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Greetings!
Maternity coaching program
According to the National Institute for Health Statistics, there are more babies born in August than any other month. That means this is the time of year expectant parents could use a little extra guidance as they prepare for their new arrival.
Lucky for ODS members, the ODS Maternity Coaching program will help them stay healthy and informed during their pregnancy. As a participant in the ODS Maternity Coaching program, members will:
- Work one-on-one with a trained coach over the phone or via e-mail
- Get support and advice throughout their pregnancy
- Receive a free gift
Enrolling is easy
Members can easily enroll in the Maternity Coaching Program by calling 877-277-7281 or sending an e-mail to maternity@odscompanies.com.
10 Things to Do Before Getting Pregnant
Plan when you want to get pregnant and have a baby. Use a safe and reliable form of birth control until you're ready to
get pregnant. Take a multivitamin pill that
contains 400 micrograms of folic acid every day. This reduces the risk of nueral tube birth
defects. Stop smoking, drinking
alcohol, and taking illegal drugs.
Smoking increasing risk for low birth weight and drinking can cause
fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Eat healthy and get to your optimal weight. Being overweight can affect fertility and
increase the risk of infections while pregnant and complications during
delivery. Do something active every day. This doesn't have to be going to the
gym. Gardening, cleaning, and taking the stairs at work are all helpful
physical activities. Avoid exposure to chemicals and other harmful substances at work or
home. This could be fertilizers, paints, or cleaning products containing toxic
chemicals. Learn ways to lower your
stress. Find out what your stress triggers are and how to manage them in a
healthy way. Learn about your family history.
Is there a history of pregnancy complications? Get a medical checkup. Talk to your doctor about your family
history, medicines you take, vaccinations, medical conditions, and your
options.
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EOS
assists with eligibility updates
Employer Online
Services is a free service available to all groups seven days a
week giving group administrators direct access to ODS' eligibility
system.
With this feature
group administrators have the ability to:
- Enroll members
- Order ID cards
- Update address and personal
information
- Update Primary Care Physician
- Terminate Coverage
- View
eligibility
Online Reporting
- for groups with 100+ enrolled employees/subscribers
With our commitment to providing
enhanced reporting on large groups, life just got a little easier for your
clients. |
About
dental amalgam fillings (silver fillings)
What is dental
amalgam?
Dental amalgam is
a dental filling material used to fill cavities caused by tooth decay. It has
been used for more than 150 years in hundreds of millions of
patients.
Dental amalgam is
a mixture of metals, consisting of liquid mercury and a powdered alloy composed
of silver, tin and copper. Approximately 50 percent of dental amalgam is
elemental mercury by weight.
Dental amalgam
fillings are also known as "silver fillings" because of their silver-like
appearance.
When placing
dental amalgam, the dentist first drills the tooth to remove the decay and then
shapes the tooth cavity for placement of the amalgam filling. Next, under
appropriate safety conditions, the dentist mixes the powdered alloy with the
liquid mercury to form an amalgam putty. This softened amalgam
putty is placed in the prepared cavity, where it hardens into a solid
filling.
What should I
know before getting a dental amalgam filling?
Deciding what
filling material to use to treat dental decay is a choice that must be made by
you and your dentist.
As you consider
your options, you should keep in mind the following information.
Potential
benefits:
- Dental amalgam
fillings are strong and long-lasting, so they are less likely to break than some
other types of fillings.
- Dental amalgam is
the least expensive type of filling
material.
Potential
risks:
- Dental amalgam
contains elemental mercury. It releases low levels of mercury vapor that can be
inhaled. High levels of mercury vapor exposure are associated with adverse
effects in the brain and the kidneys.
The U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) has reviewed the best available scientific evidence to
determine whether the low levels of mercury vapor associated with dental amalgam
fillings are a cause for concern. Based on this evidence, FDA considers dental
amalgam fillings safe for adults and children ages six and older. The amount of
mercury measured in the bodies of people with dental amalgam fillings is well
below levels associated with adverse health effects. Even in adults and children
ages and older who have fifteen or more amalgam surfaces, mercury
exposure due to dental amalgam fillings has been found to be far below the
lowest levels associated with harm. Clinical studies in adults and children ages
six and older have also found no link between dental amalgam fillings and health
problems.
There is limited
clinical information about the potential effects of dental amalgam fillings on
pregnant women and their developing fetuses, and on children under the age of
six, including breastfed infants. However, the estimated amount of mercury in
breast milk attributable to dental amalgam is low and falls well below general
levels for oral intake that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers
safe. The FDA concludes that the existing data supports a finding that infants
are not at risk for adverse health effects from the breast milk of women exposed
to mercury vapor from dental amalgam. The estimated daily dose of mercury vapor
in children under age six with dental amalgams is also expected to be at or
below levels that the EPA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) consider safe. Pregnant or nursing mothers and parents with young children
should talk with their dentists if they have concerns about dental
amalgam.
Some individuals
have an allergy or sensitivity to mercury or the other components of dental
amalgam (such as silver, copper or tin). Dental amalgam might cause these
individuals to develop oral lesions or other contact reactions. If you are
allergic to any of the metals in dental amalgam, you should not get amalgam
fillings. You can discuss other treatment options with your dentist.
Why is mercury
used in dental amalgam?
Approximately
half of a dental amalgam filling is liquid mercury and the other half is a
powdered alloy of silver, tin and copper. Mercury is used to bind the alloy
particles together into a strong, durable, and solid filling. Mercury's unique
properties (it is the only metal that is a liquid at room temperature and that
bonds well with the powdered alloy) make it an important component of dental
amalgam that contributes to its durability.
Is the mercury in
dental amalgam the same as the mercury in some types of fish?
No. There are
several different chemical forms of mercury: elemental mercury, inorganic
mercury and methylmercury. The form of mercury associated with dental amalgam is
elemental mercury, which releases mercury vapor. The form of mercury found in
fish is methylmercury, a type of organic mercury. Mercury vapor is mainly
absorbed by the lungs. Methylmercury is mainly absorbed through the digestive
tract. The body processes these forms of mercury differently and has different
levels of tolerance for mercury vapor and methylmercury. Methylmercury is more
toxic than mercury vapor.
If I am concerned
about the mercury in dental amalgam, should I have my fillings
removed?
If your fillings
are in good condition and there is no decay beneath the filling, the FDA does
not recommend that you have your amalgam fillings removed or replaced. Removing
sound amalgam fillings results in unnecessary loss of healthy tooth structure
and exposes you to additional mercury vapor released during the removal
process.
However, if you
believe you have an allergy or sensitivity to mercury or any of the other metals
in dental amalgam (such as silver, tin or copper), you should discuss treatment
options with your dentist.
This article is
reprinted with permission from the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration
www.fda.gov
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ODS, OEBB and dentists partner to provide dental care to
children
We all know the
negative effects poor oral health can have on a child, developmentally, socially
and academically. Oregon remains a state where far too many children suffer poor
oral health. To combat this issue, ODS and the Oregon Educators Benefit Board
(OEBB) are launching an effort we call The Children's Program, a groundbreaking
plan to address this situation where participating Oregon dentists will provide
dental services for uninsured six to 12 year-olds throughout our
state.
Working with
Oregon schools, county health departments, hospital emergency rooms and
pediatricians to identify children in need of care, ODS will refer patients to
participating dentists for treatment. This new initiative will provide access to
basic dental services for uninsured six to 12 year-olds at no charge once they
have been enrolled in the program. There will be zero patient responsibility for
services covered. This program will let us help children improve their health
and their confidence.
The dentists of
Oregon are to be thanked for their participation, for without them, this program
could not exist.
For
more information on the Children's Program ODS website.
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Making our children healthier
ODS
is proud to partner with We Can!tm (Ways to
Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition), a
national movement designed to give parents, caregivers and entire communities a
way to help children 8 to 13 years old stay at a healthy weight through improved
food choices, increased physical activity and reduced screen time. Created by
the National Institutes of Health, the nation's medical research agency,
We Can! provides families and communities with science-based
educational materials and curricula to prevent childhood overweight and
obesity.
Why
work with We Can!?
ODS
is committed to helping our members get and stay healthy - and healthy behaviors
established early in life can have lasting positive effects. ODS chose to
partner with the National Institutes of Health's We Can! program
because it is unique among existing youth obesity-prevention initiatives in its
focus on reaching parents, families and caregivers as a primary group for
influencing young people.
For more details and resources about the
We Can! program, visit the ODS
website or the NHLBI |
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