Is maintaining your dental health possible on a budget?

I am posting this because it has been on my mind quite a bit lately.  The business person side of me understands (all too well) the importance of business cash flow from billable care but the health care provider side of me knows that some people just can't afford the cost of care at the prices we have in Dallas.  My schizophrenic dental personality is well represented in the raucous public discussion over our healthcare system.  One side calls for universal "free" healthcare while the other demands a  free market marketplace.

It is a privilege to work with good people who value their oral health to the point that they are willing to sacrifice other things for the sake of their teeth.  Dentists have spent many decades working to increase what we call the dental IQ - basically understanding the importance of good oral health - of the general public, only to reach the point that our high dental IQ patients fear that they cannot afford what they know they need to do.  

Prevention is always the best way to keep your dental costs down.  Establish good dental hygiene practices early and your teeth will benefit.

 Below you will find my do's and don't list of how to maintain your dental health without breaking the bank.

DO:  Brush after eating and before bed.  Floss.  Practice prevention by establishing a relationship with a dentist and see that same dentist every 6 months or more often if recommended.  Address problem areas in your mouth before they become bigger problems.  Wear a mouthguard for sports where your teeth are at risk.  Use Fluoride toothpaste.  Obtain orthodontic treatment if the position or fit of your teeth causes you problems with cleaning and/or chewing.  Reduce stress.  Life a healthy lifestyle.

DO NOT:  Smoke. Use chewing tobacco.  Eat or drink sugary foods in between meals.  Go to bed without brushing your teeth.  Visit the dentist only when a problem comes up.  See a different dentist every time you see the dentist.  Ignore dental pain.  

Your oral health often is a reflection of your overall health.  Take care of your body and it will save you big bucks in the long run.

SEO and Google - friend or foe of small business?

As a the owner of a new orthodontic office, I am always on the lookout for new ways to increase the patients seeking orthodontic treatment at my business.   Many other new dentists and orthodontists seek the same thing.  When we talk about what can be done to increase business the one thing that constantly comes up is SEO - search engine optimization - which is needed to drive a website to the top of Google searches.  Blogging new content apparently helps do this.  Numerous businesses are available to do the posting for me; of course with a fee.  I've considered it but have not pulled the trigger yet. 

I haven't pulled the trigger because the posts that I have seen are of no real value to anyone other than the paid for SEO optimizers and Google.  The information posted is common sense stuff that you already know like brush your teeth, flossing is good, smoking is bad, mouth-guards protect teeth and tons of dental humor.  Paying money to appease Google while adding zero valuable information to the public, other than a dental humor inspired giggle, just doesn't make sense.  Maybe I'm shooting myself in the foot and all that my business needs is a steady stream of goofy teeth comics and dental platitudes posted daily to Facebook and on my blog to really take off.  Somehow I doubt it.

So valued patients and curious blog readers, know that I respect your intelligence and value your time.  Ellis Orthodontics presently considers Google more foe than friend of small business and will feed the beast with regular postings that I hope you find fresh, interesting and valuable.