Health News From 1stdigest.org

A low cost alternative to dental insurance is now available nationwide. Visit www.1stdigest.org or www.mybenefitsusa.com to learn more. Month-to-month plans cost $11.95 for singles or $19.95 for families. Everyone accepted. Ongoing problems accepted. 1.877.580.7181 toll-free.

Better Dental Hygeine: Yogurt Bacteria coming to Toothpaste and Chewing Gum

There is bad bacteria and good bacteria in the world. Eating yogurt has always been associated with good bacteria that is necessary for colon health. Now, that same bacteria might prove helpful in protecting us from tooth decay.

The journal ‘’Chemistry & Industry'’ report that a new strain of lactobacillus called L. anti-caries, forces the bad bacteria, ‘’strepptococcus mutans'’, to clump together. This blocks the bad bacteria from attaching to tooth surfaces. Recent testing shows that chewing gum with the yogurt bacteria reduces the decay-causing bacteria in the mouth by up to fifty times.

The German chemical company, BASF, is developing chewing gum, mouthwash and toothpastes using ‘’good bacteria'’ to be available in 2007. The good bacteria may also be used in new deodorant products. Strains of the yogurt bacteria have been found to reduce odor-producing bacteria found in underarms and feet.

Dental Insurance compared to Dental Discounts

Discount dental plans are designed to provide significant savings for dental care. They have quickly become a very attractive alternative to costly dental insurance. Plans start as low as $11.95 per month, saving members up to 80% for dental services.

Traditional dental insurance was once the only dental benefit option available. It features numerous drawbacks like high-dollar deductibles, claim forms, extensive waiting periods and hidden limitations. On the other hand, discount dental plans are affordable, easy-to-use and free of many of the problems associated with dental insurance.

The major difference between dental insurance and discount dental plans in a nut shell:

Typical characteristics of Dental Insurance include:

• Spending limitations, large deductibles and annual maximums
• Waiting periods for major dental procedures
• Tedious and time-consuming written claims process
• Limitations/exclusions on pre-existing conditions
• Certain dental specialties, such as cosmetic dentistry, are rarely covered
• Consumers pay expensive monthly premiums for defined coverage
• Typically inaccessible to individuals and families unless provided by their employer

Characteristics of Discount Dental Plans include:

• No spending limits or annual limits, enjoy discounts on dental year round
• Plan activate within 0 to 3 business days
• No claim forms or other paperwork. Show membership card for instant discount
• No health or age restrictions
• Plan include discounts for dental specialties, including cosmetic dentistry and orthodontics for both children and adults
• Members pay affordable membership fees for access to a network of providers who offer discounts off all dental procedures
• Available for individuals, families, employers and groups

In short, discount dental plans are the affordable and easy-to-use alternative to dental insurance. Plan members gain significant savings on essentially all dental procedures.

The differences between dental insurance and discount dental plans:

Maintaining dental or oral health is essential to a healthy lifestyle. Millions of people have made the commitment to improve their oral health, but are torn between dental insurance and discount dental plans. Quality dental care can be more affordable and accessible through a dental discount plan over a dental insurance plan. Dental insurance policies are typically characterized by monthly premiums, deductibles and annual maximums. They also are one year at a time with not early out option. Alternatively, discount dental plans are designed to be accessible and month to month, so they do not share characteristics associated with dental insurance.

The monthly premium for many dental insurance policies is typically $50 to $150. Alternately, the discount dental plans offered here are much less expensive and can be paid monthly, quarterly or annually. Discount dental plans start at only $11.95 a month for an individual and only $19.95 per family or household. The household plan allows inclusion of people who are not related. Plus, discount dental plan members receive 3 additional benefits for free when they join. The same low price includes vision care (exam, glasses, contacts, corrective surgery), prescription discount, and chiropractic discount. So discount dental plan members enjoy discounts on four supplemental plans for one amazing low price!

Usually, dental insurance plans require that you meet their deductible before their dental insurance companies begin to cover their dental care, so the cost of deductibles should be considered when calculating the overall costs associated with dental insurance. Annual deductibles can vary up to $100 per individual, depending on the dental insurance policy. On the other hand, discount dental plans have no deductibles. Discount dental plan members pay a low membership fee, allowing them to pay discounted rates at participating providers at the time services are rendered.

The majority of dental insurance plans limit reimbursement to a maximum around $1,000 to $1,500 per year. Insured individual are then responsible for costs above that limit. Discount dental plans do not have annual spending limits. Discount plan members can use their membership card as often as they like. There is no limit to what members can save by using discount dental plans!

Individual dental insurance policy holders often complain about the rules and regulations. Among them, written claims procedures, exclusions for pre-existing conditions, and long waiting periods for certain procedures. Alternatively, the easy-to-use discount dental plan is designed to save members time and money.

Many or nearly all dental insurance policies require policy holders to complete complicated claim forms every time. There is no paperwork with discount dental plans. Join once and stay active for as long as you want without ever completing a claim form or waiting for reimbursement. It is simple as ABC with discount dental plans. Members present their membership card to participating providers to receive discounts of up to 80% for dental procedures.

Insurance premiums are making dental insurance inaccessible to many individuals and families, unless it’s provided through employers. The discount dental plans offered here are the optimum alternative to costly dental insurance available directly to individuals, families, businesses and other groups. Discount dental plans are a way for businesses to save time and money while offering valuable dental care for employees. Unlike many dental insurance plans, discount dental plans do not have minimum participation rules and limitations for employees or their dependents.

Despite the differences between traditional dental insurance and discount dental plans, members can use both insurance and dental discount plans together in certain situations to maximize savings.

We are devoted to helping USA residents of all races and nationalities easy access to low cost quality dental care. Discount dental plans are an affordable and easy-to-use alternative to dental insurance, and offer supplemental health plan members to significant savings for dental procedures.

If you would like to start saving money on quality dental care, please visit the web site below to discover how millions of satisfied members are smiling like never before.

p.s. A discount health benefits plan is also available which covers doctors, specialists, hospitals, and ancillary benefits for less than $60. Visit the web site to learn more.

http://www.signup.onesimplecard.com

Cavities used to be a fact of life. But over the past few decades, tooth decay has been reduced dramatically Link opens in separate window. Pop-up Blocker may need to be disabled..

The key reason: fluoride.

Fluoride is a mineral that occurs naturally in all water sources, including the oceans, in lakes and in underground water sources. Extensive research has shown that optimal levels of fluoride not only reduce cavities in children and adults, it also helps repair the early stages of tooth decay even before the decay is visible.

Some recent news reports have raised questions about the safety of fluoride in drinking water. But according to Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, “Fluoridation is the single most effective public health measure to prevent tooth decay and improve oral health over a lifetime, for both children and adults.”

* Fluoride in Our Bodies
* Sources of Fluoride
* How much fluoride is in your water?
* Water Quality Reports
* Fluoride Supplements

Fluoride in Our Bodies

Fluoride is obtained in two forms: topical and systemic. Topical fluorides are found in many types of toothpaste, mouth rinses and in special gels or pastes applied in the dental office.

Systemic fluorides are those that are ingested. They include fluoridated water and dietary fluoride supplements in the form of tablets, drops or lozenges. Systemic fluorides are integrated into children’s teeth as their tooth structures form.

The greatest reduction in tooth decay is achieved when fluoride is available both topically and systemically. Water fluoridation provides both types of contact.

Sources of fluoride

Community water fluoridation is an extremely effective and inexpensive means of obtaining the fluoride necessary to prevent tooth decay. Studies prove that water fluoridation continues to be effective in reducing tooth decay by 20 to 40 percent.

Leading health organizations, including the American Dental Association, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Link opens in separate window. Pop-up Blocker may need to be disabled. and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Link opens in separate window. Pop-up Blocker may need to be disabled. support community water fluoridation based on the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence, which continues to establish that it is safe and effective. Water fluoridation reduces tooth decay in both children and adults.

How much fluoride is in your water?

If your water comes from a public or community water supply, contact the local water supplier to determine the fluoride level. You can also check your local, county or state health department.

There are two Internet sites that also supply information. One is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s web (EPA) site for water quality reports (called Consumer Confidence Reports Link opens in separate window. Pop-up Blocker may need to be disabled.). Another is the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) fluoridation Web site, “My Water’s Fluoride Link opens in separate window. Pop-up Blocker may need to be disabled..” For those states that have provided information to the CDC, the agency’s Web site lists fluoridation status by water system.

If your water source is a private well, it will need to be tested and the results obtained from a certified laboratory. Contact your local or state health department for information about where you can have a water sample tested.

Water Quality Reports

In 1999, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began requiring water suppliers to put annual drinking water quality reports into the hands of their customers. Water Quality Reports, (or Consumer Confidence Reports—CCRs) typically may be mailed to your home, placed in the local newspaper or made available through the Internet around July 1 each year. To obtain a copy of the report, contact your local water supplier. The name of the water system (often not the name of the city) can be found on your water bill. If the name of the system is unknown, contact the local health department.

Although the EPA does not have the authority to regulate private drinking water wells, the agency recommends that private well water be tested every year. And although the EPA does not specifically recommend testing private wells for fluoride levels, health professionals will need this information before consideration of prescription of dietary fluoride supplements or to counsel patients about alternative water sources to reduce the risk of fluorosis if the fluoride levels are above 2ppm.

The ADA offers a comprehensive, well-researched publication, Fluoridation Facts that contains answers to frequently asked questions regarding community water fluoridation.

Answers to the questions in Fluoridation Facts are based on generally accepted, peer-reviewed, scientific evidence. They are offered to assist policy makers and the general public in making informed decisions. The answers are supported by thousands of credible scientific articles, which include more than 350 references.

Fluoride Supplements

Dietary fluoride supplements (tablets, drops or lozenges) are available only by prescription and are intended for use by children ages six months to 16 years living in areas that do not have an optimal amount of fluoride in their drinking water. For maximum effectiveness, fluoride supplements require long-term compliance on a daily basis.

The recommended dosage is based on the natural fluoride concentration of the child’s drinking water and the age of the child. If the fluoride level of the home’s drinking water is unknown (if you are on a private well, for example), the water should be tested for fluoride before supplements are prescribed.

Parents and caregivers should carefully monitor the use of all fluoride-containing dental products by children under age six because ingestion of higher than recommended levels of fluoride by children has been associated with an increased risk of very mild to mild dental fluorosis, in developing, unerupted teeth. This type of fluorosis is a cosmetic effect with no known health consequences.

To get the optimal benefits of fluoride, place only a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste on a young child’s toothbrush at each brushing. Young children should be supervised while brushing and taught to spit out, rather than swallow, the toothpaste. Consult with your child’s dentist or physician if you are considering using fluoride toothpaste before the child reaches age two. Additionally, the use of fluoride mouth rinses is not recommended for children under six years of age because they may swallow the rinse.

For information—with a comprehensive list of questions and answers about fluoride and fluoridation—see A-Z Topics: Fluoride & Fluoridation.

Contact Information: ADA American Dental Association

Please note: The ADA does not provide specific answers to individual questions about fees, dental problems, conditions, diagnoses, treatments or proposed treatments, or requests for research. Information about dental referrals, complaints and a variety of dental procedures may be found here. Please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions page before submitting an e-mail.

Ongoing investigations at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), the ADA Health Foundation’s Paffenbarger Research Center, the ADA Research Institute and at public and private institutions across the country are leading the way toward a new generation of genetic therapies, tissue repair and improved biomaterials. These innovations will aid in fighting not only oral disease but also numerous other diseases and disorders. According to the NIDCR, advanced in dental research continue to save Americans $4 billion a year. Maintaining a strong, viable and independent NIDCR is vital to the National Institutes of Health remaining the jewel in the crown of American biomedical research.

Advances in dental and craniofacial research do not seem to be limited to the above-mentioned innovations in patient care.

Indeed, there is a growing body of evidence that points increasingly to associations between oral and systemic (or overall) health.

Dental and craniofacial researchers are at the forefront of other areas of biomedical research targeting such conditions as osteoarthritis, Paget’s disease, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, type I (juvenile) diabetes, cancers of the mouth and throat, chronic pain, other neurological disorders and infectious diseases.

The science of dental materials technology continues to advance, developing new ways to repair, restore and replace diseased or damaged teeth and the bone that supports them. ADA scientists at the Paffenbarger Research Center have had a major role in such productive and influential developments in dental care as the modern high-speed dental drill, the panoramic X-ray machine, dental sealants and tooth-colored filling materials. Paffenbarger embodies the best in public-private endeavors. Funding is provided by the ADA Health Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, contracts and corporate grants. The National Institute of Standards and Technology provides the physical plant. Ongoing projects include:

* A device that can target fluoride to hard-to-reach areas between teeth or even the pits and fissures of individual teeth, which could help dentists “remineralize” early-stage cavities without drilling and filling.

* Calcium phosphate cement used for surgically repairing or replacing lost or damaged bone. Paffenbarger scientists believe that antibiotics or other drugs could be mixed with the cement to guard against infection at the repair site, which, in the oral environment, is often replete with bacteria.

* Advanced, high-strength composite filling materials for use in tooth-colored restorations of sufficient strength to withstand larger load-bearing applications, such as in molars.

* A “smart composite” that releases cavity-fighting chemicals like calcium, phosphate and fluoride into the mouth in response to changes in the saliva’s acidity caused by foods or plaque.

* Chewing gum containing calcium phosphate, which when chewed can help stop caries (cavities) from forming and even help repair already carious teeth.

The ADA Research Institute complements Paffenbarger’s work by concentrating on critical issues facing the practicing dentist. Through the annual ADA Health Foundation Screening Program, the institute is investigating the incidence of latex allergy in dentistry and exploring ways to reduce exposure to latex proteins without compromising patient and provider safety. The institute’s research on Hepatitis B and HIV transmission, conducted for more than a decade, has helped reassure the profession and the public that universal precautions provide a safe environment for delivering dental care.

Source: ADA.org

Dental Public Health : Dental public health is the science and art of preventing and controlling dental diseases and promoting dental health through organized community efforts. It is that form of dental practice which serves the community as a patient rather than the individual. It is concerned with the dental health education of the public, with applied dental research, and with the administration of group dental care programs as well as the prevention and control of dental diseases on a community basis. (Adopted May 1976)

Endodontics : Endodontics is the branch of dentistry which is concerned with the morphology, physiology and pathology of the human dental pulp and periradicular tissues. Its study and practice encompass the basic and clinical sciences including biology of the normal pulp, the etiology, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases and injuries of the pulp and associated periradicular conditions. (Adopted December 1983)

Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology : Oral pathology is the specialty of dentistry and discipline of pathology that deals with the nature, identification, and management of diseases affecting the oral and maxillofacial regions. It is a science that investigates the causes, processes, and effects of these diseases. The practice of oral pathology includes research and diagnosis of diseases using clinical, radiographic, microscopic, biochemical, or other examinations. (Adopted May 1991)

Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology : Oral and maxillofacial radiology is the specialty of dentistry and discipline of radiology concerned with the production and interpretation of images and data produced by all modalities of radiant energy that are used for the diagnosis and management of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral and maxillofacial region. (Adopted April 2001)

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery : Oral and maxillofacial surgery is the specialty of dentistry which includes the diagnosis, surgical and adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries and defects involving both the functional and esthetic aspects of the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. (Adopted October 1990)

Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics : Orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics is the dental specialty that includes the diagnosis, prevention, interception, and correction of malocclusion, as well as neuromuscular and skeletal abnormalities of the developing or mature orofacial structures. (Adopted April 2003)

Pediatric Dentistry : Pediatric Dentistry is an age-defined specialty that provides both primary and comprehensive preventive and therapeutic oral health care for infants and children through adolescence, including those with special health care needs. (Adopted 1995)

Periodontics : Periodontics is that specialty of dentistry which encompasses the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the supporting and surrounding tissues of the teeth or their substitutes and the maintenance of the health, function and esthetics of these structures and tissues. (Adopted December 1992)

Prosthodontics : Prosthodontics is the dental specialty pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment planning, rehabilitation and maintenance of the oral function, comfort, appearance and health of patients with clinical conditions associated with missing or deficient teeth and/or oral and maxillofacial tissues using biocompatible substitutes. (Adopted April 2003)

DDS - Doctor of Dental Surgery

DMD - Doctor of Dental Medicine

Indicates the degree awarded upon graduation from dental school to become a general dentist. There is no difference between the two degrees; dentists who have a DMD or DDS have the same education. Universities have the prerogative to determine what degree is awarded. Both degrees use the same curriculum requirements set by the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation. Generally, three or more years of undergraduate education plus four years of dental school is required to graduate and become a general dentist. State licensing boards accept either degree as equivalent, and both degrees allow licensed individuals to practice the same scope of general dentistry. Additional post-graduate training is required to become a dental specialist, such as an orthodontist, periodontist or oral and maxillofacial surgeon.

Source: Council on Dental Education and Licensure, American Dental Association

According to the American Dental Association, approximately 50% to 70% of the American public does not have any form of dental coverage. These individuals rely on their own personal income to pay the full price for needed dental care.

The AmeriPlan dental discount alternative is designed to lessen the burden to non-insured individuals for the cost of dental care by making dental care more affordable. Our discount alternative offers our members and their dependents a way to save on all dental care expenses through the largest network of dental care providers in the United States.

For individuals with dental insurance, Our dental discount alternative can lessen the out-of-pocket cost. Many dental insurance plans pay less than 100% of the cost of care, and the Our discount pricing reduces the member’s out of pocket cost well beyond the cost of membership. Our dental discount alternative is not insurance, so there are no claim forms, no maximums and no deductibles. We offer “guaranteed issue” which means everyone qualifies for membership without exception.

Our dental discount alternative will provide cost savings not only on routine and preventive care, but also on more extensive treatment such as fillings, crowns, root canals, dentures, bridges, oral surgery, and orthodontics. With our dental discount alternative, members can expect to save up to 80% on dental care expenses. Your actual cost will vary depending on your location and provider selected.

What’s more, members have the added assurance of knowing that each participating dentist has been fully credentialed. Each participating dentist must have an active license in good standing with the appropriate state regulatory agency. Participating dentists contractually agree to abide by OSHA and CDC guidelines for sterilization and disinfection protocols.

The discounts on the dental program vary by geographic region. Each participating dentist agrees to charge our members according to an established fee schedule for their geographic area. The fee schedule is a part of the participating dentist’s contract and available for you to review on request.

AmeriPlan® Dental Program

The fee schedules for preventive and diagnostic services represent as much as 82% discount off regional averages. All other services are discounted 20% to 25% off the providers’ usual and customary fees. Currently our provider base for this program exceeds 25,000.

AmeriPlan® also offers a comprehensive health plan for less than $60.