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Let’s Talk About Dental Insurance Series Volume II:

Let’s talk benefit maximum versus deductible and calendar year versus benefit year

By Katie Schutte

Welcome to volume II of our mini blog series about all things dental insurance! Last week we talked about where insurance policies come from and who you need to talk to if you are unhappy with your policy. This week we are focusing on some dental insurance lingo and breaking down common terms so you can understand your ...

Let’s Talk About Dental Insurance Series:  Volume I

Where do insurance policies come from?

By Katie Schutte

We all know that insurance policies can be tricky to navigate and are always written in hard to understand legal jargon.  Dental insurance policies, in particular, can be extremely hard to comprehend and decipher. At Southwest Nebraska Dental Center, we pride ourselves in helping our patients understand their dental policies.  We will be publishing a blog post weekly that will be looking into each aspect of dental insurance breaking it down into easy to understand pieces. We hope to help you understand your ...

Did you know that fluoride is a naturally occurring substance? Most people associate fluoride with visits to the dentist, tooth paste, and municipal water. But let’s find out more about this inorganic anion! Fluoride is a mineral that occurs naturally in many foods, soil, and water. And of course, you can find plenty at our Dentistry office in McCook, NE.

Do you remember the periodic table of elements? Fluoride comes from fluorine, which is a common, natural, and abundant element. Fluorine is a chemical element with the symbol F and atomic number 9. It is a halogen, which means “salt-producing.” Because it’s so electronegative, it reacts with almost every other element! ...

A- Always brush & floss twice a day.  Lead by example and make oral care a family affair. Use toothpaste with fluoride! Using fluoride is one of the greatest ways you can protect your child’s teeth from decay. Start brushing as soon as your child’s first tooth erupts. Starting at an early age helps create healthy brushing habits. Don’t forget about flossing between teeth as soon as they’re touching. Otherwise, you’ll miss 40% of tooth surfaces. If you’d like a tutorial on how to help your child floss, we’re always happy to demonstrate. Make sure your twice daily brushing sessions last for two minutes. Follow us on ...

When you think of dentists, more than likely you think of the general, or “family dentist”, who provides a comprehensive dental care and the majority of dentists, are general dentists.  They provide a wide range of services, from teeth cleanings and fillings to root canals and implants.  However, dentists can become specialists in certain fields.  It’s important to be aware that are only ten recognized dental specialties by the America Dental Association. So let’s break down what these other kinds of dentists are, and what they do.

Dental Public Health: These dental specialists serve the whole community as a patient rather than an individual.  These specialists ...

The best thing about being a dentist is helping people. Having a healthy smile is so much more than having perfectly straight and white teeth. Dental health impacts overall health and also impacts mental health and self-esteem. For most people who live in Southwest Nebraska and the rest of the United States, dental care is available and accessible. That is not the case, however, in many parts of the world. Luckily there are organizations and volunteers who work hard to make dental care available to those who wouldn’t otherwise have access. Thousands of dentists volunteer their time and services and we thought it would be fun to highlight some of ...

Summer fun has begun in Nebraska and it seems like the list of things we try to put on our children to protect them keeps growing and growing. We thought it would be helpful to compile information from reliable sources (linked in each section) on what you need to cover your kids, literally and figuratively.

Bug Spray:  The American Academy of Pediatrics says that children as young as two months can use bug spray containing deet. Important fact: a higher percentage of deet does not mean that the product is stronger, just that it will last longer. Although deet is safe for use on children, many parents prefer to ...