New Dental Choice Blog

If you don’t know answer, don’t feel too badly. Dental insurance is actually a fairly recent concept. No one in the U.S. had dental insurance prior to sometime around the 1970s – at least not a stand-alone plan outside of regular health insurance. But most people had no dental coverage at all, and of course, there were no dental insurance alternatives. In the beginning, dental insurance resembled traditional indemnity insurance. It was meant to provide financial protection against a loss, or the need for dental care, should it be necessary.

Obviously, preventive dental care is the key to maintaining healthy teeth and gums – you don’t want to wait until something “catastrophic” happens to your teeth. Affordable dental care coverage should not only insure you in case of a damaged tooth, an infection, or other type of unexpected emergency – it should help pay for routine care.

To be able to cover the cost of routine dental care, dental insurance companies started “managing” the cost of dental care. These dental insurance alternatives were actually dental benefit plans that spelled out how much a dental insurance company would reimburse its members for exams and procedures, and how much they would charge for copayments and deductibles. They also set annual maximum amounts, and, for products created for individuals vs. groups, required plan members to wait up to a year for major benefits to begin. Doesn’t sound much like “insurance,” does it?

The term “dental insurance” is not really an accurate description of most dental benefit plans. That is why it makes so much sense to look at discount dental plans in comparison to dental benefit plans. As a dental insurance alternative, a discount dental plan provides up-front discounts on all dental exams and procedures. There are no deductibles or annual maximums, and no waiting period for the plan to start. With New Dental Choice, members obtain discounts of between 15% and 60% on dental visits, including those routine checkups that are so important to maintaining good oral health.

As dental insurance alternatives, as supplemental dental insurance, or for those who are dentally uninsured, discount dental plans offer affordable dental care with easy-to-understand plans – a big benefit to consumers!

The Power of Sour on Your Teeth®

Nobody’s going to claim that candy is good for your teeth, but research shows that some candies are harder on teeth than others, especially sour fruit candies that combine high acidity with sugar. Unfortunately, sour fruit candies are very popular among children, teens and young adults.

Because we believe that affordable dental care starts at home, we’re sharing news about a campaign called “The Power of Sour on Your Teeth” that grew out of research into the harmful effects of acidic food and beverages. The findings are useful for everyone who is seeking tips on dental hygiene and affordable dental care – the general public as well as dental professionals. Here are some of the facts highlighted in a PowerPoint presentation by The Minnesota Dental Association, available online.

• Sour candies contain a high level of acid that can wear away the enamel on teeth and cause damage.
• Fruity flavors like lemon, cherry and grape are more destructive than cinnamon or mint because the tart taste comes from citric acid, which is not good for tooth enamel.
•  Loss of tooth enamel occurs at a pH level of 4.0 (lower number = greater acidity). Here are some pH levels of popular sour candies:

                        Sour Gummi Bears        3.0

                        Starburst                       2.4

                        Sour Skittles                 2.2

                        Warheads Sour Spray    1.6

                        Battery Acid                  1.0

The presentation was created to help explain the facts about sour candies. It is a great tool for dentists, teachers, parents and others who work with children through young adults to encourage good health and dental hygiene choices.

Low cost dental care can only save you so much if acidic sour candies are destroying tooth enamel and creating dental problems in the first place. Your New Dental Choice network dentist can give you more information about how to protect your oral health. Besides recommending regular exams and teeth cleaning, patient education is an important part of the New Dental Choice program of affordable dental care. Contact us for more information about our low cost dental plans and to find a dental care provider in your area.

You’ve read about our negotiated discounts on dental care and we hope you’ve watched some of the video testimonials provided by members of our discount dental plans. Now that you’re ready to sign up for New Dental Choice, you may be wondering how to get started and how the plan works.

Joining our discount dental plan is easy. You can sign up online or by calling us at 1-888-632-7558. All you need to do is select an individual, group or family dental plan. The pricing for each plan is clearly spelled out on our website, and payments are accepted securely online or by one of our call specialists. Your membership is effective immediately – there are no restrictions on membership because your dental history is not a factor. You will receive a New Dental Choice membership card that entitles you to dental discounts of up to 60% on everything from routine dental exams to teeth whitening.

The next step is to locate a dentist or specialist who participates in our affordable dental plans in your area. If you don’t find your current dental provider, you can recommend that we contact them about becoming part of our network.

Often people wait until they have a dental problem before they sign up for our discount dental plans. No worries – you can start using our affordable dental plans from the first day of membership. You can even search online by specific dental procedure (you know those wisdom teeth have to come out, don’t you?). This handy online search feature tells you how much you can save on certain procedures when you use your New Dental Choice membership card.

If you have any questions about how to get started or how to use our discount dental plans, please contact us. We’re here to help you save money with easy-to-use affordable dental plans.