In my last blog I spoke of the inevitable changes that we will be seeing in dentistry. The dental insurance marketplace is one area that should be included in that discussion, if only because so little has changed, with the exception of how successful they have become in controlling the dental marketplace. I would estimate that 80% of our patients have some form of dental insurance, yet few really understand what this really means for them.
A quick look at the facts:
“Insurance” is intended to help with catastrophic problems (i.e. The current flooding in the Mid-west, Hurricane Katrina, your home is destroyed in a fire, etc.)
There is NO comparable “catastrophic” downside in dentistry!
No dental insurance company has ever lost a nickel on a dental plan. There are so many deductibles , co-pays, and limitations that they can’t lose money! (Have you ever heard of a State Lottery or the Powerball Jackpot losing money?)
In 1975 the annual maximum payout per person in dental plans was about $1,000. Today, 40 years later, it is still only about $1,000 Ultrasonic Scaler. The only thing that has increased are the premiums!
In the average indemnity plan patients only see about 65 cents in return for every dollar in premium paid. The rest goes to the insurance company’s cost of doing business, salaries, profits, etc.
Insurance companies are in the business of making money, not providing dental care. Providing dental care is only incidental to why they exist!
I could go on, but hopefully you get the point. We would be happy to discuss any concerns you have regarding dental insurance and I want you to know that we will do everything possible to maximize any benefits you may have coming to you. For those without dental coverage, I am happy to announce that we now offer our own “in-house” dental program to help control costs. Please ask us for details. If you have any questions in the meantime, you can contact me or the staff at my office, Dr. Laurence Stone in Doylestown, PA.
How Long Should Your Teeth Last?
Last week our local paper, The Intelligencer (Sunday, October 25,2015), ran a terrific article by Sarah H. Kagan, PhD, RN entitled “Getting Older Doesn’t Mean You Have to Lose Your Teeth”. Dr. Kagan is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing where she specializes in geriatric issues dental air compressor. Being married to a geriatric nursing specialist has also given me the opportunity to learn quite a bit about older folks. God willing, I may someday even become one myself!
Basically, Dr. Kagan espouses what I have been telling my patients for years – which is despite the fact that we humans only get 2 sets of teeth, “baby” or primary teeth and “adult” or permanent teeth, those permanent teeth should be just that…permanent! In other words, with the knowledge and technology available to us today, people should be able to keep their teeth for a lifetime.
Now the interesting question becomes: What constitutes a “lifetime”? The February/March issue of TIME Magazine featured an infant on the cover with the headline: “This Baby Could Live to be 142 Years Old”!
Do I think that even under the best of circumstances we could keep our adult teeth for 142 years, or even 400 years as Aubrey DeGrey has suggested – once we find a cure for cancer dental lab supplies australia? NO, I don’t, even though tooth enamel is the 7th hardest naturally occurring substance known to man!
Given the fact that my father and grandfather both lost all their teeth and wound up wearing dentures, this is a concern to me. In fact, it used to give me nightmares! But no more, now that we have dental implants widely available. If for some reason, despite my meticulous home care, I should lose my teeth, I would get dental implants.
Just as people who need new hips or knees can get hip and knee replacements, most patients who lose teeth can have them comfortably replaced with dental implants.But for now, let’s take care of those pearly whites that God has blessed us with.
What’s The Marathon Micro Motor? for more information.