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Beyond the Bite

The Official Blog of the Florida Dental Association

Tag: benefits

4 Tips to Maximize Your Disability Benefits

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By Scott Ruthstrom, FDA Services Chief Operating Officer

Dentists understand the importance of purchasing a quality disability income insurance policy, but are you ensuring you receive every dollar you’re eligible for? Not having enough disability income or saving a few bucks by passing on available options and riders can make a tremendous financial difference.  Should you fall victim to an accident or an extended illness, be sure you have your financial well-being fully protected.

1. Max out the total monthly amount you can financially qualify for.

Typically, disability insurance (DI) benefits are calculated as a percentage of your total gross income. One hundred percent of total gross income replacement is not available, so having the maximum benefit you are eligible for will help ensure that, in the event of a disability, you can maintain a lifestyle post-disability that is comparable to your pre-disability lifestyle. Even if you max out your benefits with one insurance company, you may be able to buy additional benefits through a second or even a third policy (depending on the amount of coverage in place already and your annual gross income).

2. Make sure your DI policy can grow with you.

Many carriers offer options/riders that allow you to increase your monthly benefit without having to retake medical exams or physicals; you only have to prove you qualify financially.

3. The fact is, one in three dentists will have a disability over the course of their career.

A dollar today is not what a dollar will be worth five, 10 or 20 years from now. A “cost-of-living adjustment” rider (COLA) is a great way to ensure your DI policy will be able to keep up with inflation. The COLA rider will adjust the monthly benefit each year while on a claim.

4. Since most disabilities are temporary in nature, purchasing a “residual disability” rider is vital.

This rider is designed to help offset the loss of income when returning to work following rehabilitation or recovery, as it could take months or even years to return to pre-disability income levels.

FDA Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Florida Dental Association (FDA). We strive to be the source for information about insurance for our member dentists. Revenue from insurance sales goes directly toward helping FDA programs and lobbying efforts that are important to members, and to keep dues at their lowest possible level.

Our experienced staff is ready to get to work for you — call or text 850.681.2996 or email insurance@fdaservices.com to connect to our agents today. Visit fdaservices.com/disability for more information.

The FDA’s New Fluoridation Website is Your Go-to Source for the Facts!

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By Dr. Johnny Johnson, American Fluoridation Society President

Quick! Answer the following questions within 30 seconds:

1. The patient in your chair goes into cardiac arrest. What is the first phone call you make?
2. What is the concentration of your preferred local anesthetic?
3. Is your community water fluoridated?
4. What is the recommended level of fluoride for community water fluoridation (CWF)?

I bet that the first two questions took you a split second to answer. The third question may have been just as quick. The fourth? Maybe quick, maybe not.

How can you be 100 percent sure that you are correct in your answers? Well, the Florida Dental Association (FDA) would like to introduce you to our new and outstanding fluoridation website: www.floridafluoridation.org!

As dentists, we are expected to be the experts in water fluoridation — and we should be. The proper level of fluoride in drinking water is critical in knocking out at least 25 percent of cavities that adults and children will ever get. It also reduces the severity of those cavities.

The FDA’s fluoridation website is the best website that I have seen anywhere in the U.S. — or in the world for that matter! I know because I have worked with many of you in protecting, restarting and/or initiating CWF in your communities. And we have been an awesome force in ensuring that all of our residents — rich or poor, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, level of education or access to dental care — continue to receive this safe and effective public health benefit.

There are many great resources for information on CWF. However, when it comes to concise information that is user-friendly and state-based, the FDA’s website is primo!  The information is easy to find, concise and presented for both professionals and the public to use.

I challenge you to do these three things:

1. Immediately — right now! — find out what the fluoride level is in your community’s water.1,2,3,4
2. Pull up the FDA’s water fluoridation website.
3. Hang up a poster on CWF in your office — please!

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. CWF is the best bang for the buck for everyone in our state to benefit from the cavity reductions without a single behavioral change.

If you have any questions, challenges or needs, the FDA and I are here to help you. No question is dumb; the only dumb question is the one not asked. We are here to serve you. Call on us. Thank you for fighting the GREAT fight.

Dr. Johnson is a pediatric dentist in Palm Harbor, Fla. and the president of the American Fluoridation Society. He can be reached at drjohnnyjohnson@gmail.com.
​

References:

1 My Water’s Fluoride (annual water quality report)
2 Dr. Johnny Johnson
3 Florida Department of Health
4 American Dental Association, American Fluoridation Society, Campaign for Dental Health

Are You Renewal Ready?

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By Brooke Martin, FDC Meeting Coordinator

As an FDA member, you have access to exclusive benefits to help you through the license renewal process for the upcoming 2014-2016 biennium. Membership has its perks, and we want to make your renewal process as seamless as possible! Below are some of the benefits the Florida Dental Association (FDA) offers to assist you in the renewal process.

CE Broker
The Florida Department of Health (DOH) now automatically reviews your continuing education (CE) records in the DOH’s electronic tracking system — powered by CE Broker — at the time of license renewal. It is mandatory for all Florida-licensed dentists to renew their license through CE Broker for the 2014-2016 biennium by midnight on Feb. 28, 2016. The FDA provides an exclusive members-only discount for CE Broker accounts.

  • Basic Account: FREE
  • Professional Account: $24 (non-members $29)
  • Concierge Account: $90 (non-members $99)

Click here to learn more about your account options. Contact Brooke Martin at bmartin@floridadental.org or 850.350.7103 for the discount code. Did you know you can update your CE credits on the go? Click here to download the FREE iPhone CE Broker app today.

Renewal by Mail
Your license should be renewed online through CE Broker. However, certain situations require you to renew by mail:

  • You need to change the status of your license.
  • You do NOT have a credit card or debit card to complete the transaction online and need to pay using a cashier’s check or money order.
  • Your license is in an Active Military status.
  • Your license is in a Volunteer status.
  • You need to request a name change.

To renew by mail, you must properly log into www.FLHealthsource.gov and print your renewal notice by selecting the Renew License link, then click on the Renew by Mail option.

Online CE
The FDA offers a variety of FREE 1-, 2- and 3-hour online CE courses to help you get the CE hours you need to renew your license. Course topics include: aesthetics, communication, treatment planning, sleep apnea, restorative dentistry, practice management and much more. Along with these courses, the FDA offers two legal CE guides and bimonthly “Diagnostic Discussion” articles in Today’s FDA.

Click here to learn more about the FREE FDA online CE courses.

FDA CE Courses
All CE-eligible courses taken at the 2014 or 2015 Florida Dental Conventions have been automatically reported to CE Broker on your behalf. FDA online CE credits are reported to CE broker the first Friday of each month. Courses taken by a national CE provider must be self-reported to CE Broker.

CE@RENEWAL
The Florida DOH is a great source for renewal information! Click here to access a helpful 30-minute webinar to learn more about how to report your CE credits through CE Broker as well as other useful information. Don’t have time to join the webinar? Click here to learn more about the renewal process, how to report CE credits, the benefits CE Broker has to offer and much more!

Questions?
For the FDA CE Broker discount code, information on the biennium, the renewal process, CE Broker or your FDA-earned CE credits, contact Brooke Martin at bmartin@floridadental.org or 850.350.7103.