Wednesday, September 30, 2009


Maximize Your Dental Insurance

Are you utilizing your dental insurance this year? If you are wondering what that means then most likely you are not maximizing your benefits. There are a lot of Americans without dental insurance, so if you are one of the lucky ones who has it, use it! To make sure you are utilizing your benefits and not throwing money down the drain follow these 6 steps.

1. Call Your Insurance Company.
Call your insurance company and gather information. Find out how often you can get your teeth cleaned, is it twice a year, or every six months? How often can you get x-rays?
2. Know your yearly maximum.
Most dental insurance plans have a yearly maximum per person. For example you may have a $1,000 maximum and your spouse also may have a maximum of $1,000 separate to their services. A yearly maximum is the maximum dollar amount that your dental insurance will pay each year, so if your maximum is $1,000- they will not pay one dollar more. Any dollars that you do not use for that year are lost when the New Year re-calculates. If you need treatment make sure you get it done while you have the dollars to use, otherwise the money is lost.
3. What have you used this year?
Calculate how much the insurance company has paid out so far this year, this will show you how much you have left to use. If you are not sure how much you have used you can call your insurance company and they will tell you. For example if you have used $400 so far, and your maximum is $1,000, you have $600 left to use before the New Year.
4 .Coordinate Your Treatment
Call our office and let us help you coordinate your treatment to allow for you to use your insurance dollars now before they are lost. By letting us know how much you have available we can help you schedule treatment properly and efficiently.
5. Know When Your Year Renews
Some insurance plans will renew in January, and some renew in July. This is when your maximum is recalculated.
6. Use It.
Prevention is key, so make sure you are seeing the dentist every six months, most plans cover this as a basic to the plan. Insurance companies know that by allowing you to see the dentist every six months for regular cleanings and check-ups, they are saving money by preventing more expensive work by keeping your mouth healthy now.

Finally, make sure you utilize one of your best assets with your dental insurance, US! We are more than happy to do what we can to make sure you are using your insurance dollars. If you have any questions or would like any assistance with any of these steps, please call us, 801.262.6811.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Smile Poem


Smiling is infectious,

You can catch it like the flu.

Someone smiled at me today,

And I started smiling too.

~Author Unknown

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Dental Care


Did you know that seeing your dentist every six months for routine cleanings and exams can save you thousands of dollars in the future? Not to mention keeping your mouth free of pain!

Prevention is the key to keeping dental costs down. Make sure you and your family see your dentist at least twice a year. Younger children should start seeing the dentist as young as 2-3 years old. Even if it is just for a ride in the chair, this helps them feel comfortable at the dentist and allows for a more pleasant experience.

For a great article on keeping your dental costs down with or without insurance click this link...
http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_13271806

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

To kiss or not to kiss?


Ok ladies & gentlemen, we need your feedback. We recently had a patient who came in with a dental question of sorts. She wanted our feedback and we want yours. She started to tell us of her new boyfriend & how nice he was, and that she really did like him. But, there is one problem, his teeth are in bad condition & not very nice, in her words, "those lips are not going to touch mine!" She wondered what she could do to get him to come to a good dentist like Dr. Barnhisel without saying outright, "your teeth are gross, and I won't kiss you!" We suggested that she just say, "hey, you should go see my dentist, Dr. Barnhisel, he is great!" She said she did try this and he told her he has been seeing his dentist forever, and didn't need to change.

Ahhh, now what do you do? She wondered if breaking up with him would be too vain, since he was nice and treated her nice... she really likes everything but his mouth. So, can you help? What can she say in a tactful way to get her boyfriend to see the light, to realize there are good dentists and not so good dentists???

Make a comment or email us... come on, help a girl out.
mail@saltlakesmiledesign.com
you can also comment on facebook "salt lake smile design"

Monday, September 14, 2009

Snoring... bad for your relationship & health?!




Do you snore? Do you know someone who snores? If so, listen up... the Mayo Clinic staff says, "Habitual snoring may be more than just a nuisance and a cause of daytime sleepiness. Untreated, persistent snoring caused by obstructive sleep apnea may raise your lifetime risk of developing such health problems as high blood pressure, heart failure and stroke."




Snoring according to helpguide.org is more common than we may think, "Just about everyone snores occasionally. Even a baby or a beloved pet may snore! But snoring can affect the quantity and quality of your sleep. Poor sleep can lead to daytime fatigue, irritability and increased health problems. And, if your snoring is so loud that your bed partner can't sleep, you may end up banished from the bedroom.
Sleeping in separate bedrooms doesn’t have to be the remedy for your snoring. In fact, there are many effective treatments for snoring. Discovering the cause of your snoring and finding the right cure will vastly improve your health, your relationships, and, of course, your sleep."




At Salt Lake Smile Design we offer custom snore-guards to help the snoring stop. Call today for an appointment to get your custom guard. 801-262-6811.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Happy Friday


Beauty is power; a smile is its sword.

-John Ray

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

A smile is the best pay-day!


Make sure you smile today, smile at someone you love and adore. We recently added a younger patient to our practice. This patient wanted a "smile design." His teeth really bothered him, and made him feel very self-conscious. This was very clear the first few times we met with him, he always looked at the ground, hardly said a word, and never smiled.

We first met him for a consultation, next we took impressions, the next visit Dr. Barnhisel prepped him for the crowns and he left with his temporary crowns in. The next visit was the best... (he smiled!) he arrived and did laser teeth whitening. This was our favorite appointment, he came in with a smile and left with a smile, you know... the kind of smile when your eyes smile too?! Yes, that kind of smile, as he was leaving he looked at us with a huge smile, eyes and all. What a great pay-day, even with just the temporaries in he was thrilled with his new look. We can't wait for Dr. Barnhisel to put the permanent crowns on, can't wait to see the smile our patient will have that day! That will be a great pay-day for the whole office!

Thanks for the beautiful smile, there is nothing better than knowing you helped give someone a truly happy smile!