Maternal oral health affects a baby both before and after birth. Here’s how: Maternal periodontal disease is associated with preterm deliveries and low birth weight babies. Three periodontal disease bacteria have been found in amniotic fluid of women who delivered preterm. These bacteria include F. Nucleatum, P. Gingivalis and Bergeyella species. It’s thought that 18… Continue Reading Maternal oral health for baby
The Wisconsin Dental Association House of Delegates doubles as the single largest fundraising event for Wisconsin Dental Political Action Committee every year. After making some changes to the giving levels, creating a redesigned brochure and initiating a new marketing campaign, our hope was to increase the participation level by member dentists. I’m very pleased to… Continue Reading WIDPAC update: Great success at the House of Delegates!
Please keep an eye out in early December for your 2018 Wisconsin Dental Association membership invitation (dues statement). To pay your dues online, visit WDA.org and click the Join/Renew button on the top or the bottom of home page. Make sure to pay by noon on Dec. 29 if you want your dues marked “paid”… Continue Reading Almost time for WDA membership dues
All Wisconsin Dental Association members and their dental teams are invited to enjoy a complimentary breakfast hosted by the Chicago Dental Society anytime between 7:30 and 9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 23 during the Chicago Midwinter Dental Meeting. The Chicago Midwinter is one of the largest and best dental conferences in the world. Each year, thousands… Continue Reading Attend Wisconsin-only breakfast at Chicago Midwinter Dental Meeting
Hackers and thieves are on the hunt for your personal information every day. Because our business requires the transfer of personal information, we need to be prepared to protect our clients’ personal information, as well as our own. Information security is an important part of best business practices in the insurance industry. Personal financial information (PFI) and personal… Continue Reading Protecting personal health and financial information
…word letter to a dental benefits company’s faceless dental consultant trying to explain why you treated a patient’s tooth a certain way when that consultant denied coverage for the procedure because the need for your treatment wasn’t obvious on the X-ray which you sent with the claim… There is no doubt that our treatment decisions… Continue Reading A picture is worth a thousand…
Like many of you, I’ve met with legislators to explain how the current Medicaid reimbursement rates don’t allow dentists to break even financially when treating MA patients. Far too often, our elected officials are quick to say that dentists won’t take MA patients even if the rates are increased which we know is simply not… Continue Reading Imperative Medicaid pilot update
As many of you will recall, Governor Scott Walker included funding for a dental pilot project to test the impact of enhanced reimbursement rates for pediatric services and adult emergencies in his 2015/2017 budget. This pilot project was the result of years of lobbying by Wisconsin Dental Association members and the hard work of our… Continue Reading Medicaid pilot – House speech
Pediatric dentists sometimes find that they’re treating young adults who have no desire to leave the practice. Although this loyalty is often a sign of a positive doctor–patient relationship, the age of the patient sometimes poses problems. Planning for the transition of young adult patients is beneficial for dentists and their patients. It helps provide… Continue Reading When should the pediatric patient “graduate” to another provider?
In what doesn’t seem like that long ago I was first volunteering as a translator at the Wisconsin Dental Association Foundation Mission of Mercy event in Madison. So began my foray into organized dentistry. Little did I know then how much the WDA would mold and shape me into the (almost) dental professional I am… Continue Reading Where does the time go?