Category: News

One of the most common reasons that people give for not seeing their dentist is money. Paying out of your pocket for regular oral health maintenance is daunting enough; if you need more complex dental work, it can be positively impossible. Fortunately, you have several dental insurance options.

TYPES OF DENTAL INSURANCE NETWORKS

Regardless of where you obtain your coverage, your dental plan will probably use a network of preferred dentists and specialists. Types of networks include the following:

• HMO that will not help to cover costs unless you use a network provider. Typically, you will contribute a small deductible and a copay at every visit.

• pPO that charges an annual deductible that you must pay before any costs are covered. It saves you money if you use a network provider but will also give you smaller discounts on out-of-network professionals. A typical PPO covers 100 percent of preventive care and cleanings, 90 percent of common procedures such as fillings and 80 percent of more complex work such as bridges or extractions.

• Indemnity plan that allows you to go to any lower valley el paso dentist. However, you must pay up front and submit a claim in order to be eventually reimbursed.

GROUP INSURANCE

If your employer provides dental coverage, this is probably your most affordable option. That’s because the group rates that your company negotiates are much cheaper than anything you could buy as an individual. If you are a member of AARP, you can sign up for dental benefits through that organization.

INDIVIDUAL PLANS

If you are unable to get coverage through a group, you can pay for your own insurance via an individual plan. The coverage you will receive is similar to that for a group plan, but keep in mind that most individual plans make you sign a 12-month contract. Some also make you wait anywhere from six to 18 months for major dental work.

DENTAL DISCOUNT PLANS

Although these are not insurance coverage in the technical sense, they can definitely help to make dental costs more affordable. You pay an annual fee and often an enrollment fee to join. although it costs more than you would pay if you had group dental insurance, it is much more affordable than paying the full cost. Oral health services are less expensive because discount plan dentists band together to negotiate affordable rates. To get … Read the rest

Water is an absolute necessity for the body. Our bodies are mostly made of water and as a result, we need to intake a lot of water to stay hydrated. The advent of bottled water has made getting eight glasses of water a day more convenient for our busy on the go lifestyles, but is it healthy? For a while, tap water got a bad rap for not being very clean, and then for tasting bad from too many chemicals. Recently, bottled water has been under attack for the plastic used for the bottle, so which is better? Let’s find out:

There are many places in the world (or even in the US such as Flint Michigan) where clean fresh tap water does not exist. In these less fortunately countries, bottled water is going to be far healthier than any other water sources that are available, but this is not the type of areas we are talking about when comparing expensive bottle water to tap water. Some ask is tap water healthy ? Tap water only pertains to water that has been purified by the state or government and made easily available for public consumption.

One important thing to consider when comparing bottled water to tap water are the safety tests of water. Especially if you’re in a large city, tap water has very stringent safety regulations. If just one strain of bacteria got through, it could make the entire city sick, which is a big repercussion. As a result, tap water is tested daily to make sure that it’s safe. This is not the base with bottled water. Even the best bottled water is only required to be tested monthly – and only at the source. Once the bottles are filled, the water doesn’t get tested anymore. It can sit in storage for year potentially before being opened and there’s no guarantee that the clean water that went into the bottle is the same water that is coming out.

Recent studies have shown a correlation between heated plastic bottles and cancer. An unfortunate side effect of bottled water is that one person usually doesn’t drink an entire bottle in one sitting. Since bottled water is most commonly used when working out, the person working out will leave a bottle of water in their car to drink either before or after the workout. Leaving plastic in a heated car allows … Read the rest