Week in Review: Dental tourism; 3 reasons some stress is healthy; and an IRS proposal

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Dental tourism has been expanding, especially for pricey procedures such as implants and root canals. Patients say they've received good care and saved thousands on expensive dental treatment by traveling abroad, but the ADA warns it could end up costing patients more if problems arise later. Read Features Editor Donna Domino's article here.

A little stress can sharpen your mind and generate health benefits, writes stress management expert Jen Butler. While too much, of course, is not healthy for you or those around you, she offers three reasons why a touch of stress can be healthy. Read more here.

Colin Reusch of the Children's Dental Health Project offers some background on a proposed tax change that may help dental patients and dentists. Reusch offers background on the issue and how a wide range of dental organizations found common ground on this important issue of dental coverage. Read his Second Opinion here.

A bill in Congress would allow consumers to choose the pediatric dental plan best suited to their children's needs, while still preserving all the required dental benefits that meet Affordable Care Act coverage standards. Delta Dental's Jeff Album makes the case as to why the dental industry should support this bill. Read his column here.

As the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Congress consider ways to increase dental coverage, a key aspect of these developments is that it is possible to find wide agreement across the dental industry on this issue. Is either of these solutions perfect? Likely not, but increasing affordable coverage that benefits the patient and the dental practice is a worthwhile step.