toothtruth

About toothtruth

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far toothtruth has created 153 blog entries.

CDC: Dental Care Often Overlooked for Older Americans

By |2019-05-30T22:34:38-04:00May 30th, 2019|seniors|

A NEW ANALYSIS SHOWS there's a major gap in health care for older Americans: dental care. Overall in the U.S., about 29% of adults 65 and older had dental insurance in 2017, and about 66% had seen a dentist in the last year, according to survey data published Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control

For adults on Medicaid, getting dental care is an uphill battle

By |2019-05-29T13:12:45-04:00May 29th, 2019|medicaid, seniors|

Last fall, Summer Mills awoke in the middle of the night in excruciating pain. Her upper canine tooth was throbbing, and eventually, she couldn’t take the pain anymore. “Four o’clock in the morning, I had to wake the entire house up so that I could go to the ER,” Mills said. “I had to drag

At-home invisible teeth aligners could come back to bite you

By |2019-05-01T08:27:54-04:00May 1st, 2019|Uncategorized|

You’ve seen the trendy ads for mail-order dental aligners that took over bus stops and subway cars a few years ago: “Don’t watch the gap; close the gap.” “Straighten your smile in an average of six months.” The promise? To turn your snaggletoothed frown upside down without the pricey services of an orthodontist. Fast forward

Tooth Decay Can Be Detrimental to Your Health

By |2019-04-11T20:41:33-04:00April 10th, 2019|Uncategorized|

If somebody tells you that decaying teeth can be fatal to your very life, you'd think it ridiculous. However, a recent study reveals that the condition can have sweeping implications for a person's entire physical health. It has been widely believed that lack of oral health leads to heart disease. This long-held belief was augmented

VDA “Silent PPO” Legislation Signed and Approved by the Governor

By |2019-05-23T10:17:57-04:00April 2nd, 2019|Legislation|

We are happy to report that our primary legislative task during the 2019 General Assembly Session to pass HB1682 was successful!  It was quite an  undertaking but the hard work of our membership on the legislation (patroned by Delegate Lee Ware at the VDA’s request) certainly paid off.  The end- result was also a testament to engaging

Cutbacks by some doctors halved new opioid prescriptions over 5 years

By |2019-03-15T09:29:37-04:00March 15th, 2019|Uncategorized|

The rate of first-time opioid prescriptions declined 54 percent between 2012 and 2017 in the U.S., largely because many doctors stopped prescribing the painkillers, according to a study of more than 86 million people covered by private insurance. The number of prescriptions for three days’ worth of an opioid - the recommended amount for an

NOTHING BUT THE TOOTH — Dental insurance is not like medical insurance

By |2019-03-16T10:48:56-04:00March 14th, 2019|Uncategorized|

Q. Can you comment on dental insurance? I am a recent college graduate about to enter the workforce. Should I consider an employer offering health coverage including dental over one that does not? Do you have any experience in that area? -- J.K. A. An excellent question for all and especially for someone early into

EDITORIAL: Dental care is health care

By |2019-03-11T15:47:12-04:00March 6th, 2019|Uncategorized|

Mike Andrei's wife Sheila doesn't have dental insurance, so when she needed emergency dental surgery in December, he went to the cheapest place he could find. All of Sheila's teeth were removed and the Auburn couple was billed $7,200. Andrei told told Maine lawmakers last month that he is paying the bill on a three-year

Who does NOT go to the dentist in New Jersey? You’d be surprised at how many.

By |2019-02-14T17:06:31-05:00February 14th, 2019|Uncategorized|

Do you like your teeth? Good. Then, don’t be like almost a third of Garden State residents. About 29 percent of New Jersey residents did not visit a dentist in the last year, according to a 2011-2016 survey done by the New Jersey Department of Health. Just like their annual doctor visit, people tend to

Oral health is crucial to overall health. So why is dental insurance separate from health insurance?

By |2019-02-06T15:40:25-05:00February 6th, 2019|Uncategorized|

The progressive call for Medicare to become universal in the United States, championed by progressive stalwarts like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), relies on a simple yet solid ideological principle: that healthcare, by virtue  of being a necessity, should be a universal right. Yet in a quirk of the American healthcare system, dental care has been historically

Go to Top