March 1994
Page 5
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Smoke Signals
Let's Talk Teeth...
By Linda Mann, RDH
SODA POPTOOTH TERMINATION
Many Grand Ronde people are letting their
teeth rot. Why? When questioned about their diet,
people tell me they drink lots of soda pop (Coke, Pepsi,
Dr. Pepper, Sprite, Root Beer...you get the idea).
During the amount of time it takes you to
drinkapop.yourteetharebeingbathedinsugar. (Diet
or sugar-free sodas are welcome exceptions.) This
sugar bath when combined with the plaque on your
teeth causes acid to form and this acid causes cavities.
Plaque is also irritating to your gums and can lead to
gum disease and tooth loss.
Of course, soda pop
is not the only cause of tooth
decay. Sweet snacks and
processed starchy food like
potato chips, white bread,
and puffed cheese snacks
break down into sugars in
the mouth. When these
sugars are left in the mouth,
they too, mix with plaque
and form acid.
How often you
snack or drink also influences
THE TOOTH DECAY CHAIN
PLAQUE
SUGAR
ACID
ACID
TOOTH
ENAMEL
POSSIBLE
TOOTH DECAY
your decay rate. Eating three
pieces of candy at one time
exposes teeth to acid for about thirty minutes; however, snacking on three pieces of candy--one
every half hourexposes teeth to acid for up to ninety minutes. This same principle
applies to sipping a can of pop during the day.
I'm not suggesting that you give up pop altogether, but I would recommend that "pop
addicts" try one or more of the following ideas:
Switch to diet colas.
Rinse your mouth after drinking pop, eating candy or other snacks to wash away sugar from
your mouth.
Drink your soda with your meals, not in between.
Drink water instead your body relies on water to function at its peak.
Brush your teeth after eating or drinking sweet or starchy foods.
If you cant brush chew. Chewing sugar-less gum after eating can actually prevent decay
by stimulating saliva flow which helps neutralize plaque acids.
Nanitch Sahallie Client Corner
Editor's note: To protect client confidentiality, the stories written by participants of Nanitch
Sahallie Youth Residential Treatment Program will not contain the author's name.
I was in primary treatment for about one month and two weeks, but I stayed after
my graduation because I really wasn't ready to go home. I wanted to go on with my recovery,
I wanted to learn more about myself before I go home.
Nanitch Sahallie has worked for me, and I think it will help me stay sober and clean.
Nanitch helped me through my good and bad times. The staff has helped me to talk about
my feelings and my past, and they made me realize IVe got a drug and alcohol problem. The
treatment center also helped me to control my anger and to have a better life without drugs
and alcohol.
School has helped me a whole lot. Before I wasn't going to school and this school
helped me get back on track with my education and I would like to thank the teachers for
helping me with my work, to get back on track with school.
I also went to Bush Elementary School to talk to the kids about myself and told them
about how drugs and alcohol affected my life and my family. The children really liked what
we did for them and they want the clients to go back and talk some more. They made me
feel good about myself. Also, every Sunday we had people come in and teach us about
drumming and dancing and our culture, to be proud of who we are and accept what we are.
Well, all I got to say is this program has helped me a lot. It made me look at myself,
to see what drugs and alcohol was doing to my life. I finally realized and looked at myself.
I appreciate what this program has done for me. Soon, I'm going to get out of here and be
a sober Indian.
Thanks, everybody. Now to get on with my new life.
Important Clinic Information
The Tribal Health and Dental Clinics have been billing patients' private insurances
for over a year now. We will begin Medicaid and Medicare billing soon. We have been
having a few problems; one is getting patients to let us know about their insurance, Medicaid
or Medicare coverage. Here are some ways to help:
1. When you make an appointment for the Medical or Dental Clinic you need to let Sarah
Henny or Lydia Mathena know that you have dental insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare.
2. When you come in for that appointment bring your insurance card so we can get a copy
of it, then completely fill out the forms either Sarah or Lydia (receptionists) give you.
We will be making another change in clinic procedure you will need to be aware
of. Sarah and Denise Haskins will be conducting a small interview will every patient who
comes into the clinic. There will be a medical history interview done by Sarah, then Denise
will go over your Health Application and insurance form with you.
This will be done for several reasons. Information about the medical history of the
patient is needed so the provider will know about past medical problems and medications.
This will be done before you are seen, so the nurse practitioner will have more information
about you and is able to better serve your medical needs. Denise will be going overyour Health
Application and insurance form with you. The Human Services Division is using the RPMS
computer system. Right now we have six programs running on this system: Patent
Registration, Patient Care Component, Contract Health Services, Dental, FSI (Billing
Program), and the Chemical Dependency Program. We will be getting the Tribal Family
Action Program on line soon with a case management program. All of these programs work
with the same patient registration database. We get the information to register patients from
the Health Application and Insurance form, that is why it is so important to update every year
and every time there is a change in address or insurance.
Capitol Health Care Information
Since we have started billing your private insurances we have been having a
problem with patients who are covered by an HMO insurance plan like Capitol Health Care.
Our patients are not fully understanding their responsibility when using this type of
insurance. Even though we are a Tribal Health Clinic, we still must follow the guidelines
of your insurance plan before you can be seen here, just like any other doctor's office.
With this typeof insurance the patient must choosea PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER.
This means that the provider you choose is the one you must see, unless you have a referral
to be seen by someone else. One of the big problems we have been having lately in the clinic
is that patients are making appointments to be seen in the clinic when none of the clinic's
providers are listed as their primary care provider. If you wish to be seen in the Tribal Health
Clinic, these are the things you must do before making an appointment:
1. Get a referral from your Primary Care Provider authorizing you to be seen at the clinic.
2. Call Capitol Health Care and change you provider to Donna, John, or Bette at the Tribal
Clinic.
You cannot be seen in the clinic unless these two areas are resolved. If you do have
Donna, John, or Bette as your provider, you must be seen in the Tribal Clinic. If your provider
cannot see you, then you must be seen by one of the others. If you do not want any other
providers in the clinic, or if it is after hours or on a weekend you must:
1 . Call your Primary Care Provider who is available by phone 24 hours per day and let them
know you want to be referred to another doctor. It will be up to your provider to determine
if a referral is in order. (No Capitol Health referrals will be made without the an order from
your provider.)
2. If you had to go to the emergency room or an immediate care clinic make sure you notify
your provider, so a referral authorization can be obtained.
If you do not get a referral from your Primary Care Provider authorizing your visit,
then Capitol Health Care will not pay for that visit. If you are eligible for Contract Health,
then Contract Health will not pay for that visit because you have failed to use your alternate
resource (insurance).
If you live within a thirty mile radius of Grand Ronde then Contract Health Services
requires you to come to the Clinic or Dental office. If you have insurance or Medicaid that
requires you to choose a Primary Care provider, it is to your benefit to choose Donna
Brenneman, for the following reasons:
1. CHS will not pay for your visit unless you come in first and get referred out.
2. You must be referred by your Primary Care Provider
3. The Tribal Health Clinic will not see you unless one of our providers is listed with you or
you have a referral.
It's true all of this sounds confusing, but the best thing you can do is really look over
your insurance plans and the CHS procedures and rules so you know what is involved and
what your responsibilities are. By knowing all of this information it will help you choose
your Primary Care Provider. If you have any questions, please call 1-800-775-0095.
Eligibility News
If you didn't think you were eligible for medical or dental services, you may be
mistaken. If you are an enrolled member of a federally recognized tribe, or a descendent of
an enrolled member, you might be eligible for services from the Grand Ronde Tribal Clinics!
If you believe there is that possibility, please contact the clinic for an application, now. The
tribal clinics will no longer be seeing non-registered patients unless it is an emergency. We
have staff ready to answer your questions. For eligibility information call 1 -800-775-0095,
extension 2008. Remember, we can't help you if you don't call.