Dental Study With Another Forget What You Learned Result
It’s enough to make a dentist cry.
For many people, a trip to the dentist is not a favorite activity, but they do recognize the value of healthy teeth and gums.
- Studies link gum disease to heart disease and strokes
- But, are those studies right?
Not if you believe the latest word from the American Heart Association (AHA). Continue Reading »
The Broken State of Dental Insurance
If you’ve ever had a tooth abscess, you understand pain. But, is that the kind of pain that sends you to a hospital’s emergency room (ER)?
ER visits for dental-related conditions is a trend on the rise.
- In 2009 – 830,590 Americans visited the ER for preventable dental conditions – a 16 percent increase from 2006
- In Florida alone – dental-related ER visits cost an estimated $88 million
The Pew Center for States website shares details of their recent study, A Costly Dental Destination. The director of the Pew Children’s Dental Campaign, Shelly Gehshan, was quoted as saying –
“The fact that so many Americans go to hospitals for dental care shows the delivery system is failing,”
With a focus on the high cost of medical insurance, dental insurance is often overlooked. Is it time to take a second look? Continue Reading »
Mid-level Providers-Threat or Good Idea?
It’s a problem I have heard before – fear over using a mid-level provider.
What is a mid-level provider?
You probably know the answer, even if you have not heard the term. It is a health care professional who provides care under the supervision of a physician. Examples of medical mid-level providers include: Continue Reading »
Dental and Vision Plans See Questions in Health Reform
Are dental and vision plans off the hook for health reform?
The answer – it depends.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Affordable Care Act) confused more than one group health plan sponsor. Early assumptions were standalone dental and vision plans were exempt from the Affordable Care Act.
A recent publication by Segal, an employee benefits consulting firm, indicates it’s not that black and white. Continue Reading »
No Dental Insurance – When Dental Problems Bite Back
This was not supposed to happen.
I am a former dental hygienist and spent over 30 years in the employee benefits/insurance industry. But, even a doctor gets sick.
My problem? I broke my lateral incisor off at the root – for all the world to see. My new best friends are hockey players. And me without dental insurance – for the first time in my working life. Ah, the life of the self-employed. Continue Reading »
Heart Disease And Gum Disease Bites
For some time now, studies linked gum disease with heart disease, although it has been a chicken or the egg problem.
Is periodontal (gum) disease a risk factor for heart disease or does gum disease cause heart disease? Continue Reading »
Feeling Down in the Mouth?
Your Mouth Might Have the Answer
In a former life, I was a dental hygienist. One day I had a 10-year old child as a patient. When the child opened her mouth, I realized there was a very good chance she had scarlet fever. I won’t gross you out with a description of what gave me the clue, but her mother confirmed my guess days later. It is not unusual for the first signs of a medical condition to show up in your mouth. Neglecting your oral health can also result in medical problems.
