Diabetes and Your Dental Health

Dr. Linda Vidone, Dental Director, DentaQuest

Did you know that the 26 million people living with diabetes are at an increased risk for gum disease? According to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes are more susceptible to serious gum disease which can affect blood glucose control and contribute to the progression of diabetes.

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month so we’re calling attention to this important correlation.

Researchers have found that people with diabetes are at increased risk for oral health problems, such as gingivitis (an early stage of gum disease) and periodontitis (serious gum disease). Diabetics are typically more vulnerable to bacterial infection and have a diminished ability to fight bacteria once they invade the gums.

Gum disease can make blood sugar levels fluctuate, making it more difficult to control the disease. Diabetics are also more susceptible to other complications from bacterial infections, dry mouth and fungal infections.

All of this underscores the importance of maintaining good oral health and keeping your dentist up to date on your general health.

So what can you do to prevent gum disease and lower your diabetes risk? (1) Make sure you brush and floss properly and see your dentist for regular checkups. (2) If you have diabetes, be sure to control your blood glucose levels. (3) Let your dentist and hygienist know of your condition so they can be ready to meet your needs.

Diabetes.org has lots of tips on keeping your mouth healthy. DentaQuest.com also offers a free resource for determining your risk of developing dental disease here.

November 1, 2013 is First Ever National Brush Your Teeth Day

By Dr. John Luther, Chief Dental Officer

This is the perfect time to start a good habit that will last a lifetime: Brush 2 minutes, 2 times a day and every day.

Prevention is what helps us have good oral health vs. poor oral health. The single most important thing that you can do to protect your teeth is to brush for two minutes, twice a day, every day of the week.

And you should start to make this a daily routine from the time your children get their first teeth.

Here are some brushing tips:

Always use a soft toothbrush. Be sure the size of the brush allows you to reach all areas of the mouth. Replace toothbrushes every 3-4 months. Once the bristles get worn out, get a new brush. Replace your toothbrush after you’ve been sick.

Try not to let the brushes of family members touch when you store them on the counter or by the sink. You don’t want to spread bacteria from one mouth to another!

Check out this video to see how to teach your children how to brush their teeth.

Babies to 2 years: Gently wipe the baby’s teeth with a clean damp washcloth. For kids under age 2, use a soft toothbrush and a little water; no toothpaste is necessary. Once teeth are cleaned at bedtime, babies should drink only plain water (no juice, milk or soda).

Children, 2 years to 6 years: Help your children brush their teeth. Hold the toothbrush with them and show them how to clean every tooth surface. Help your kids place the toothbrush at an angle against their gums. Make sure they move the brush back and forth, gently, in short strokes. Help them brush the front, back, and top of teeth. Be sure to use fluoride toothpaste. All you need is a pea-sized dab of fluoride toothpaste for kids ages 2-6. Teach them to spit out the toothpaste when they’re done and not swallow it. Teach them to gently brush their tongue to remove germs and freshen breath.

Children, 6 years to thirteen: Once children know how to brush, let them do this on their own, but be sure to supervise to be sure all teeth get cleaned. Be sure to use fluoride toothpaste.The goal is to spend 2 minutes to be sure you brush every tooth -- the front, back, chewing surfaces and sides. Teach your children how to floss between teeth and make this part of the nighttime routine.

Teens and Adults: We are all busy with work, school, sports, family -- but that is no excuse for not brushing. Clean your teeth gently but thoroughly for a full 2 minutes, getting at all surfaces and floss between the teeth before you head off for the day (work or school) and finish the day by brushing to remove leftover food in your mouth. Your goal is to remove food that will decay and cause acids that will attack the tooth’s enamel and also to remove plaque that sticky film of germs that forms on teeth and gums after eating. Plaque that’s not removed by brushing twice a day and flossing once a day can lead to cavities.

Bookmark this website: www.2min2x.org. You’ll find  charts that show how teeth develop from babies to young adults. There are free, two-minute videos featuring notable characters from children’s shows and networks, including Sesame Street and Cartoon Network— that kids can watch while brushing. And parents/caregivers can register their mobile phone and get kids oral health tips via SMS messages. Subscribe by texting “BRUSH” to 30364 or by visiting the homepage of 2min2x.org.

And remember this: Simple, repetitive tasks will become habit in just 21 days. Start on November 1 and make it your goal to brush 2 minutes, twice a day, every day. You can do this!

DentaQuest will be tweeting encouragement and reminders all month long. Follow us @DentaQuest

Take the Candy, Leave the Cavities

By Dr. John Luther, Chief Dental Officer, DentaQuest

It’s that spooky time of year again.

Halloween is just around the corner and children are counting down the days until they can dress up, knock on doors and load up their candy supply. When it comes to trick-or-treating, the treats can actually be the biggest trick of all.

We want our children to enjoy the scary fun of Halloween, but we don’t want to be paying for it in dental problems down the road. Sugar is a major cause of tooth decay and cavities. After candy is consumed, sugar and plaque lurk in the crevices of your child’s teeth. If this is not removed by careful brushing, bacteria in the mouth will feed on the sugars and turn them into acid which, over time, wears away the protective enamel, making teeth vulnerable to decay.  Tooth decay ultimately leads to cavities.

Parents can help their kids enjoy Halloween by moderating the amount of candy consumed and limiting the amount of time sugar stays in contact with their children’s teeth. Below are a few helpful tricks to preserve you child’s smile this year:

• Inspect your children’s Halloween loot before they dive in. Hard candies, like lollipops, can cause chipped teeth, choking, and the promotion of tooth decay, since they sit in the mouth for a long period of time, allowing sugars to completely coat the teeth and mouth.

• Avoid sticky candies like gummy fruit snacks. It is hard for saliva to wash away the sticky sugars, so they stay in the crevices of the teeth for long periods of time, creating plaque buildup and eventually cavities. It takes a lot of brushing to rid the mouth of buildup from gummy fruit snacks or caramels.

• Look for Halloween treats that can be eaten quickly. Candy like miniature chocolate bars dissolve completely and quickly so the sugar spends less time in your child’s mouth.  
   
• Eat a small serving. It is better for your child to eat a small serving of candy in one sitting than to snack all afternoon. The goal is to minimize the amount of time sugar stays in contact with teeth. Encourage your child to follow consumption of candy with a glass of water and thorough tooth brushing. 

Reducing candy and sugar consumption is good advice year-round, for both children and adults. Make good oral health habits a family activity; brush at least twice a day, floss, and visit your dentist every six months. Don’t forget to follow up meals with a glass of water, which counteracts the effects of sugary foods. This way, cavity-causing sugars won’t stick around on your children’s or your teeth long after Halloween is over.

Giving Back During “Mission Month”

By Fay Donohue, DentaQuest CEO & President

At DentaQuest, we are a mission-driven organization. Everything we do, whether it is processing claims, recruiting dentists, developing plan options, funding grantees, or using scientific research, is directed at improving the oral health of all. To fulfill this mission it is important for us take time and ensure that our actions reflect how deeply committed we are to the people we serve and the places we live and work.

This is why we are calling October “Mission Month” and dedicating the entire month to community service. Over 1,000 DentaQuest employees in Maryland, Florida, South Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts will dedicate thousands of hours to projects in their local communities. We expanded last year’s “Mission Day,” because it was so successful, our employees wanted to spend more time giving back.

I had the chance to kick-off our month-long effort at the Greater Boston Food Bank last week. My team and I inspected and sorted donated food items to be shipped to the 550 Greater Boston Food Bank member agencies. It was fun, incredibly rewarding, and most importantly, we helped feed those most in need.

Other service projects include volunteering at senior living centers, working with Habitat for Humanity, and maintenance work on nature preserves. Take a look at what’s going on all around the country.

I am proud to be part of an enterprise that is working each day to improve oral health and make a real difference in the lives and communities we serve.

Yikes! It’s Getting Expensive to be the Tooth Fairy!

By By Dr. Linda Vidone, Dental Director, DentaQuest

I remember checking under my pillow the morning after I lost a tooth to see what the Tooth Fairy left me.  I received coins (nickels and dimes) for my teeth and maybe a quarter for a big tooth like a molar. Well, times have changed! According to a recent survey by Visa, Inc., the going rate for a lost tooth is now $3.70, which is 42% higher than the $2.60 per tooth rate in 2011.

Can you believe these numbers!? But, 25 cents bought a lot more back then.

Today, I have mixed feelings about the tooth fairy. As a dentist, I don’t like to hear about people losing teeth. In children, teeth play an important role in learning to speak properly and in being able to eat crunchy, healthy foods so they can thrive and grow. And sadly, dentists see children who lose their teeth too early because of advanced dental decay (early childhood caries).

On the other hand, I appreciate that the tooth fairy is about a rite of passage. When children lose teeth as part of the natural growth and development of their mouth, it’s a good thing.

A visit from the tooth fairy is a reminder about encouraging good oral health. The reward doesn’t always have to be money which may be a hardship in some households.  It could be a sticker, a small toy (like a lego piece), a book, or a homemade coupon for quality time with mom or dad.

Use the lost tooth as an opportunity to emphasize the child’s everyday dental routine. Losing a tooth means the child is growing up and it is time to become more responsible for his/her own daily care. Does your child not want to brush and floss? Remind him/her the Tooth Fairy is more generous for healthy baby teeth, than for teeth with cavities.

It is important for parents to have a system that encourages good oral health habits and celebrates a child’s milestones without breaking the family budget. 

Coming of Age Without Oral Healthcare

By Fay Donohue, DentaQuest CEO & President

This week, I was honored to speak about the importance of dental care for older Americans at “A State of Decay: Coming of Age without Oral Healthcare.” The day-long event held on September 11 on Capitol Hill was sponsored by Oral Health America and Oral Healthcare Can’t Wait, an initiative of the Dental Trade Alliance. We drew attention to the fact that dental problems are a serious health risk for seniors, and that the difficulties they face in accessing care is too often overlooked.  

With 13 percent of the U.S. population aged 65 and older (approximately 40.3 million people), this increasing number of retiring baby boomers and older adults is an influential and growing demographic with the power to advocate for strong policies that support oral health initiatives for seniors.

Fortunately, thanks to progress in our healthcare system, the baby boomer generation has had better oral health than any previous generation.  Community water fluoridation, fluoride toothpastes and access to insurance as part of employer-sponsored health plans, played an important role in ensuring that this generation will be the first in which a majority will keep and maintain their natural teeth over their entire lifetime. 

However, as older Americans face retirement, they are realizing that they will have to pay largely out of pocket for dental care. This is because the benefits of employer plans end at retirement, and Medicare, the federally-funded health insurance program for the elderly, generally doesn’t cover routine dental procedures, such as cleanings or fillings. And although Medicaid, the government funded health insurance program for low-income families, does fund dental care for low income and disabled elderly in some states, reimbursements are often low, creating limited access to dental professionals.

Lack of access to proper oral health care for seniors is a serious health risk that is almost universally overlooked. It is important to have opportunities like that provided through the Day of Advocacy on Capitol Hill  are critical to spreading awareness about the need to provide oral health care for all, especially as our nation ages. DentaQuest is committed to continue working with our partners and other oral health advocacy leaders to make this vision a reality.

What Mission of Mercy Events Say About Our Oral Health System

By Ralph Fuccillo, DentaQuest Chief Mission Officer 

Free care clinics Missions of Mercy (MOMs) and Dental Action Days (DADs) provide critical dental services to thousands of low-income and underserved adults and children throughout the nation every year. 

The first time I attended one of these types of events was in 2009 at a clinic in rural Virginia. It left a dramatic impression. It is impossible to overstate the desperation and gratitude that I saw that weekend. People had driven thousands of miles to wait overnight to get entry into the clinic. I saw a young man in his 20s who had nearly all his teeth pulled out and he was grateful for it because the pain he was in had been so bad. It was a moment when I fully understood what people mean when they say our healthcare system is broken.

The experience motivated me to become involved as a founding board member of the US National Oral Health Alliance and to help create the DentaQuest Foundation’s multi-year Oral Health 2014 initiative, which is cultivating and supporting local oral health leaders and advocates across the U.S. These initiative and the work of many others throughout the country are focused on changing and improving systems– care, community, policy and financing –that can make (or break) a healthy nation.  

The volume of people seeking emergency dental care at these clinics is a painful reminder that too many are falling through cracks in our health system. These clinics are a red flag that our systems are letting people down. Last year, Dr. Terry Dickinson, founder of the Missions of Mercy Project in Virginia, shared his thoughts about these clinics at a gathering of the U.S. National Oral Health Alliance that resonated with me: 

 “Missions of Mercy has allowed me to get in touch with folks who have really struggled to access dental care. If you look at them in line, it’s like there’s an element of hope missing in their faces. They come in with swelling and bleeding and they live with a pain that few of us could tolerate. Since I started the Missions of Mercy Project in 2000, we have provided over 45,000 patients with well over $20.5 million of free dental care. As much as I love what I do, I hate to have to do it. Missions of Mercy is not the solution; and it’s not right that we have to provide care in this manner. So many have lost their future.”

DentaQuest is proud to be a supporter of MOMs and DADs clinics. We provide donations and send volunteers to many clinics annually. Our team in South Carolina will be supporting an event in North Charleston this weekend. Last month, we volunteered, hosted a snack shack for volunteers and provided oral health supplies (toothbrushes, paste, floss, literature) for patients at Virginia Dental Association Foundation’s Wise MOM event in Wise County, Virginia. We really do care about helping people who live in the communities we serve. 

Dental disease is nearly 100 percent preventable-- when people have access to quality care and prevention. Many do not. That’s the challenge we’re working to overcome.