Millennials have a reputation for ruining everything. While the reputation is probably undeserved, it’s certainly tempting to imagine that a new Millennial spin on dentistry is likely to be a nightmare. However, the new innovation Floss Bar could be a real godsend for Millennials who aren’t currently getting dental care. 

The Floss Bar Concept

So what is Floss Bar? It’s an attempt to make dentistry more accessible to people who have tight schedules and low income (which describes many Millennials). Basically, Floss Bar brings dentists and hygienists to the workplace so that people can see the dentist more conveniently. 

Floss Bar is an insurance-based practice that is set up to take the insurance offered by the company to its employees. This makes the care more accessible to patients and more affordable for employers, who don’t have to supply additional benefits. 

But it’s not just the patients that benefit from this arrangement. Floss Bar focuses on hiring newly graduated dental professionals. The founder and CEO described this rationale: “When [hygienists] come out of dental school, they’re some of the most in-debt students in the country. So it makes sense if they can actually go where the patients are versus paying advertising and high cost-of-customer acquisition costs.”

The Millennial Need

While we might fault Floss Bar for seeming to bend over backwards to make itself more accessible, it certainly seems to be something that the population needed. A recent study by the American Dental Association (ADA) highlighted the needs of this segment of the population. Fewer Millennials are visiting the dentist than any other age group, so it’s not a surprise that they also report the highest levels of impact from oral health problems, including having difficulty biting and chewing, avoiding smiling, and experiencing problems at job interviews because of their teeth. When asked why the don’t go to the dentists, they usually report that it’s because of the costs involved, although young adults were most likely to report that inconvenient time or location kept them from visiting the dentist. 

Graduating to a Real Dentist

While Floss Bar certainly seems like a reasonable way for young adults to get needed dental care that they might otherwise avoid, we can’t help but be concerned at the quality of dental care being offered. 

Young dentists and hygienists often have considerable talent and education, but they can benefit from working with more experienced dentists, rather than entering directly into a situation where they are not being supervised. In addition, any dental chain whose main values are “low cost” and “convenience” can’t help but make sacrifices when it comes to the quality of care. 

We can only hope that as Millennials get a better job situation and more savings they will move on to work with higher quality dental practices, especially for services like cosmetic dentistry. It’s like buying lunch in the company cafeteria. You might do it when you don’t have another good option, but as soon as you can, you look for a better place to get lunch. 

If you are looking for a higher quality dentist in the San Diego area, please call (858) 755-8993 today for an appointment with a dentist at Irresistible Smiles, with three convenient locations and many payment options available to make quality care accessible, too. 

The post Are Millennials Ruining Dentistry . . . or Saving It? appeared first on Lovebites Dental.

Out of the millions of people who avail of dental insurance only a very small percentage of them are able to reach or exceed their plan’s annual maximum.

When you’re paying for dental care through your hard-earned dollars, the last thing you’d want is for them to go to waste.

Most insurance companies set the benefit deadline on December 31, and any unused benefits won’t roll over and add to your next year’s benefits.

Here are some tips on how to maximize your dental insurance benefits before we say goodbye to 2016.

Prevention is better than cure

It is amazing how this age-old cliché applies even in your dental benefits.

If you don’t have any teeth that need fixing, then go for preventive procedures.

Aside from keeping your teeth healthy, the costs for preventive visits are actually 100% covered by most plans.

So if you don’t know what to do with your dental plan yet, then now is a good time to visit your dentist and start the coming year with a healthy smile.

Plan your next year’s coverage early

Think about your insurance coverage for next year as early as now.

If you can, make a plan on how you’ll maximize it.

Start by paying a visit to your dentist as soon as possible to determine what your needs are and which treatment or procedure you might need for the entire year.

Schedule your appointment now so you can take care of all the planning before the year ends.

Once you learn what your dental needs could possibly be, read your insurance documents, visit the insurance company’s website, or contact your insurance provider to determine which procedures are covered.

More often than not, your dentist will also do research on this too.

Opt for a Flexible Spending Account

A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is a good alternative option for dental insurance. You can set up your account through your employer.

Its advantage over the more traditional dental plan is that you can choose how much money to set aside and put into your account.

Even better, the amount added to your FSA is not subject payroll taxes.

Basically, FSA works pretty much like a debit card that you can use whenever you need to pay for your medical and dental expenses.

You can also use it to purchase products available at your local pharmacy.

Dentist products and services covered by FSAs include professional cleaning, orthodontic treatment, dentures, and any other dental treatment that are necessary to maintain or preserve dental health.

Unfortunately, FSA also has an end-of-the-year deadline.

But unlike plans, most FSA has a grace period of 2 ½ months. Some may even allow you to carry over as much as $500 to your next year’s funds.

Any funds left after the grace period or above the allowable $500 is automatically forfeited.

To prevent this, plan with your dentist carefully and avoid putting in more money than you think you’ll need.

The year 2017 is fast approaching and it will be here before you know it.

That’s how fast time flies, and with it is the validity of your dental benefits.

Now is the perfect time to check your dental plan documents and find out if you should get that dental appointment really soon.

The post Use It Or Lose It? Tips For Maximizing Your Dental Insurance Benefits Before The Year Ends appeared first on Lovebites Dental.

An extensive variety of dental plans are available ranging from most far-reaching to dental discounts. These dental procedures are made for people looking for reasonably priced services.

Notwithstanding this one must have dental insurance to safeguard auspicious and productive treatment when it is required. Instead, packages tend to focus on the fact that people have very different needs.

A few individuals’ needs could incorporate a family dental plan or one for couples.

There are additionally a few dental plans accessible for seniors, and these obviously will be particularly custom-made to people with specific needs because of their age and well-being conditions.

On account of this, here is a portion of the things that are normally secured in dental insurance packages:

Firstly, most dental arrangements will incorporate preventive dental advice.

This can be given by the insurance company or through a consultation with professional orthodontists when you take out such a plan.

This is intended to help you take advantage of the service, and keep away from an excess of visits. Prevention is often said to be better than the cure, and this is certainly true of dental issues. And we specialize in braces.

 San Diego Dental Care

Different things that are often included in dental packages are regular check-ups. Of course, plans will differ in the number of check-ups to take place every year. Generally, this is once or twice a year for most people.

There are certain things which are not always included in packages, such as X-rays and certain standard dental treatments such as crowns, dentures, fillings and much more.

These are not likely to be present in your discount dental plan, but you may find them in some more expensive plans.

Depending on your needs, these more comprehensive plans can actually work out to be great value for money.

These dental insurance plans can be more for family dental arrangements and senior dental arrangements, as seniors and youngsters both need to see a dental specialist on a more consistent premise, because of specific issues that can emerge with age.

In the event that you are taking out any sort of dental treatments. At times you can pay only a little supplementary expense and have additional check-ups incorporated into your dental treatment plan.

Safarian DMD offers one of the lowest dental fee schedules in San Diego, along with a network of established dentists. For more details or the FREE consultation, just get in touch with Dr. Safarian in San Diego or Chula Vista!

The post Things Which Are Covered Under San Diego Dental Care Treatments appeared first on Lovebites Dental.

Did you know 44% of dental care expenses are paid out-of-pocket?

YIKES! That can add up quickly!

A Flexible Spending account could help you reduce your out-of-pocket dental costs because it lets you pay for medical expenses that your insurance plan doesn’t cover with pre-tax dollars.

For dental visits this includes any expenses that you might have for crowns, bridges, implants, X-rays, cleanings, visits, fillings, extractions, occlusions, gum treatments, oral surgery, orthodontics, or TMJ related treatments.

So, if you find yourself paying for things like co-pays, deductibles, or medications you might end up paying less with pre-tax dollars that you’ve set aside in your Flexible Spending account.

Talk with your accountant to determine if a Flexible Spending account makes sense for your financial situation, and if your employer offers Flexible Spending plans, or if you already have one, be sure you’re thinking about your dental care when you planning your contribution amounts.

Include all (or most) of your expected dental expenses into your deductions, and not only will you have something more to smile about next year, but you’ll be smiling your best when you take your dental costs into account, too!

The post Use Your Flexible Spending for Dental Care appeared first on Lovebites Dental.