Does Your Insurance Company Love You?

Two insurance company executives are talking over lunch.  Listen in on their conversation.

One says, "Who's your favorite dental insurance user?"

The other replies, "That guy who has a regular dentist, and never uses up all his benefits every year."

(they both smile)

"Yeah, I know what you mean. We give him a bunch of benefit dollars to use against his dental bills and he doesn't use them all up, even though there are things he can do."  

(they laugh)

"Imagine if someone gave me $1500 to use to get some dental treatment and I threw it away." 

"Hey, I love those guys.  We get paid the premium and the guy doesn't use all his insurance.  We get to keep the money that we would have to pay if he did what the dentist suggested he do.  Free money for us."

"And it doesn't roll over into the next year, even though those benefits are paid for.  We have a great deal, don't we?"

"We sure do."  "Well, let's get back to the office."

Are these guys talking about you?  Are you the guy they love?  Why do you do this?

You have benefits that are all paid for.  Use them or lose them.  Not using them is exactly the same as taking the money and tossing it in the trash.

Give us a call and we'll help you know how you can use the benefits you still have before they are gone forever.    Don't wait.  The end of the year is coming up fast.

Stop throwing money away. 

Gum Disease: An Infection For The Masses

"Me?  No, I don't have gum disease.  Nothing hurts.  My gums are OK."

Could be, of course. Everyone doesn't have gum disease.

Lots of people do, though.  And unless they are in a relationship with a good dental office, they probably don't know it.

If you are reading this, there is a good chance that you are my patient. And if you are, then you know all about gum disease because we have taught you all about it and keep doing it at all your evaluations.

Great.  But still, 70% of Americans show some signs of gum disease, ranging from simple mild gingivitis to really serious advanced disease with loose teeth, pus, bad breath, and pain.

And it all starts with not knowing that gum disease is an infectious disease like any other infection and that it starts sneakily, painlessly and with no drama.  And it progresses because the early signs happen without the person knowing that they are actually signs.  And then, it gets to the place where the person can't help knowing that something is wrong.

And then, finally, I get a chance to help.  And help we can.

Knowledge is power. You should learn about gum disease.  You can start here: http://www.drsteveross.com/gum-disease-library.html

You can keep your teeth.  You do not have to be a victim of this common infectious disease.

And by the way, gum disease is linked to all kinds of more general problems, like heart disease, a variety of cancers, low birth weight babies and more.

Be a Smart Patient.  Don't have gum disease.  And if you do, get it taken care of.  Please.

What Labor Day Is About. Guest Blog.

Here is a guest blog by Seth Godin, author of "Linchpin", a favorite book of mine.  I hope you enjoy it.

Whatever happened to labor?

Not Labor with a capital L, as in organized labor unions. I mean labor as in skilled workers solving interesting problems. I mean craftspeople who use their hands, their backs and their heads to do important work.


Labor was a key part of the manufacturing revolution. Industrialists needed smart, dedicated, trained laborers to solve interesting problems. Putting things together took more than pressing a few buttons, it took initiative and skill and care. Labor improvised.


It took thirteen years to build the Brooklyn Bridge and more than twenty-five laborers died during its construction. There was not a systematic manual to follow. The people who built it largely figured it out as they went.


The Singer sewing machine, one of the most complex devices of its century, had each piece fitted by hand by skilled laborers.


Sometime after this, once Henry Ford ironed out that whole assembly line thing, things changed. Factories got far more complex and there was less room for improvisation as things scaled.


The boss said, "do what I say. Exactly what I say."


Amazingly, labor said something similar. They said to the boss, "tell us exactly what to do." In many cases, work rules were instituted, flexibility went away and labor insisted on doing exactly what they had agreed to do, no more, no less. At the time, this probably felt like power. Now we know what a mistake it was.


In a world where labor does exactly what it's told to do, it will be devalued. Obedience is easily replaced, and thus one worker is as good as another. And devalued labor will be replaced by machines or cheaper alternatives. We say we want insightful and brilliant teachers, but then we insist they do their labor precisely according to a manual invented by a committee...


Companies that race to the bottom in terms of the skill or cost of their labor end up with nothing but low margins. The few companies that are able to race to the top, that can challenge workers to bring their whole selves--their human selves--to work, on the other hand, can earn stability and growth and margins. Improvisation still matters if you set out to solve interesting problems.


The future of labor isn't in less education, less OSHA and more power to the boss. The future of labor belongs to enlightened, passionate people on both sides of the plant, people who want to do work that matters.


That's what Labor Day is about, not the end of a month on the beach.