How to save on dental care costs

Skipping the dentist’s chair, like skipping the doctor’s office when you’re sick, to save money can have major repercussions on both your health and your wallet.

How to save on dental visits

Brushing and flossing are a good place to start, but eventually you’ll want to see the dentist. Instead of dodging the costs of dental care altogether, minimize your costs with the following strategies.

1. Use your insurance wisely. If you have insurance, maximize your benefits by:

1. Taking advantage of flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs) to set aside pre-tax dollars for medical and dental expenses. These are generally offered through your employer.
2. Visiting dentists within your provider network.
3. Talking with your dentist about setting up a payment plan if your out-of-pocket costs are high.

If you’re uninsured, you have several strategies to choose from:

2. Consider buying insurance. Dental insurance may seem pricey, but depending on your needs throughout the year, the cost could be worthwhile. On rate comparison sites like eHealthinsurance.com, you can find a plan for less than $20 per month, depending on your location and plan specifics.

3. Shop for dental care. Make some calls to local clinics. Start with basic cost questions, but ask about payment options and other policies too. Dental offices are increasingly offering packages — where you pay for a year’s worth of care, for instance — or extending interest-free credit to patients. Take advantage of offerings that prioritize preventive care at clinics that also offer payment arrangements when more extensive procedures are recommended. Ask about discounts for cash-paying customers, too.

4. Sign up for a discount plan. Discount dental plans aren’t insurance, but they are a decent alternative for the uninsured. They offer discounts ranging from 10 percent to 60 percent on dental services throughout the year in exchange for a subscription fee. Plus, some offer additional savings on other healthcare costs like prescriptions, vision and more.  Like insurance, many operate using a selective network of participating dentists, so make sure the dentist you want to use is included before signing up.

5. Go to a local dental school. Dental students spend their last years in school conducting hands-on practice, supervised by experienced instructors. Their services are often steeply discounted compared to dental clinics. Check the website of the Commission on Dental Accreditation for dental schools in your area.

6. Find low-cost and sliding fee clinics through your state dental association. State dental associations are a great source of information, and usually list community dental clinics and sliding fee clinics on their websites. These providers base prices on your ability to pay and are a great option for low-income and unemployed people.

7. Participate in clinical trials. Universities and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research are just a few places that occasionally need volunteers for their research. Study participants often get free or low-cost dental treatment in exchange for their participation.

8. Enlist the help of a charity. Several charities focus specifically on helping low-income and other special populations get the dental care they need. The Dental Lifeline Network and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry’s Charitable Foundation are just a couple. You can also contact your local United Way for resources within your community.

Though you may be tempted to skip the dentist when you have a minor toothache, you can get less expensive dental care and make the more expensive procedures manageable. Dental care doesn’t come cheaply, but you really can’t afford to go without.

Source: Fox News

5 ‘Healthy’ Foods That Aren’t Really Healthy

A 2015 Penn State study, researchers found that the more fitness-branded foods dieters bought, they more they ate and the less they exercised. So, potentially, your health-foods diet could pack more calories, fat, and ridiculously convoluted chemicals than your unhealthy diet ever did.

The health-foods aisle has a way of making people gain weight and understandably pretty ticked-off. After all, isn’t munching on (nasty-tasting) health foods supposed to be good for you?

Food manufacturers don’t really care about how we improve our healthy lifestyles. Their end goal isn’t making consumers healthier. It’s making money. And packaging foods as “healthy,” “smart,” and “natural” is an easy way to make a buck. Unfortunately, apart from suckering us into eating foods that really aren’t any healthier than whatever it is you’re trying to sub out, those healthy labels can make you overeat big time.

That’s especially true if you are noshing on any of these 10 “healthy” foods that can have the reverse effect on your body. 

JUICES AND SMOOTHIES

If you’re set on having a bottled juice or smoothie, first check the ingredients label and make sure it contains no more than 15 grams of carbohydrates per serving.

What to look for? Ideally, it should only contain one serving of fruit. The rest should be veggies.

VEGGIE CHIPS

If your carrot chips are carrot chips and your parsnip chips are parsnip chips, that’s one thing. But, more often than not, veggie chips are just potato chips with some veggie powder sprinkled in for coloring.  Take time to look at the calorie, fat, sodium, and carb counts. Many veggie chips are just as fattening as the potato chips you’re likely trying to avoid.

DIY: You can make better, healthier (and better-tasting) veggie chips at home. Thinly slice beets, carrots, and sweet potatoes, drizzle them with olive oil, and bake them at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until they’re crisp. Sprinkle them with herbs and spices for some extra flavor. (You’re welcome!)

SMART CEREALS

Far too often, “smart,” “whole grain,” “healthy” cereals aren’t all that different than the sugary stuff you ate as a kid. Case in point: On average, foods displaying the yellow Whole Grain Stamp contain more sugar and calories than do whole-grain foods that don’t sport the label, according to research from Harvard University.

Simple tip: Instead of looking at the front of the box to make your selection, look at the back. The cereal should contain fewer than 10 grams of sugar per serving, at least 5 grams fiber per serving, and contain bran in the ingredients.

QUINOA PASTA

Quinoa is, without question, an incredibly healthy food. It contains fewer carbs and sugars than regular pasta, and it’s packed with protein and all of the essential amino acids your body needs to build muscle. Unfortunately, many quinoa pastas contain more corn flour, a cheap gluten-free flour, than anything else.

The result: It contains just as many calories, more carbs, and fewer grams of protein than if you just stuck with wheat pasta. Before buying any quinoa pasta, flip over the box. Look for brands that contain one ingredient: Quinoa flour.

MULTIGRAIN BREAD

Multigrain breads only indicate that the bread contains multiple grains. It says nothing about their degree of refinement. Refined grains have been extensively processed, and their bran and germ, the fiber-, vitamin, and mineral-containing part of the grain, have been removed, leaving only simple carbs that spike your blood sugar and promote weight gain.

What to look for? Look for breads that have some sort of whole grain—whole wheat, whole rye, whole oats—as their first ingredient. If it has multiple whole grains, that’s great—just make sure they’re whole so that you’re getting as much fiber and as many vitamins and minerals as possible