant will have to be removed in a timely manner to avoid complications during healing.
  • Dental implants might also become loose because of inadequate placement or insufficient healing.

In some cases, the problem is not caused by the loosening of the metal post itself but by the dental crown attached to it.

Signs of a Failed Dental Implant

When we are talking about failed dental implants, we mean that you might experience some of these issues:

  • You feel that your tooth replacement solution is loose and not secure in its place.
  • It is harder to chew
  • Your gums around the implant are swollen, irritated, red, or inflamed
  • Pain or discomfort in the area of the implant
  • Gum recession

How to Fix a Loose Dental Implant?

As soon as you start experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, you should make an appointment with your general dentist. In most cases, immediate treatment is necessary, as putting it off might lead to health complications and more expensive procedures. Also, make sure not to chew on the side with a loose dental implant before you can see your dentist.

The way the issue is solved depends on its cause, which only your dentist can determine. If the problem is within the screw that failed to properly fuse with the bone, then it might need replacement or tightening. If the dental crown attached to the post came off, then it can be adjusted by recementing it properly.

In cases when the problem is caused by infections, gum disease, facial trauma, or insufficient bone support, your dental implant might have to be removed entirely.

How to Prevent Loosening of Dental Implants?

Some of the causes of loose dental implants can be prevented by taking proper care of your oral health and the implants themselves. There are some basic rules to follow:

  • Make sure that your oral hygiene is sufficient to prevent oral infections and gum disease. Brush and floss your teeth thoroughly twice a day to remove food residue, bacteria and plaque from your mouth.
  • Schedule professional cleaning appointments with a dental hygienist every 6 months to remove plaque that can not be removed during your at-home routine.
  • Visit your dentist regularly for general oral health check ups to make sure that all possible issues are noticed and treated before they become a serious problem.
  • Wear a mouthguard while playing sports with risk of trauma.
  • Avoid physically damaging your implants. Do not use your teeth as tools or bite with force on hard food or objects.

If you have any concerns regarding your dental implants or need a consultation, do not hesitate to make an appointment at Jesmine Boghawala DDS today.

How Dental Bonding Repairs Damaged Teeth

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Dental bonding is a great modern method to address functional and cosmetic dental issues. It is a teeth-restoring procedure that uses special resin composite material. The resin composite is applied to the patient’s teeth to change their shape or color. In this article, we explain how dental bonding repairs damaged teeth.

How Dental Bonding Repairs Damaged Teeth

Cases for Dental Bonding

Dental bonding is sometimes called composite bonding because of the material used in the procedure. The avenge of composite material is that its color can be matched to the color of your natural teeth. Dental bonding is useful in cases of:

  • Cracked or chipped teeth
  • Worn-down, discolored or stained enamel
  • Gaps between teeth
  • Short teeth

Who Can Not Get Dental Bonding?

Before the procedure you will typically need to get an X-ray done. Also, your dentist will carefully examine and evaluate your general oral health. Some patients might not be able to get dental bonding. Some examples of problems that will not allow for dental bonding:

  • Severe teeth decay
  • Gum disease

If you have these or some other serious dental health concerns, they will need to be fully treated before you can get dental bonding.

The Procedure Outlook

The procedure of getting dental bonding is not painful and usually does not require any anesthetic medication. The dentist works only on the surface of the teeth without touching nerves, roots, or any other pain-sensitive areas.

After the best shade of the bonding material is selected, your dentist will prepare your teeth for the procedure. The preparation involves roughening the teeth and applying a special conditioning liquid. The next step is to apply the bonding material and to model it into a desider shape.

After the bonding material is applied, it hardens and bonds with the teeth by curing light, and then the teeth are polished.

This treatment takes 30 to 60 minutes per tooth.

Benefits and Disadvantages of Dental Bonding

Some of the advantages of dental bonding include:

  • It is a cost-effective procedure.
  • Dental bonding is one of the most affordable cosmetic procedures.
  • Dental bonding can be used to solve a wide variety of dental issues and concerns, which makes it one of the most versatile procedures.
  • Dental bonding is considered to be a minimally invasive procedure. The main advantage of dental bonding compared to, for example, dental veneers is that bonding usually does not require removal of your natural enamel. Dental bonding does not put your dental health at any risk.

Typically, dental bonding can be done in one session, which makes it not time-consuming and convenient.

Some disadvantages of dental bonding include:

Dental bonding material is not completely stain-resistant, especially compared to porcelain. This means that if you are not careful, the tint of the material can change or get stained over time. In this case, you will need to have some touching up done.
Dental bonding material can chip over time, especially if the patient eats a lot of hard foods or uses their teeth as tools. This said, other restorative solutions like veneers or crowns are also not invincible.

The life span of dental bonding tends to be not as long as that of dental veneers or crowns. Dental bonding typically needs to be renewed every 5 to 10 years.

Dental bonding is best for making small cosmetic changes to the appearance of your teeth. If you require more major changes, other treatments might suit you better.

Dental Bonding vs Veneers

Dental veneers are usually made of porcelain compared to dental bonding, which uses resin composite. Veneers are custom-made shells that are attached to the surfaces of the teeth. Attaching dental veneers typically involves removing a layer of enamel from the patient’s teeth. On top of that, once you have dental veneers, you can not take them off completely. They can only be replaced in about 10 to 15 years. So, getting dental veneers is an irreversible procedure.

The advantage of dental bonding is that it usually does not require substantial enamel removal. Because your natural enamel stays intact, dental bonding is reversible. Also, some touching up might be needed every once in a while to refresh the look of bonding.

Dental bonding is a minimally invasive, safe, fast, and comparatively affordable cosmetic solution. If you are considering getting dental bonding, make an appointment with one of our highly qualified specialists at Jesmine Boghawala DDS and get a beautiful and confident smile.

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Dental crowns are an easy and effective way to restore the appearance of a single tooth that has been damaged somehow. A crown is essentially just a cap that’s placed over a damaged tooth and is able to enhance it aesthetically. Below we cover what to do if your dental crown comes loose.

However, like many dental fixtures, these crowns tend to come loose from time to time. If they do, it’s good to stay apprised of what to do if this happens to you.

What to Do If Your Dental Crown Comes Loose

If you have a crown installed and are worried that it’s coming loose, take a look at this guide for the steps you should take to handle the situation properly.

How Do Dental Crowns Come Loose?

Dental crowns come loose in many of the same ways that regular teeth become damaged. Teeth can be subjected to lots of stress, and anything from grinding your teeth to sudden impacts can cause one’s teeth to come loose.

Another primary cause of dental crowns coming loose is tooth decay. When a tooth has a cavity, its structure becomes less sturdy. Eating too many sugary foods can contribute quite heavily to the denigration of one’s teeth and crowns. Sometimes, the dental cement that holds the crown to the rest of the teeth also becomes weak.

Sometimes, dental crowns are affected by a variety of factors. You can discover how your crown has been affected by your habits when you step into the dentist’s office.

Signs of a Loose Dental Crown

If you begin to feel strange sensations or pain in your affected tooth or feel the crown moving, you may have a dental crown that’s coming loose. Another sign that indicates that your dental crown is becoming looser is sensations of sudden sensitivity to temperature or certain foods.

If you start to feel like you have a loose dental crown, try to have the issue addressed right away. Prior to your appointment, try to avoid touching and wiggling the crown as much as possible. This is because this can possibly damage the crown. Stay away from overly sticky or sugary foods – instead, opt for store-bought pain relievers.

What to Do If Your Crown Falls Out

If you have a crown that falls out, try to find it right away, give it a rinse, and take it to your dentist. If your crown is undamaged, your dentist can likely put it back into place quite easily. Avoid some of the same types of foods listed above until the area is cleaned with an antiseptic rinse.

In general, loose dental crowns are considered one of the easier fixes in dental health. Most patients who come in looking for treatment are able to have their crowns successfully reinstalled.

Treating Loose Crowns

The dentist first removes the loose crown. After that, the tooth will be examined. If the tooth is broken or severely damaged, the dentist will apply a filling material to it. Then, a temporary crown will be installed while a new crown is made.

If the crown is relatively undamaged, and the tooth beneath it is in good condition, a dentist can reapply it quite easily. If the crown is damaged, it can’t be put back into place, and your dentist will need to create an entirely new dental crown.

During the process of replacing your loose crown, your dentist will also be able to observe the health of the other aspects of your dental health. This may lead to other procedures being performed depending on the situation.

Preventing Loose Dental Crowns

Dental crowns are generally thought of as very durable. However, the cement that holds them is slightly less so and can only hold for so long. Older crowns will need to be re-cemented at some point, even if it doesn’t seem like your crown isn’t loose. In general, it is recommended that you avoid many of the same foods and habits previously listed to avoid damaging your crown.

In addition, maintaining tip-top dental health will help you get the most out of your crowns. This includes brushing twice a day and flossing regularly. If you have a tendency to grind or clench your teeth, your dentist might recommend using a mouth guard.

Your Resource for Dental Crowns

The Jesmine Boghawala DDS is one of the top resources in Southern California for quality dental work. If you’re interested in talking with a general dentist about your dental crown or an upcoming procedure, contact us today to schedule an appointment.

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562-860-6626

13017 Artesia Blvd, Suite D120
Cerritos, CA 90703


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Jesmine Boghawala DDS
10929 South St #110B
Cerritos, CA 90703
Phone: 562.860.6626
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