Category: Health & Fitness

We’re all familiar with the dreaded dental visits. The sound of drilling, the possible pain after a visit, and that gigantic needle filled with novocaine.

Whether it’s an abscessed tooth that needs attention, applying crowns or getting a root canal, the cost of oral surgery can be quite daunting, especially if your insurance doesn’t cover everything.

Before you head to your dentist or oral surgeon, take a look at these five important factors that can play a big role in determining the final cost. 

1. A Tooth Extraction Can Cost You

To sum it up nicely, a tooth extraction simply means your dentist needs to pull your tooth or several teeth. While it seems simple enough, the cost can vary depending on a number of factors.

Most teeth extractions range anywhere from less than $100 to several hundred dollars per tooth. However, if your teeth are impacted, you can expect to pay anywhere from $800 to several thousand dollars depending on the complexity as well as other factors like your location.

2. Your Dental Insurance Matters

If you have dental insurance, it can cover the cost of a variety of services like cleanings and x-rays, but oral surgery can throw a wrench into the claims process.

Take a close look at your current dental insurance plan to make sure you’re covered for more complex procedures. If you have any questions, call your provider in advance to be clear or what you can expect will be covered.

A lack of dental coverage or a plan that doesn’t offer many benefits for oral surgery can leave you footing a hefty bill.

3. Location Can Affect the Cost of Oral Surgery

Believe it or not, where you live can have an impact on how much you can expect to pay out of pocket for your oral surgery.

People who live in large urban areas might end up paying a lot more than someone who lives in a small rural town. Or, you may find dental costs are higher in less populated regions due to the lack of services available.

4. Complex Problems Equal Rising Costs

While most procedures are fairly cut-and-dry, there are a few factors that could make the cost of oral surgery go higher. Some of these include:

• Impacted teeth
• Wisdom teeth removal
• Cracked or fragile teeth that need removal or reinforcement
• Exposed root tips
• A dense jaw bone

Your dentist will easily be able to identify any unforeseen problems before the surgery begins. Ask them about potential rises in cost as the procedure progresses. In some cases, you might be able to opt for an alternative treatment other than oral surgery to keep your expenses lower.

5. Aftercare Adds Up

After your oral surgery, there are still a few costs to keep in mind. You’ll most likely get prescription medication for pain and swelling, and that cost will be heavily dependent on what your insurance covers.

If you end up dealing with problems like dry sockets or an infection, you’ll have to return to the dentist which will result in additional bills.

Be Dentally Diligent

By taking good care of your teeth and reading all of your insurance documentation, you’ll be better prepared to know the cost of oral surgery in advance.

For more information about managing your money including tips on saving on healthcare, be sure to visit our blog. 

 

Bones are living tissue, constantly rebuilding themselves over time. Unfortunately, this rebuilding process tends to slow as we get older, leaving us susceptible to issues such as osteoporosis. Osteoporosis can come with some rough side effects including excessive pain and bone fractures.

If you want to avoid osteoporosis when you age, you should definitely start to take care of your bones now. There are various ways you can take care of your bones, and they should all work in conjunction. While some you may have heard of, there’s a good chance you don’t know all of them. 

Without further ado, here are 10 ways to build up healthy bones.

1. Drink Milk

The age-old lesson on how to keep your bones strong may be criticized more and more, but it’s impossible to doubt that the calcium in milk helps to shore up your bones. While milk does have calcium, you can also look to other dairies such as yogurt.

Be sure to look into foods that have a high concentration of calcium as these foods will build up your bones and your teeth as well.

2. Avoid Caffeine

While caffeine does have some health benefits, too much of it can actually hurt your bone health. Caffeine gets in the way of our body’s ability to take in calcium, meaning that each extra cup of coffee may lead to weaker bones and frailer teeth for you in the future.

If you do need that morning coffee, as many of us do, look to limit your caffeine to that, or combine your caffeine with some milk in order to make up for the lack of absorption. 

3. Know Your Family’s Past

Osteoporosis can have some genetic background to it, as can the inability to absorb calcium and having weak bones in general. If you have noticed that your parents are struggling with bone density issues, you may need to act sooner to prevent these issues for yourself rather than later.

If bone issues run in the family, reach out to your doctor to find out what you can do to avoid more problems in the future. 

4. Take Vitamin D Supplements

Upping your intake of calcium is almost pointless if your body can’t use it. This is exactly where vitamin D comes in. Vitamin D is crucial for our bodies’ ability to use this calcium in building up our bones.

In fact, vitamin D has a crucial role in absorbing many important nutrients on top of just calcium, making it a top vitamin for women to take.

5. Collagen Supplements

Vitamin D isn’t the only supplement you should look into to promote good bone health. Collagen is another protein that comes in supplement form that you can use to promote good bone health. 

Collagen also has great benefits such as strengthening the joints and muscles around your bones to give your bones additional support. Be sure to shop now for your next collagen supplement.

6. Exercise Regularly

As any expert will tell you, staying healthy is about both what you take in and what you do with it. If you truly want your bones to stay healthy, exercising will be key. 

The best exercises for improving bone density are those that make the bones go under some duress to build up their strength. This includes weight-bearing exercises, running, and stair climbing. Exercising also has the added impact of keeping your weight low, which we will discuss later as an added benefit.

7. Avoid the Alcohol

Heavy alcohol consumption is known for interfering with the ability of vitamin D to properly absorb nutrients. This means that alcohol directly impacts your ability to absorb calcium, thus making your bones stronger. 

That doesn’t mean you need to stop all forms of alcohol consumption. Moderate consumption, meaning one drink for women or two for men, can actually have many health benefits. Some research has even shown that some alcohols can actually contribute to long-term bone health.

8. Quit Smoking

One vice that research has shown to have basically no benefits is smoking. The negatives of smoking are countless, and negatively impacting your bone density is just a part of it. As we have shown, the absorption of calcium is key to healthy bones, and smoking prevents that.

Smoking even in moderation can harm your body and your bone density. For that reason, it is important to avoid smoking as much as possible for your overall health.

9. Eat Meat (But Not Too Much)

Our average bone is made up of about 50% protein. This means that our bodies need protein in order to regenerate our bones and keep them healthy. Protein has many other health benefits including keeping our red blood cell counts high.

Some experts have warned, though, that too much protein leads to the acidity in our bodies growing far too much. This, in turn, makes it so that our body has to use calcium to counteract this acidity instead of using it to strengthen our bones. So, when you eat meat, make sure to balance it out with milk or limit your intake for healthy bones.

10. Keep Your Weight In Check

One of the most damning factors for our long-term bone health is our weight. Being around a healthy weight for your body is key for your bone health.

Too much weight and your bones could suffer from the stress of your weight and lead to more fractures. 

But, too little weight is not great. Too little weight implies a lack of nutrition and possible lack of calcium and other necessary vitamins. Be sure to constantly exercise and eat healthy to keep your weight in check.

How to Ensure Healthy Bones In the Future

Having healthy bones is a challenge to many of us, but it is something we can prepare for now. If you want to keep your bones healthy and avoid osteoporosis in the long run, be sure to follow the tips above.

For more health and fitness tips like these check out our other articles!

Do your friends all think you’re living the dream?

“You, work from home?”, they exclaim. “That must be amazing!”.

Approximately 8 million Americans work from home, and the numbers are continuing to rise. While working remotely comes with a ton of perks, it also comes with a world of distractions.

Family members, adorable pets, and the internet are always there, waiting to pull you away. In order to be successful, you have to become a master at staying on task.

Unfortunately, in the process of staying in the zone, many health habits go out the window. Do you want to find the perfect healthy balance between work and life?

Read on to learn 5 life-changing tips for working at home, healthy style.

1. Nutritional Health Habits

Does this sound like you? You wake up, don’t feel hungry, and get right to work. Lunch rolls around, and you eat a small snack. Finally by dinner time you’re famished, ready to eat everything in sight?

Prevent overeating by doing a meal prep the night before. Make sure your diet still includes the foods you like to eat. If you love cheese, or other fatty foods, allow yourself to include them in moderation.

2. Posture Yourself

Maintaining proper posture helps prevent your body from any strains or overuse issues. Here are a few tips for how to sit correctly.

• Sit up with a straight back
• Shoulders back
• Buttocks are able to touch the chair’s back

Finally, move your body around in your chair every 30 minutes. Slightly repositions how you’re sitting so you don’t fatigue the muscles.

3. Create Zones

Ever have trouble turning your brain off after a long day of work? How about trouble turning it on? Your mind works best when it has designated zones for certain activities.

The American Sleep Association, or ASA, states you shouldn’t read or eat in bed. Your brain creates associations to the activity of eating, or reading, and decides beds aren’t for sleeping anymore.

If your bedroom is your home office, make sure you’re working somewhere away from the bed. Even if you’re facing away from the bed, it’ll help your brain associate the designated area with work time.

4. Schedule Some You Time

Create a morning routine where you’ll have some you time. Ladies, if you like putting on makeup, take the time to put on the things you like.

Guys, if you enjoy wearing a business casual attire, go ahead and put it on. Just because you’re not going into the office, doesn’t mean you can’t dress the part.

5. Learn to Microbreak

As counterintuitive as it may sound, planned distractions can help you focus. Set an alarm to take a micro break every hour.

The micro break only has to be a couple of minutes long. Create motion, move your body around, and step away from the computer screen. When you return to work you’ll have an enhanced level of focus.

Work-Life Balance

Try to think of some health habits that only pertain to you personally. Do you want to find ways to be happier throughout the day? One of the healthy habits you incorporate could be saying positive affirmations.

Also, make sure you’re investing in your relationships outside of work. If you have a family, find time during the week to do fun things with them. Don’t worry, you won’t have to spend an arm and a leg to have a good time.

Thrifty Momma Ramblings loves to help our readers find the best deals out there. We have coupons, sweepstakes, giveaways, and more!

Feel like treating yourself to something free? Check out our delicious freebie for an entree at Carrabba’s Italian Grill.

Struggling with drug or alcohol abuse?

It’s easy to lose control of your life due to addiction, so you have to check yourself if you have a habit you feel you can’t control. Take a look at these five signs it might be time for you to go to rehab.

1. Lack of Control and Withdrawal Symptoms

You should start worrying if you have tried to quit your habit and experienced withdrawal. Different addictions cause different withdrawal symptoms, but all have one thing in common.

All addictions become harder and harder to control. In addition to the lack of control, other common symptoms of withdrawal include:

• Headache
• Nausea
• Insomnia
• Muscle cramps
• Irritability
• Mood swings

If you feel unable to quit your habit because it brings about withdrawal symptoms, it is time to check yourself into rehab.

2. You are Neglecting Your Social and Family Life

Addiction brings about physical as well as psychological changes. These psychological changes can make your whole life revolve around your addiction, and this can affect your social and family life.

If you find yourself lying about your habits and withdrawing from your social circles because of your addiction, it is time to consider rehab. The more you let your addiction unchecked, the more your social life will be affected.

3. You’ve Put Yourself or Others in Danger Because of your Addiction

Have you harmed yourself or others because of your addiction? If the answer is yes, you should consider checking into rehab as soon as possible.

Driving under the influence is a federal offense that might cause serious harm to you and others. Moreover, many drugs will aggravate certain health conditions, which may lead to serious health problems.

For example, many psychoactive drugs will increase the symptoms of mental illnesses, including depression. This can cause suicidal thoughts. Needless to say, get help straight away if you experience suicidal thoughts.

4. Your Habits Affect Your Health

If your addiction affects your health directly, seek help as soon as possible. It may start slow, by neglecting your hygiene routine or forgetting to take your medication.

Addiction can cause you to neglect health problems that could have been prevented otherwise.

Most addictions directly affect your physical balance too. Thankfully, there are ways to counter that. Read more about Suboxone treatment and similar methods at Inspire Malibu.

5. You Don’t Feel Like Yourself Anymore

Finally, stop for a second and look yourself in the mirror. Do you recognize the person looking back? If your addiction is making you feel like you’re not yourself anymore, it’s time to check yourself into rehab.

If you know you need a change but have no idea how to do it, then you need help. This is perhaps the most profound sign of addiction, so please don’t ignore it!

Go to Rehab and Improve Your Life with Thrifty Momma’s Tips!

Now that you know if you should go to rehab, it’s time to plan your life ahead. Here at Thrifty Momma Ramblings, we’ll help you live thriftily, find the best deals, and earn extra money while improving your lifestyle.

 Come on in and start planning your new, addiction-free life today!

America spends over $111 billion on the dentist every year. Your individual contribution to that number comes out to an average of nearly $700. 

Depending on the type of dental operation you need, that number can add up quick. 

Don’t have that kind of money? Don’t worry?

Keep reading to learn five dental care tips that’ll help you avoid costly visits to the dentist. 

1. Brush Your Teeth, But Brush Them Right

Brushing your teeth won’t do you much good if you’re doing it the wrong way. 

Make sure you brush your teeth at least twice a day. You should do this soon after you eat, such as after breakfast or dinner. And don’t let your toothbrush get too old. Buy a new one every three to four months. 

When you brush, make sure you get the outside surface of the teeth, the inside surface of the teeth, and the chewing surface of the teeth. Move your brush back and forth over the teeth in gentle strokes, and swipe down from the gums to remove any plaque that gets caught there. 

2. Don’t Be Afraid of Flouride 

You should always brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride isn’t dangerous unless you ingest a very high amount. Instead, fluoride can benefit your teeth in a number of ways. 

For example, it can help prevent the development of cavities. It can also help with dry mouth conditions and gum disease. 

However, fluoride can be dangerous for young children. So make sure you know how much to give them and when. 

3. Floss Every Day

While you don’t have to floss as often as you brush your teeth, you should do it at least once a day. 

If you skip flossing, you’re leaving pieces of food, plaque, and bacteria between your teeth. This can increase your risk of cavities, gum disease, and bad breath. 

On top of all that, it can also make your teeth look yellower and less healthy, which can lower your self-esteem. 

4. Watch What You Eat

If you want to avoid costly trips to the dentist, you should watch what types of food you eat on a daily basis. Things like sugary candies, carbonated drinks, and citrus can all weaken and damage your teeth. 

That doesn’t mean you can’t ever eat these things. 

But make them special treats instead. And make sure you brush your teeth carefully after you eat them. 

5. Get Professional Teeth Cleaning 

One of the best ways to keep your teeth healthy is to get your teeth professionally cleaned when you can. Try to do this at least twice a year (which most insurances will cover). 

Not sure where to look for these services?

You can start by checking out Affinity Dental Group at https://affinitydental.net/. They provide cleaning and prevention treatments. 

Dental Care Tips That’ll Help You Avoid Costly Operations at the Dentist

If you can’t afford a trip to the dentist any time soon, make sure you follow these dental care tips that’ll save you from costly operations. 

But no matter how careful you are, sometimes there’s no way around dental treatments. 

If that’s you right now, make sure you take a look at this guide to learn how you can save money on a dental implant.