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In 2020 was Halloween a little different at your house? Chances are it was. Did you miss out on trick-or-treating? Did you have fewer trick-or-treaters knock on your door? Did you have a bunch of candy left over? Or maybe you didn't buy candy at all last year? As different as it Halloween 20' was, imagine how life must surely have been very different for our troops.
We're ALL-IN for 2021's Treats For Troops campaign to bring a little love to our warriors! If you've got leftover Halloween candy this year, or if you just want to donate some joy, then please consider dropping it off with us and we'll deliver sothe grins!
WHERE:
Jacob O. Layer, Family Dentistry
1485 E. McAndrews Rd
Medford, OR 97504
WHEN:
Monday 11/1/21 - Thursday 11/4/21, 7:00am - 2:30pm.
The big box of sweets will be shipped to our brave warriors the next day.
(stay tuned for a follow-up report in our November newsletter)
(Soldiers' Angels is a national 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides aid and comfort to the men and women of the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, their families, and a growing veteran population) |
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| Muuahahaha! |
Did you know that vampires have to clean their teeth regularly?
Yeah, so they don't get bat breath! |
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| Dental Insurance Realities - Part 2
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Last month we quickly looked at dental insurance's origin story. Now let's think about its very fabric. In our practice we frequently hear the question, "does my insurance cover that?", or a comment like, "well, since don't have dental insurance..." But what is dental insurance really? This one's a little long but stick with it:
Let's start by challenging the basic assumption: is dental 'insurance' really 'insurance'? I tell people no. What is insurance and why do we care? Simply put, insurance protects your income in the case of catastrophic loss. Life insurance replaces your income (for your family) in case you die. Health insurance does the same in case of a major medical event. Disability steps if if you get injured. Homeowner's, renter's, auto, colission, fire, flood... each is designed to protect your income from major loss in each arena. Be careful, an "umbrella" policy is less literal! But dental? Is there a catastrophic loss for which dental insurance protects us? For that, let's consider THE question:
What is the most expensive thing you have to get done in a dental office?
When I ask that question I get answers like dentures, implants, or bridges. We're all trying to think of the most expensive thing we can get done in a dental office, right? Our minds list solutions. Well, it was a trick-question. The answer is to the question really is: pull the tooth. Got a cavity? Pull the tooth? Broke a tooth? Pull it. Lost a tooth? Good news, you don't have to pay anything, it 'pulled itself'! Loose or infected tooth? Pull it. Abscess? Pull the tooth. Crooked tooth? Pull em - can't be crooked unless you have teeth to misalign, right? But wait you may say, now I'm missing a tooth (or teeth)! What about that, huh? Well, insurance actuaries know there is very little risk involved in having some missing teeth (when compared to the other risks the actuaries measure). Ever met someone that has no teeth at all and no dentures either and is still getting along OK? I have. Now I'm not telling you that I think your teeth are not important and to just pull teeth willy-nilly as the end-all solution to whatever ails your mouth. Not by a long-shot. I believe in my very core that healthy teeth & gums are important to a full and meaningful life. What I am saying is that dental 'insurance' is not really like other insurance. And, personally, I don't think it will EVER be that way. Instead of dental insurance being 'insurance' in the true sense of the word, I prefer to think of it as a benefit plan or even a (every) expensive savings account with lots of red-tape, that can only be used for certain things, and is subject to change, and to which someone else holds the purse strings. Now, if you get dental insurance as a part of your employment benefit package and it doesn't cost you a thing and you can't control if you get it or not, then we're probably going to modify this discussion. But consider this if you are wondering whether to buy a dental 'insurace' (benefit) plan: would you be better off 'paying yourself' the same money you would have paid in premiums into your own savings account? What would that look like after 6 months? 12 months? And what if you needed cash for a car or home repair (something non-dental)? Would it be easier to go to your own savings account or to ask the dental insurance company for your money back?
I'm a dentist, not a financial planner. But you come to me for my opinion (diagnosis = opinion). So there you have it. I hope that this thought experiment has been helpful. More next month!
-Dr. Jake |
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| Reminder |
We're gonna revisit this frequently over the next several months because it's that important. Fall is here which means shorter days, colder weather, overcast skies, and less time spent outside. And, when we are outside, we're bundled up more so our skin gets less sun exposure. And that sun on our skin is how we used to make our own vitamin D3 in the summer. Think of D3, vitamin C, and zinc as turn-key ingredients for your immune-system. The others enhance our body's ability to use them. Here they are again:
Vitamin D3 2,000 IU per day (if you can only find 5000IU supplement that's fine, just take one every other day)
Vitamin C 1,000 IU per day
Quercetin 250 mg/day
Zinc 20-40 mg/day
Melatonin 6-10 mg before bed (as a gentle sleep aid)
Also consider a mouthwash containing cetylpyridinium chloride (I recommend Act because it also has topical fluoride) - 1/2oz swish daily after brushing/flossing before bed; spit but don't rinse afterward.
Get plenty of sleep, drink lots of water, get some exercise (a little every day is enough), stay connected to your support system, laugh often, and choose good self-care. We got this!
-Dr. Jake |
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