Health & Your People Staying on Top of Oral Healthcare
Oral health is a significant part of a person’s overall health in any case, but Heather Schneider, D.M.D., dental director at Delta Dental of Arizona, emphasizes that now especially is not a time for individuals to neglect that aspect of their healthcare. “Poor oral health — particularly gum disease — has been associated with unfavorable COVID-19 outcomes,” she says. “This means it’s particularly important to not only offer dental insurance benefits to your employees but to encourage them to use their benefits and engage in good oral health practices at home. Dr. Schneider notes that, since the pandemic started, dentists have noticed more stress-related tooth damage. “Over time, clenching your jaw, grinding your teeth or chewing on ice and pen caps can do significant harm to the enamel,” she explains. “Dentists can spot these signs and help mitigate the damage to your mouth, either by giving you stress-relief techniques, a mouthguard or, in severe cases, by coordinating a plan for care with an oral facial pain specialist who addresses TMJ dysfunction and stress specifically.” The pandemic also has us spending so much time at home, where it’s easy to grab a bag of chips or cookies when we’re hungry, bored or stressed. Combine that tendency with the forced isolation, and Dr. Schneider notes these habits are happening in the presence of less brushing, rinsing and flossing. “People joke about the COVID 15 — the weight gained from unhealthy eating and habits during the pandemic — but those changes in lifestyle habits can also have a real impact on your employees’ oral health and increase their risk for cavities,” she says. “Employers can help by encouraging their employees to be more mindful of their snacking habits and recommending a diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products, maybe even sharing healthy recipes monthly to everyone in the company.” Even more worrisome, she says, is that people are delaying routine dental care, like cleanings and exams. Pointing out that dental health directly impacts heart health, the immune system and whole body health — and that much of dental health is about preventive care — she emphasizes that gum disease, cavities and even issues like crowns or root canals can be avoided by proper brushing and flossing and regular visits to the dentist for exams and cleanings. “I cannot stress this enough: Dental offices are open and are taking extra measures to keep your employees and their families safe,” she says. This may include pre-appointment screenings to gauge potential exposure to COVID-19, temperature checks, changes to check-in and waiting room procedures, extra cleaning and sanitation measures and additional PPE for patients and staff, including face shields, face masks and gowns. Offering resources and information on Delta Dental’s website, she urges employers to educate their employees about these safety measures and encourage them to visit the dentist.
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Healthcare Delivered Virtually
“In the first few weeks of the pandemic, healthcare became almost entirely virtual, fueling a massive increase in telehealth across nearly every aspect of medicine, from emergency and urgent care to primary and specialty visits,” says Bill Goodwin, CEO of MeMD, a national telehealth provider based in Scottsdale that offers ondemand, online care for common illnesses, injuries, primary care and behavioral health issues. “By the end of 2020, nearly everyone had used telehealth in some form — many of them for the first time.” In fact, Cigna’s data shows that the use of virtual care surged in 2020 at the same time many people were deferring preventive and other care, according to Kim Shepard, president of Cigna’s Arizona market. “People saw it as a safe and convenient way to access care during the pandemic.” Now that people are getting used to virtual care, and see its benefits, we believe this trend will continue and grow, for both medical and behavioral healthcare.” Cigna expects this trend to continue as people are getting used to virtual care, and its Evernorth division recently announced it will purchase MDLIVE, a national telehealth company that Cigna has partnered with for a number of years, because of the growing importance of telehealth. Observing that the surge was fueled by the immediate goal to avoid exposure to a novel virus, Goodwin notes it quickly became clear that telehealth is more than a stop-gap solution. “It has now become an indispensable part of the U.S. healthcare system. This creates many new considerations for employers and how they structure benefits packages,” he says. Dr. Riveland characterizes the increased use of telehealth as an explosion, observing that prior to the pandemic, telehealth was typically used in rural areas with limited access to medical offices and that, while certain specialties had higher users of telehealth, most primary care services continued to be delivered in person. “Since the pandemic, this has dramatically increased facilitated by the loosening of regulatory requirements during this state of emergency,” he says. “While telehealth was on the rise, the pandemic has accelerated the adoption likely by five years.” Putting it in the context of the workplace, Goodwin observes that employees want more virtual options. “With remote work the new norm, they have considerably more control and flexibility over when and how they do their jobs. They want the same thing from their healthcare,” he says. “To put a finer point on it, 75% of patients surveyed by Kyruus said they expect virtual care to be a standard part of their care moving forward. A full 50% of respondents said they would switch providers to have regular access to virtual care. “This probably isn’t a surprise to benefits managers,” Goodwin continues. “Even before COVID-19, companies were seeking new ways to meet employees’ needs and expectations by increasing convenience, choice, personalization and simplicity in their
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