One of our readers just tried to take advantage of a $50 teeth cleaning offer from a local dentist, but once he got there he was quoted a new price of $1,136 for what they described as a “deep cleaning.” Was their revised offer legit? [More]
dental
Customer Breaks Tooth On Godiva Sweet, Godiva Sends Gift
By 2.10.10
Carla is pretty angry at Godiva because the chocolatier won’t take her complaint seriously. She says she cracked both a porcelain veneer and the tooth underneath on a chocolate covered pretzel last October, and Godiva has told her, “We sent you an apology gift, what more do you want?” [More]
By 7.29.09
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Good News: The FDA says your dental fillings aren’t going to give you mercury poisoning. They are, however, classifying “dental amalgam” as “Class II” or “moderate risk,” so they can “impose special controls.” [FDA] (Thanks, Laurie!)
Maryland's Dental HMO Security Breach Was One Of Nearly 40 In The State Since January
By 4.1.08
A few days ago we linked to a Baltimore Sun article that investigated the recent accidental release of private patient data online by The Dental Network. Now the reporter who broke the story, Liz F. Kay, has contacted us with news that “this was the largest of nearly 40 breaches affecting Maryland residents” since a disclosure law went into effect in January:
Thirty-nine businesses or groups have reported losses of sensitive information involving about 87,500 Maryland residents in the three months since a state law took effect requiring that people be informed of such incidents, records show.
CareFirst Dental HMO Exposes SSNs, Says You Should "Take It Seriously"
By 3.28.08
Last month, The Dental Network—a dental HMO owned by CareFirst BlueCross Blue Shield—discovered it had accidentally revealed personal data and Social Security numbers online for about 75,000 of its customers. It told the members about the screw-up three weeks later. “The company says that to its knowledge, no one has misused the information. But it says ‘the risk … should be taken seriously,'” and it’s offering affected members one year of credit monitoring. After that, as you know, the thread of identity theft plummets. Wait, what?
Lead Found In Dental Appliance
By 2.29.08
Finally! It’s been so long since we’ve posted about anything tainted with lead that we were starting to wonder if all the world’s trade problems had been resolved—but now comes a new study that found 210 parts per million (ppm) of lead in the porcelain veneer of a dental crown ordered from China. That’s a lot less than the CPSC’s current 600 ppm threshold, but a lot more than the international standard of only 90 ppm. The good news is it’s highly unlikely developing children will need a mouth full of crowns and bridges. The bad news is it’s yet another example of how hazardous material can slip undiscovered into the marketplace—and your mouth.
Gum Company Paid ADA For Study That Earned It Their Seal Of Approval
By 9.28.07
For the first time ever, the American Dental Association is putting its seal on some Wrigley’s chewing gum products—they’ll now say that the ADA considers them products that are “clinically proven to help prevent cavities, reduce plaque acid and strengthen teeth.” The ADA and some health professionals say that this is a perfectly acceptable application of the seal, because a full study was carried out that proved the products work. The only problem is, the study was privately funded and the gum companies partially paid for them.
Getting Metlife Dental Coverage Is Like Pulling Teeth
By 3.12.07
Why are insurance forms and regulations written at the 27th grade level? We’re not sure if even Metlife knows. Reader Tim certainly doesn’t, all he knows is Metlife can’t figure out how to get his dang teeth replaced. Sadly, the three teeth wouldn’t need implants if it weren’t for the first dentist delaying in removing the first tooth.
