Dental Insurance And Seniors

Retiring? You might want to visit the dentist before your dental insurance disappears, that's right... medicare does not offer routine dental care or complex procedures unless its required to protect your general health.

Most of the 65 plus population is paying for their own dental work out of pocket, which means many have only seen the dentist once in two - five years.

So why don't seniors get dental insurance rather than paying out of pocket? This is because dental care is conspicuously absent from health care coverage for older adults.

Seniors need to look into stand alone dental plans, these plans can offer:

• Low membership rates - Annually or monthly.
• Better Benefits with no yearly maximum.
• Better Savings - Set Fee Schedule makes budgeting easy!
• No Exclusions- Ever.
• Immediate coverage- No waiting periods on ANY procedures.
• Includes coverage for cosmetic dentistry.

What are you waiting for? Don't even bother wasting your money with dental insurance or paying out of pocket.

Suffer From Dry Mouth?

We all need saliva to moisten and cleanse our mouths and digest food. Saliva also prevents infections by controlling bacteria and fungi in the mouth.

Many people suffer from dry mouth which can be caused by multiple things such as:\

• Certain medications
• Infections such as AIDS/HIV
• Dehydration
• Tobacco use
• Alcohol use
• Eating sugary snacks and drinks

The best way to cure dry mouth is to do something right away when your discover the problem.

Below are some tips on how to manage dry mouth:

• Drink extra amount of water
• Chew sugarless gum or suck on sugarless hard candies to help production of saliva.
• Use a humidifier at night
• Use oral moisturizers - can be found at your local pharmacy

If you have tried the following above and haven't noticed any improvements, alert your doctor and dentist right away!

Foods That Increase Your Dental Health

When you think of healthy food you often think about heart health and weight loss. Rarely is dental health thrown into the mix. However, there are foods out there that can increase and promote good dental health. It is common knowledge that food with whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean meat and low fat dairy food are all good for dental health. However, some may be better than others. Here are some of the ones that come highly recommended from dentists, chefs and food lovers alike!

1. Cheese or Milk - Low fat
2. Cashews
3. Peas
4. Apples
5. Celery
6. Carrots
7. Dry Beans
8. Raw Onion - just do something about the onion breath
9. Skinless Poultry or Fish
10. Wasabi - Sushi lovers REJOICE!

These are just some. I am sure that there are a lot more out there. As always, consult with your doctor before changing your diet!

What Is Leukoplakia?

Leukoplakia (loo-koh-play-key-uh) are thick, whitish patches that form on the inside of the cheeks, gums or tongue, these patches are caused by excess cell growth and are common among tobacco users. Other causes include rough, uneven teeth and improperly fitted dentures.

If you notice these white patches, make an appointment with your dentist to get an oral exam. If the patches look suspicious your dentist will most likely do a biopsy, taking a small tissue sample and send it to a pathologist for testing. The goal is to rule out oral cancer!

Treatment begins with removing the factors that contribute to the lesion: quit using tobacco, replace improperly fitted dentures, etc.

*Remember if you notice something out of the ordinary, see your dentist immediately, don't wait because then it might be to late.

The Negativity Surrounding Dental Plans Is Unjustified!

I was reading an article on dailyfinance.com titled "How to Save on Dental Insurance" that was written by the Savings Experiment Staff. The article itself was fantastic. As I was reading it I was very pleased with their evaluation of dental plans or "Dental Price Clubs" as they called them. The information that they gave about dental plan was on point. They touched on things like no deductibles, no waiting periods and larger discount on major procedures than insurance offers.

The article alone did not inspire me to write this blog. The inspiration comes from comments that readers left on the article. These were some of the most disturbing comments from people that I have read in regards to an industry that I am personally so passionate about. I could not believe the mis-conceptions that are out there about dental plans and the negativity that some people have about them. Some of the people, who mind you, have probably never joined one or accurately researched them. They just hear the word "plan" or "club" and automatically put us in a lower class of businesses.

So I have decided that instead of commenting back to defend our industry and causing the hatred to be cast upon me while spending the next month going back and forth with them; I would just write a blog to address the "concerns" that they so graciously and delicately voiced.

One commenter stated "...These plans offer the worst of the worst dentist in the area"
Another one said "Caution before you sign up...you will have drive 50 miles to find a dentist"
Another one said "You get what you pay for, if you go cheap are you asking for trouble"

These comments are very far from the truth, especially when it comes to our plan, Savon. In fact, the dentist that accept our plan are the same dentists that accept the insurance that people pay almost triple for and that doesn't cover even close to what we do. At Savon, if we do not have dentist in your area, we will let you know up upfront. Transparency is really important to us. We go the extra mile to make sure that everyone that signs up has full knowledge of us and how our plan works.

Here is are some facts about the dentists that accept Savon Dental Plan.

1. Each Dental Center and Dentist goes through an extensive credentialing process before they are authorized to see a Savon Dental Plan member. This process can be be seen on our website by clicking here.


2. We have a ranking on all of our dentists. This ranking is from the dentist and it classifies their level of comfortability on different categories of dental work. This allows us to be able to match the member with a dentist that can handle their needs.


3. We constantly solicit feedback from our members on their dentist. Whether it is on the phone when they call in, or through our "Nominate Your Dentist" program, we are always seeking feedback on the dentist that our members go to. This allows us to be proactive in addressing any concerns or praising a center for extraordinary work!


4. Any Dental Center that is found to be giving our members "sub-par" dental work is removed from our plan.


5. A "spot check" is done on our dental centers by Savon Dental Plan Team Members. We get our dental work done at these dental offices too, as Savon members. When we go in, the dental center does not know that we are Savon employees, they just think we are another member. This gives us a first hand experience on how our members are treated.


6. A Savon Representative visits our dental centers personally every 4-6 weeks. This is different then the "spot check". This allows us to keep a great business relationship with each one of our providers. It also allows us to communicate with our providers about any changes to our plan as well as handle any problems that may arise.

These are just a few of the ways that we at Savon Dental Plan go above and beyond to make sure that you as a member are getting the best quality dental care possible. We strive everyday to make sure that they only thing discounted at dental office is the price. We take this issue very seriously.

To everyone out there that has the misconception that dental plans are sub-par, have the bottom of the barrell dentists, and is not worth it, I say this! Research it, try it! Research Us, Try Us! Call any dentist that accepts are plan and ASK them about us! I am willing to bet that your opinion will change when you realize how much you will actually save at the dental office and how great the care is that you will receive.

Oh yeah..one last thing,.. to the "dentist" that commented on the article and said that "every dentist hates these plans and only joins to get the patients". If what you are saying is true, then why is it that dentist referring their current patients to us is one of the biggest sources of new members that our plan has? Hmmm.. something to think about there!

Again... all I ask that you research it or try it before you knock it!

Is Painless Dentistry a Possibility?

With laser dentistry, it is.  Imagine showing up for your dental visit and having NO anxiety...no fear of what is sure to come, no needles, no numbness when you leave that prevents you from having that fantastic lunch you were planning...good dream, huh? Nope friends, this one is a reality and it is already in use and available. Technologically, the field of dentistry has made unbelievable advances in the way of patient comfort and now, in the form of treatment without anesthetic.
I read today about a system available called Waterlase that combines a mixture of water and laser and can virtually eliminate the need for anesthetic for a number of dental procedures including cavities, root canals, repairs to the gums and jawbone and more!  The benefits to this promising system are limitless. Why haven't I heard of this before?! Honestly,  I have no doubt that in a short period of time we will be seeing laser dental therapy become the norm at the dentist's office around every corner.

I read about this fascinating advancement HERE. I will note that the one thing that is not really mentioned on the site is the cost, and of course, as with anything new, you will likely pay a little more in the short run but it's a sure bet the benefits of painless dentistry will  far outweigh the cost.  Just my opinion, of course.

Keep Smiling!!