Delta Dental of Iowa: Making Our Employer Connection Website Work for You
When it comes to managing your employee dental and vision benefits, self-service is the goal. We know you don’t have time to request and wait when something can be done automatically and at the touch of a button. That’s where the Delta Dental of Iowa Employer Connection comes in: It’s where you can manage your employees’ benefits quickly, easily and efficiently.
You probably already know you can add, change and remove employees, print ID cards, download member forms, and access invoices on the Employer Connection, but if you haven’t logged in lately, you may have missed some of the recent enhancements we’ve made to put you in control.
Access: When you need to know who has access to Employer Connection, it’s frustrating to have to email and wait for a response. On Employer Connection, you can update and edit settings to see who has access and the level of access they have to the system without having to email Delta Dental of Iowa.
Census: Employers can pull a census of their members who are enrolled in coverage from Employer Connection.
Form 5500 Information: Most everyone agrees that automatic is better than manual. Delta Dental of Iowa will now send the Form 5500 insurance information, an annual reporting requirement, to large groups automatically. Instead of requesting this information from us, we will send your form via Employer Connection when it’s ready each year.
Are You Registered For Employer Connection?
The Employer Connection is available to all employer group administrators but you must register to take advantage of this resource. We’ll walk you through the steps to get started.
- Go to deltadentalia.com and select the “Employers & Groups” tab from the top menu. On the Employer Connection login box on the right side of the page, click the “New user? Sign up.” link.
- Complete the information for your new Employer Connection account and click “Submit.” On this screen, you may select other Employer Connection functions that you would like to access. Make sure you select Online Enrollment.
- Delta Dental will verify and validate your request and send you a confirmation email once you can access the Employer Connection.
Need Help With Employer Connection?
Delta Dental of Iowa is here to help you get the most out of Employer Connection. Please contact Delta Dental’s Team Service at 877-983-3582 or [email protected] with any questions.
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Keto Diet and Oral Health: What You Need to Know
If you haven’t tried the ketogenic (or keto) diet, you probably know someone who has. People have flocked to this low-carb, high-fat lifestyle to lose weight, but like any diet, it’s not perfect. In fact, some people who’ve switched to a keto diet have struggled with “keto breath” — that is, bad breath as a result of beginning the keto diet.
Here, we’ll learn more about this strange side effect, in addition to what you need to know about the keto diet for your oral and overall health.
Keto in a Nutshell
In short, the keto diet is designed to put your body in a state of ketosis. When you’re in ketosis, your body burns fat for energy instead of glucose (the sugar that comes from carbohydrates), so you lose weight. How do you achieve ketosis? By eating a high-fat, moderate-protein and low-carbohydrate diet.
Keto and Bad Breath: A Closer Look at the Connection
A lot of things happen when your body shifts to a ketosis state. Your body produces chemicals during ketosis that are released from your body when you exhale and urinate. For some people who start the keto diet, they may notice that these chemicals create a strange, metal taste in their mouth and a smell that is fruity or harshly chemical (like nail polish remover). This side effect is known as keto breath.
As with any major dietary change, your body undergoes a transition or adjustment period. Although this period can be challenging, it is temporary. Keto breath is part of this transition, so your breath should get back to normal within a few weeks as your body gets used to working with a limited carbohydrate supply.
As you wait for your body to adjust to the ketosis state, here are some simple, keto-friendly ways to freshen your breath:
- Drink water
- Reduce your protein and boost your complex carbohydrate intake (leafy green veggies can help improve your breath)
- Pop a sugar-free mint or stick of sugar-free gum
- Clove, cinnamon and mint can all naturally freshen your breath. Add some to your water or in a cup of tea.
Can the Keto Diet Help Your Oral Health?
Keto breath aside, the keto diet may support your oral health. The diet reduces your intake of carbohydrates and processed sugar, and this leads to a lower risk of cavities, gum disease and inflammation in your mouth.
Potential Drawbacks to the Keto Diet
There is no such thing as a “perfect” way to eat, and there are some potential drawbacks to the keto diet. Here are some important things to understand about the keto diet. These may be great conversation starters for you and your dentist and physician when considering whether to pursue this diet:
- Keto is a high-fat diet and research shows that eating a diet high in saturated fats can raise your cholesterol and risk of heart disease. The diet has been associated with heart damage, so if you have cardiovascular risk factors, this is an especially important consideration.
- One of the risks related to reducing carbs is the reduction of certain vitamins and nutrients that support good health – and fiber is a key one. You’ll need to have a plan on how to maintain your fiber intake while keeping within the parameters of the diet.
- The keto diet can make you feel fatigued, trigger headaches and digestive issues, and reduce muscle mass.
One Quick Tip Before You Start Any Diet
It seems like everyone, at one point or another, goes on a diet or makes changes to the way they eat. It may seem like no big deal, but it’s a good idea to give your dentist and doctor a call to ensure that any extreme changes are safe for you.
Eliminating or cutting down on food groups or nutrients may provide a short-term benefit like weight loss, but it can harm you in the long run. With keto, for instance, a focus on keeping fiber in the picture is important, so eat foods like avocados and almonds to ensure you get a healthy intake of this important nutrient.
Overall, the keto diet has been shown to help people lose weight, lower their sugar consumption and improve health. Temporary bad breath aside and assuming you don’t have any medical risk factors, this diet is one that your dentist may support.
SOURCE:
https://www.healthline.com/health/keto-breath, 2018