Did you know thousands of dollars are lost each year because people fail to use thier dent insurance benefits?
Dental insurance is a valuable asset that sometimes goes unused. Make sure you take advantage of your benefits!
Many employers and other plan sponsors offer dental benefits for a variety of reasons, including promotion of oral health and attraction and retention of high-quality employees. The intent is to help individuals by paying for a portion of the cost of their dental care.
Many individuals who are paying for dental insurance do not realize that their plans provide coverage up to a certain dollar amount annually. Consequently, some patients are not scheduling for dental treatment they need, deserve, and have insurance to cover. Unfortunately, numerous patients do not realize insurance benefits for each year cannot be carried over to the next year.
The bottom line, what the patient does not use they lose.
Unrecognized and untreated or postponed dental needs can result in greater problems, which lead to more extensive and costly treatment needs. Early recognition and treatment can result in savings of health care dollars for individuals, community health care programs, and third-party payers.
Your oral health is very important to your overall health. The same is true for your children. You owe it to yourself and to your children to use all of your dental benefits each year.
Ask your dentist or contact your insurance company to determine wheter you have unused benefits for 2010 before its too late!
Did you know the average person wastes at least 90 glasses of water every day by leaving the tap running while they brush their teeth?
That means in the United States alone, we’re literally pouring down the drain 27 Billion Glasses of clean, drinkable water every day, just brushing our teeth.
Add your voice to the growing chorus of people around the world who believe that every drop counts, and are pledging to turn off the tap when they brush.
It’s easy to “Save 90 A Day!”
As an Eco-Dentistry Association Member, Beffa Dental is doing its part to support good health of our patients and the plant.
Learn more at www.ecodentistry.org
For those of you who tend to “neglect” flossing (yes, I’m talking to you), there is an easy to use, and effective alternative to string floss with the Waterpik Water Flosser.
Seventy percent of the population currently does not use floss, and those that claim they do, aren’t very effective with it. Patients who use a water flosser usually present with better than average oral health. Water is the perfect antimicrobial to disrupt bacterial biofilm and toxins out of subgingival and interproximal areas. Flossing with water has shown to be easier for patients and just as effective as string floss, and due to its ease of use, compliance is also better.
So if you are one who tends to only floss the day before their dental appointments (yes, I’m talking to you again), then maybe you should consider picking up a water pick. I have blogged before about my love for Stim-u-dents as an adjunct to flossing- now I can add the Water Flosser to that list.
Have you ever left the dentist with a numb lip that seems to last all day? You feel like your face is swollen, you can’t speak, eat, or drink normally, you feel like you are drooling, or you even biting your lip without knowing it.
Well, now there is a new product on the market called Ora Verse- a local anesthesia reversal agent that was FDA approved in May 2008. Ora Verse was developed to solve the postoperative numb lip, chin, and cheek phenomenon. Ora Verse has been shown to reduce the time of anesthesia to slightly less than one hour. This compares well with the usual two-plus hours that are normally felt with dental anesthetics. Ora Verse is an injectible agent that is packaged and administered just like all of our local anesthetics except it shortens the numb feeling, and gets you back to normal function quicker.
If your dentist offered Ora Verse, would you be interested? If there was an extra fee to cover the cost of Ora Verse would you pay for it? Let me know what you think!
Many people think that fluoride is only necessary for children’s developing teeth.
But this is only partially true- Yes, children with developing teeth do benefit from topical fluoride treatments. The fluoride converts the mineral content in developing teeth to be more resistant to acid break down. But, exposure to fluoride can also reverse the development of early carious lesions by remineralization in both children and adults, and it also blocks the enzymes of plaque bacteria, inhibiting the conversion of sugar to acid which prevents cavities from forming all together.
Other benefits of adult fluoride include:
- 35% reduction in new decay
- Decreased tooth sensitivity
- Prevention of cervical decay
- Prolonged life of crowns and other restorations
If you live in an area that does not have fluoridated water, tend to have new cavities every time you visit the dentist, have receding gums or tend to get “gumline cavities”, have overly sensitive teeth, or have lots of previous dental work that you want to protect, maybe you should ask your dentist if they offer adult fluoride treatments. It’s even available in a take home version.
Many denture wearers use denture adhesives to keep the suction of their dentures. Recently, many zinc containing adhesive products from companies like Fixodent and Poligrip have been under scrutiny due to the health risks caused by the long term build up of zinc in the body. GlaxoSmithKline the makers of Poligrip have even stopped manufacturing and distributing their zinc containing products. Long term zinc build up in the body has been linked to neurological problems such as numbness, and difficulties with balance and walking. Zinc is only harmful if swallowed in large quantities, so patients who use these products as directed are not at risk for the harmful side effects. However, there are many patients who apply more adhesive than directed and use it more than once per day, usually due to ill-fitting dentures.
If your dentures require a large amount of adhesive on a regular basis, it may be causing harmful side effects, and it is advised that you discontinue their use, consult with your dentist or doctor, and use a zinc free alternative. Dentures should hold good suction without the use of adhesives, and if used, only a drop the size of a pencil eraser should be used. If you have had your dentures for many years, and they don’t seem to fit as well without adhesive, consult your dentist because it may be time to have your dentures re-lined, or re-made to eliminate the need for messy and potentially harmful adhesives.
I found this on the Warlingham Green Dental Clinic Blog, and I think it makes a very clear point:
Want to know how to save money at the dentist?
- See a hygienist!
It is as simple as that. Hygienists are super at detecting early dental problems such as tooth decay and gum disease. We know that tooth decay is preventable, so by showing you how to effectively clean your teeth and making sure you do not build up excessive amounts of calculus(tartar). You will minimise your chances of further more expensive treatment (not forgetting drilling and needles)!
Did you know that 95% adults suffer from gum disease- and most don’t even know!
What to look out for:
bleeding gums
swollen gums
food traps
bad breath
loose teeth
None of these are good signs. Gum disease and the even more serious periodontal disease requires very regular hygiene maintenance. One visit will not entirely solve these problems, but regular maintenance will minimise damage and possibly halt the progression of the disease.
If you regularly see a dentist but still require regular fillings then something is wrong! You may need to see a hygienist more frequently.
I have added links to my favorite dental websites to the right column of my blog.
Dental Health Online, and Got Teeth? Are two good patient resources for commonly asked questions, dental problems, and general oral health related issues.
Dental iQ and the Inci-dental blog are geared more for the dental professionals, and contain good resources, articles, and strategies for the dental practicioner.
Keep checking back for new additions!
I read an article toady by Dr. Michael F. Roizen, M.D., author of Real Age: Are You as Young as You Can Be, that said flossing your teeth regularly can make your “real age” look as much as 6.4 years younger.
Forget expensive plastic surgery, floss your way to a younger look!
A patient came in last week with this very question. She had been having pain in her mouth for over 6 months, but did not know she could go to the dentist because she did not have any insurance.
YOU ABSOLUTELY SHOULD GO TO THE DENTIST, EVEN IF YOU DON”T HAVE INSURANCE!
You will of course have to pay cash for your visits, but I doubt there are any dentists that don’t accept cash.
I know spending money on bi-annual cleanings sounds like a lot to shell out, but it is certainly much less expensive than the extensive work that might need to be done due to neglect. The expensive procedures can be minimized or eliminated with regular check ups and cleanings twice per year.
Many patients that do not have insurance are also worried about how they are going to pay for their dental visits. At my office, we offer convenient payment plans to work within your budget. We accept cash, checks, Visa and Master card. We also have started offering Care Credit, a no interest health care credit card. After a simple application and approval process, we can set you up on 3, 6, and 12 month no interest payment plans or 24-60 month plans subject to interest. This is a great way for patients without insurance to find the finances necessary to get the treatment they need. To learn more about Care Credit or apply online click here.
Our office also accepts most dental insurances. A lot of times it is hard to find a dentist that takes your insurance. We are preferred providers for Washington Dental Service’s Delta Dental plan, Regence Insurance plans, and DSHS, but we take almost all other insurances as well. Give us a call if you would like us to confirm that we accept your insurance.
Don’t put off treatment any longer- there are options available to work within your budget!
