April 2010 Newsletter
What´s New at Savon
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Quote of the month:
“Isn't it appropriate that the month of the tax begins with April Fool's Day and ends with cries of "May Day!"?” ~ Anonymous
Congratulations to P. Yap of Murrieta, CA Winner of our March drawing for 1 free additional year of membership.
Congratulations to our winner and thank you to everyone that entered the drawing.
Chairside Chat with Dawn Lawler:
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So What We‘re Really Saying Is…
I can‘t begin to tell you the number of times that I‘ve been approached by patients as soon as the dentist stepped from the room, wanting to know what all the dental mumbo-jumbo was the dentist just dictated to me was about. It wasn‘t till I actually thought about it that I understood where the patients were coming from. With all the acronyms, nicknames and dental terminology floating around the operatory during procedures and exams, no wonder patients look at you with the furrowed brow asking “what is that all about?”.
Well, this issue we are going to focus on some dental jargon. Most of you know the basics. (Crowns, bridges, root canals, fillings, cleanings, etc.) So hearing those words and phrases come up in the course of an examination, probably isn‘t too alarming.
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However, if you heard the doctor say #14 has a large MODL amalgam with a craze line on the Mesial and Distal Marginal Ridge needing a new PFM with a possible build up… Your mind is probably screaming, “say what?” Layman‘s terms? Your upper left 1st molar, #14 has a large silver filling it that covers 4 out of 5 sides of the tooth.
The tooth itself has small cracks going down the front and back of the tooth making the filling dysfunctional. A new crown is recommended with a possible build up to fill in the hole that will be left when we take out the cracked filling. Whew…whatta mouth full! Figuratively speaking.
To break it down for you, these are some common terms you‘ll hear in the exam rooms.
There are five sides on all teeth. Mesial, Occlusal/Incisal, Distal, Buccal and Lingual. M-O-D-B-L (any variation of the lettering) refers to the surfaces on a tooth. It is always used in conjunction with a tooth number (#1- 32), decayed areas and a restoration type. Amalgam (silver) filling, Composite (tooth colored) filling, inlay/onlay of porcelain or metal all will have correlating surfaces.
PFM is a slang term for a crown. There are many different types of crowns, but most are commonly referred to as PFMS. Posts and Build-ups often coincide with crowns. They replace the old removed filling material and cavities, giving a tooth back structural integrity before it is prepared for a crown. Kind of like reinforcing a foundation before rebuilding a house.
Endo is a slang term for root canal. ENDO REF is a tooth being referred to an Endodontist for evaluation or treatment.
EXT is the slang term for an extraction. EXT REF TO OS is an extraction referred to Oral Surgeon.
Craze lines, fractures, cracks are all the same thing. Where they are located on a tooth, how deep/wide they are determine the course of treatment and the availability of restorative procedures for the tooth.
Examples: Buccal craze lines are located on the cheek side of the tooth and may be opened up with a small bur and sealed with some composite material, where as a tooth that has mesial and distal craze lines, which are cracks that run interproximal to the adjacent teeth may need a larger filling or even a crown. Some teeth that have vertical fractures are not able to be restored at all.
Granted, I only covered a smidgen of the things we talk over your head in the operatory, but this should help you feel a little less clueless as to what the dentist and assistant are actually saying. Should you ever have questions in regards to the “doc talk”, don‘t hesitate to ask your dental assistant or dentist for their “layman‘s” version.
If you have a particular topic that you would like her to discuss, please drop her an email by clicking here.
Keeping Fit with Jourdin Hendershot:
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Diabetes And Dental Health
What does diabetes have to do with dental health? Good question!!
Diabetes plays a major role in dental problems. An estimated 21 million Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes are surprised to learn about the unexpected complications with this disease.
The three most significant problems seen in the mouth are infections, saliva problems and gum disease. People who have been diagnosed with diabetes are more likely to develop oral infections and periodontal disease, than those who are not diabetics.
Some problems diabetics might experience are; decreases of salivary flow (which causes dry mouth) along with a burning mouth or tongue and premature gum recession. Frequent cleanings and medicated mouth rinses help alleviate the discomfort caused by these diabetic related dental maladies.
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If you have questions you would like to discuss with Jourdin, feel free to drop her an email by clicking here.
Southern Comfort with Auntie Que:
One of Our Southern Favorites is Dirty Rice
Ingredients
- ½ sm. to med. onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 lbs. of ground beef or ground sausages
- 2 cups of rice (cook and put on the side)
- 1 tbsp. of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
- 1 tbsp. of Browning sauce.
Sauté onions and garlic in a pan add ground beef of ground sausages cook thoroughly.
Add seasoning and browning sauce and cooked rice. Serve with your meat and vegetable.
To your health:
Is your sunscreen SPF right for you?
With the thousands of sunscreens and sunblocks available to consumers today, it‘s difficult to determine the right sunscreen protection for you and your family.
The scientists behind Lavera recommend the following formula to calculate your recommended SPF.
SPF, or Sun Protection Factor, increases the length of time you can stay outside in the sun without incurring sunburn or irritation from UV-B rays. At present there is no standard to measure protection from UV-A rays.
Calculate your recommended SPF:
- Rate yourself:
- Select your skin type. The corresponding amount of time indicates how long you can stay safely in the sun before burning.
- Fair skin - 10 minutes
- Olive skin - 15 minutes
- Dark skin - 20 minutes
- Look at the SPF on your sunscreen
- Note which SPF is stated on the product labeling, eg. SPF 20.
- Calculate your protection time, the amount of time you can stay outside before burning:
- Multiply the sun safety time for your skin type with the SPF listed on your sunscreen.
- eg. 15 minutes (for olive skin) x SPF 20 = 300 minutes (5 hours) of sun protection
- Result: Olive skin using a sunscreen with SPF 20 can under ideal conditions stay in the sun for up to 5 hours.
Keep in mind that prolonged exposures to the sun‘s rays require more repetitive applications of your sunscreen to assure that you‘re receiving the best protection it can provide. Usually, most sunscreens need reapplications after prolonged water activities and sports that cause perspiration.
The above health material is provided as an information service. It should not be used for diagnostic purposes nor is it intended to take the place of the important relationship between you and your doctor.
A Question From A Member:
Question:
I was treated by a dentist today that is not associated with your plan. Where do we send the claim forms?
Savon's Answer:
Unfortunately, if a Savon Dental Plan Preferred Provider does not treat you, there is no plan benefit. Since Savon Dental Plan is NOT an insurance company, we DO NOT reimburse any member or doctor for payments on fees for services or prescriptions rendered. The following links will help: answer questions regarding our plan policies; help you find a Savon Dental Plan Preferred Provider. If you need further assistance, please contact our Customer Care Team at 800-809-3494.
News You Can Use: News From Inside Your Dental Plan
Fee Schedules For All Zones Have Been Updated
Effective 4/1/2010 all urban and rural fee schedules for all zones have been updated. Please check the effective dates on the fee schedules you currently have in your possession. If you have an outdated copy, you may view and print the current fee schedules here or obtain condensed copy by contacting our Customer Care Team. All Savon Preferred Providers will begin honoring the fee schedule updates effective 4/15/2010.
Fun Facts
Crazy, Zany Facts We Bet You Didn't Know
- In spring, the Earth‘s axis is tilted toward the sun, increasing the number of daylight hours and bringing warmer weather that causes plants to bring forth new growth.
- The first day of spring is also called the vernal equinox. “Vernal” and “equinox” are Latin terms meaning “spring” and “equal night” respectively.
- According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 600,000,000 eggs are usually sold in America during the months of March and April, or Easter season.
- Easter egg dye is marketed at a whopping 5-cents a packet for the first time in 1880 by Pharmacist William Townley of Newark, NJ.
- 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies are made for Easter each year.
- Each day, five million marshmallow chicks and bunnies are produced in preparation for Easter.
- Red jellybeans are kids‘ favorite.
Come back for more in next months issue!
Dental Talk - A Member Blog Forum
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Come blog with us! Dental Talk with Savon is a fun forum to post your interesting topics! Your comments are welcome, it‘s free to use and no membership is required.
Some of the topics include;
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These are just a few of the topics. Our blog site contains many other interesting topics. Please join us!!
Insurance Insight
Got An HSA Compatible Health Insurance Plan? Maximize Dental Savings
Most individual/family policies do not cover dental as part of their coverage; a few do, if taken as an option. Many of the larger group plans offer dental as a benefit. Either way, you can use the dollars in your HSA account to cover your portion of those expenses.
Here's how it works:
- if your group or individual policy covers dental, use your Savon membership (do not show your insurance card) to get your discounted rates. Pay the balance and then submit the claim to your insurance carrier for their portion of the reimbursement. Pay YOUR portion of the bill with your HSA (i.e., tax-free) dollars. Your out of pocket should be about 25% of the total bill - but with tax-free dollars, it's more like 20%.
- if your health plan does not cover dental as a benefit, use your Savon membership to get your discount, then pay the balance with your tax-free HSA dollars.
Without Savon, if you have an HSA-compatible health plan, most dental procedures will actually end up costing the equivalent of 85-90% of the regular price, since you are using pre-tax rather than after-tax dollars to pay the bill.
With Savon, if you have an HSA-compatible health plan, most procedures would end up costing the equivalent of 35-40% of the regular price, since you are using pre-tax dollars for you your portion after the Savon discount. And, if you happen to have Savon in addition to a dental benefit built into your health plan, your total out of pocket would end up being less than 25% of the total bill!
Saving money on dental bills doesn't have to be rocket science - it just takes a good dental plan and some ingenuity!
Please feel free to call with any questions!
June Shaffer
(623)435-5511
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