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Facts You Should Know About Dental Insurance

What is the best dental insurance plan for financing health care for me?

Choosing a dental expense plan can be a confusing experience. Although there is no one "best" dental payment plan for financing health care, there are some plans that will be better than others for you and your family's dental payment plan needs. We will try to guide you in simple terms. However, rather than just giving you answers, the best thing we can do is to make sure you are equipped with the right questions for the dentists.

There are three major things to consider, each with their own unique set of questions. By considering the questions thoroughly, you will arrive at the right dental payment plan for you and your family.

• How affordable is financing health care (cost of financing health care)?
• How much will a dental payment plan cost me on a monthly basis?
• Should I try to insure just major dental expense or most of my dental expense?
• Can I afford a policy that at least covers my children?
• Are there deductibles I must pay before the insurance begins to help cover my costs?
• After I have met the deductible, what part of my dental expense is paid by the dental plan?
• If I use dentists outside a plan's network, how much more will I pay to get financing health care?
• How often do I visit the dentist and how much will my dental payment plan be each visit?
• Do the included services match my needs (access of health care)?
• What other dental providers are part of the plan?
• Are there enough of the kinds of dentists I want to see?
• Where will I go for financing health care? Are these places near where I work or live?
• Do I need to get permission before I see a dental specialist?
• Are there any limits to how much I must pay in case of a major illness?
• Is the prescription medication which I need covered by the dental plan?
• Have people had good results when covered by a specific dental payment plan?
• How do independent government organizations rate the different dental plans?
• What do my friends say about their experience with a specific plan?
• What does my dentist say about their experience with a specific dental payment plan?

If you consider these elements carefully when choosing a dental financing plan, you can be assured the best possible outcome and minimize dental expense paid by you.

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

Medical and Dental Care Emergencies

The primary purpose of a patient visit to the dental office is to allow their doctor and/or dental auxiliary to perform a dental treatment that will aid in the improvement of their overall oral health. The primary goal of the doctor is to perform this treatment as effectively and as safely as possible. Patients give little thought to the possibility that some unforeseen medical emergency might arise in the period of time during which they are in the dental office.

Many of the things done by the doctor and staff prior to, and during, the dental treatment are done to minimize the risk of a medical emergency. For example, the medical history questionnaire, recording of blood pressure, and discussion of a patient's health history help to determine what potential risks might be present and enables the doctor to modify the planned dental treatment to minimize the potential risks. In many instances, the use of conscious sedation will be indicated as a means of decreasing stress associated with dental care. This is especially important in persons with cardiovascular diseases (such as high blood pressure or angina) who might be somewhat fearful of visiting the dentist. The use of effective drugs for pain control (such as local anesthetics) is yet another means of minimizing the risk of medical emergencies developing during treatment.

In the unlikely event that a medical emergency does occur while a patient is in the dental office, one should know that (it is highly likely) the doctor has received training in the management of medical emergencies that develop frequently.

Amongst the more commonly observed medical emergencies in dental offices are fainting, seizures, acute asthmatic attacks, allergy, and chest pain (angina).

Virtually all of these emergencies occur as a result of fear and anxiety. Therefore, it becomes very important for the patient to advise their doctor if they are apprehensive about their dental treatment. Steps usually can be taken which will prevent these situations from occurring.

Additionally, in many states it is mandatory for all dentists to be certified in basic life support (CPR) on a regular basis. In many dental offices, additional staff personnel are also trained in this very important technique.

Dental offices maintain an emergency supply of oxygen, as well as commonly used emergency equipment and drugs.

And finally, most dental offices are located in close proximity to their community's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system (9-1-1). A telephone call activating this system will provide well-trained life-saving medical assistance within a few minutes.

By Stanley F. Malamed, DDS