October 2007 Newsletter
What´s New at Savon
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In every newsletter you will find a secret word or phrase. When you locate the word or phrase, copy the entire paragraph and paste it into an email along with your Savon membership ID number and your name.
Send the email to customerservice@savondentalplan.com. The emails will be printed and the winning entry will be drawn on the 15th of the following month. All entries must be received by the 10th of the month (July 10th for Junes newsletter, etc.). The winning entry will receive a check from Savon for $25.00. Only one entry per family is allowed and you may only win once per 12 months. The secret phrase for October is "Acetaminophen"
Quote of the Month: A grandmother pretends she doesn't know who you are on Halloween. Erma Bombeck
Cohen’s Corner – Straight talk from the Doctor:
Let's Talk Dirty!
Many of you have asked me, “What is Trench Mouth and is it contagious?” So now it‘s time to talk dirty and get the facts out about this terrible sounding condition.
Trench Mouth was a slang term that came into being in the First World War. The conditions in the trenches were so unsanitary that many diseases flourished in these cesspools. One of the many problems of the First World War was that many of the soldiers were having big problems with their teeth and “gums” due to the stress of war and the fact that there was no time for hygiene of any kind in the trenches of Europe during this conflict. The problems the soldiers were having with their mouths in the trenches got the slang name of Trench Mouth but what the soldiers were really suffering from was Periodontal Disease. Now if you have been diligent in keeping up with Cohen‘s Corner, (no; this is not a quiz Susan) you know all about Periodontal Disease.
The main point is that Periodontal Disease, which is a disease of the bone that supports the teeth, is said to be the most wide spread disease in America today. OK, back to the trenches! So in the 1914-1918 era in the trenches of Verdun and all around Europe the slang term of Trench Mouth was born. The people at that time didn‘t know much about oral diseases and so they really didn‘t know how to treat the disease. Because of the fact that the soldiers and the medical field didn‘t know how to treat Trench Mouth, and the fact that they saw it spreading amongst the soldiers, they assumed it was contagious. They thought that the trays and forks the soldiers were using were not getting cleaned enough and that was leading to this dreaded disease. The truth of the matters is that Periodontal Disease (Trench Mouth) is not a contagious disease.
You cannot “catch” Periodontal Disease from somebody else. The bacteria that causes Periodontal Disease is a normal bacteria found in the human oral cavity. It is when people don‘t brush and floss correctly that the problems occur. I hope this has cleared up the Trench Mouth question.
Keep those questions coming in and again I‘ll do my best to get to all of them. Have a safe and sane Halloween and go easy on the candy.
Dr. Bruce Cohen DDS
Congratulations to H. Hopkins of La Mesa, CA Winner of our September T. V. Drawing
Mr. Hopkins was the winner of Septembers's T. V. drawing. A new 20" television was delivered to him a couple of weeks ago. Again, thank you to everyone that entered the drawing.
Congratulations to E.J. George of Apache Junction, AZ Winner of our September Secret Word Contest
Mr. George's correct answer was drawn and a check for $25.00 was sent to him. Make sure that you look for the secret word this month, it could be worth $25.00 to you!!
Savon's Inaugural Charity Golf Classic:
Players Needed!!
Don‘t miss your chance to participate in Savon‘s First Inaugural Charity Golf Classic!
Player slots are not filling up as fast as we would like! We need players!!
Grab some friends and LET'S PLAY GOLF!! This tournament is open to the public, (you do not have to be a Savon Dental Plan member). Click here for information on player costs, details and sign up form.
Interested in sponsoring a hole? Don‘t wait!
We‘ve almost reached our limit, so reserve your hole now! Click here for sponsorship information and sign up form.
Not a Golfer?
If you are interested in having some fun but don‘t want to play, join our team and become a volunteer! We need people over 18 who are NOT going to play in the tournament to help run the event! If you are interested, please contact Meri via phone or email at 602-841-3494 or Meri Osborne.
Remember: All Proceeds Benefit United Cerebral Palsy
A Question From A Member:
“My dentist appears to be out of business, what should I do?”
A member from Phoenix, Az writes: “I made an appointment for a cleaning 2 months ago. Unlike the other appointments, nobody called to confirm or even remind me about this appointment. When I arrived for my appointment, I was shocked to find that the office was locked up and appeared to be empty. It seems that my dentist has moved or is out of business, what should I do?”
Savon's Reply
Luckily, this isn‘t something that we come across regularly but it is quite unnerving when it happens. And yes, unfortunately, it does happen. The first thing you need to remember if your dentist goes "AWOL" is that we probably didn‘t know about it. Most of the time, we are not notified when a provider goes out of business, and sadly, neither are the patients.
It is important for you to know that when we initially credential a provider, they sign a contract stating that they are to give us at least 30 days notice of their intentions to terminate their contract. This, in turn, allows us 30 days to accommodate the patients assigned to that specific provider (we send out written notification to everyone who is assigned). When a provider fails to notify us, we generally don‘t realize it until a member calls and tells us, thus, giving Savon a negative reputation.
Should you find yourself in this predicament, it is imperative that you CALL SAVON IMMEDIATELY for three important reasons.
- We can't help you if we don‘t know there is a problem.
- If you are in pain or have a dental emergency, we can help you find a dentist who can help you; it is not something you should be doing on your own.
- Your call may save someone else the aggravation.
By letting us know, we can let everyone else know. Of course, if your problems extend worse than not being able to make an appointment, give us a call and a customer care rep will assist you one on one.
Broke for the Holidays? Not this year!!
The holiday season is coming fast! Selling Savon is a GREAT way to make some extra cash for your holiday shopping!
Tell your friends and family about Savon and get paid when they join! Even if they already have dental insurance!
Becoming an agent is free and the more you sell, the more you make!
Get all of the exciting information here or call today for details at 1-800-809-3494.
To your health:
Making it through the night with a toothache
It's 8:00 at night, all is quiet, and you are experiencing the worst pain in your life. On the Registry of Pain, toothache is right up there with listening to a 5,000 kazoo concert or clobbering your thumb with a hammer. It's the kind of pain that makes you want to yowl. How can something so small hurt so much? You know that you can't see a dentist at this time of night and most emergency rooms don't have a dentist on staff. If you have swelling on your face or neck get to the emergency room anyway.
If you are dead set against going to the emergency room, here are a few suggestions that might ease the pain and help you make it through the night. Then get into the dentist office as soon as possible
- Take OTC (over the counter) pain relievers
There are a lot of over-the-counter pain relievers that you can choose from. Most common are Paracetamol, Aspirin, and Acetaminophen. If you feel that a small swelling has occurred, you may take NSAID (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) for its inflammatory action, like Ibuprofen and Mefenamic Acid. However, those with a history of of ulcers and those pregnant women needs a doctor's recommendation when taking NSAID and Aspirin.
- Cool it
Ice is excellent in numbing nerve endings. Try to compress the affected area with ice. But if it aggravates the pain, discontinue it.
- Rinse with warm salt water.
Hot or cold water will only aggravate an already sensitive tooth, but swishing some warm salt water will relieve a lot of the pain. Just mix two to three teaspoons of salt in a glass of water. The salt draws out some of the fluids causing the swelling and has a general soothing effect. The saltwater rinse also cleans the areas around the infected tooth. Even unsalted lukewarm water (about body temperature) can flush out an irritating piece of rotting food and provide some relief.
- Keep your head elevated
You may wonder why toothaches usually strikes at night when you lie down to go to sleep. The cause is the increased pressure towards your head. Keep your head elevated to decrease the pressure in the area.
- Don't aggravate it
Most people suffering from a toothache poke the affected tooth with toothpicks You are aggravating the condition of your tooth. Discontinue it!
- Be sure to see your dentist as soon as possible
A toothache needs an emergency treatment. A sharp, throbbing pain is usually irreversible and in some cases may be life threatening The above remedies only relieve the pain, they do not cure it.
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