In today’s legal climate, even the finest dentist or professional is at risk of a malpractice claim. Choosing the right professional liability and business insurance program could save your practice. It is important to choose one that understands the specific malpractice risks unique to the specific field of practice and can help customize an insurance program to reduce the likelihood of a malpractice claim. Here are four qualities to look for in a liability and business insurance provider.

Tampa, FL (PRWEB) May 14, 2012

Excellent professional liability and business insurance coverage, knowledgeable agents, a financially strong insurance company, superior claims service and an expert risk management program, which includes continuing education courses are all qualities to look for in a dental malpractice or professional liability insurance program. The Professional Protector Plan for Dentists outlines some specific information to aide in the decision process of determining a good malpractice insurance program.

1.    Financial Ratings – One important aspect of a company is its financial rating. Several industry-recognized companies provide ratings of insurance companies. A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s are the two major companies that issue these financial ratings. Both companies assess the financial strength and creditworthiness of risk-bearing entities and investment vehicles.

It can take years for a professional liability claim to arise, and even longer to resolve it. A client should be confident that its insurer will be a viable company and remain in business. Rated “A” excellent by A.M. Best and “A-“ by Standard & Poor’s.

2.    Risk Management Program – When selecting a malpractice insurer, be certain the insurance company has a strong risk management program in place. Sound risk management and loss control procedures can be the most effective means of preventing malpractice claims and improving claims defensibility. A medical malpractice insurance provider should provide insureds with the tools they need to incorporate sound risk management practices and decrease the probability of a malpractice claim.

3.    Quality Claim Services – Inevitably, one in ten dentists will experience a professional liability claim within their career. An even greater amount will experience an incident that could lead to a potential claim. Look for professionals experienced in managing professional liability claims – the law firms are chosen for their expertise in medical and dental professional liability defense.

4.    Specialized Agents – Professional liability insurance agents should be extensively trained to analyze a practices specific needs and stage of professional career. An agent should also be an expert in the inherent risks and exposures for a specific state or region, so they can develop a customized, quality and comprehensive insurance policy to meet your specific needs.

About the Professional Protector Plan for Dentists

Through their network of specialized agents, the PPP has been serving dentists nationwide since 1969. This comprehensive program was developed specifically for the dental practice by providing insurance protection through professional liability, general liability, employment practice liability, workers’ compensation, and property insurance products. Underwritten by CNA, rated “A” (excellent) by AM Best for financial stability, the PPP has proven to be a stable force in the dental professional liability marketplace. The plan is offered in all states. For more information Dental Professional Liability Insurance and Risk Management Services for Dentists visit us online.

Kristin Garrison
The Professional Protector Plan for Dentists®
813.222.4242
Email Information

New dental marketing websites from Internet Dental Alliance offer several trust-enhancing features that make it comfortable for new patients to set appointments online.

(PRWEB) May 09, 2012

New dental marketing websites from Internet Dental Alliance, Inc. (IDA) offer several options for dentists to connect with prospective patients online in ways that encourage them to set appointments. For example, IDA’s New Patient Portals feature an optional “Family Album” page where dentists can display photos that give site visitors a closer look at the people behind the dental team uniforms.

Effective dental websites face at least two challenges when it comes to generating leads. First, as with any marketing website, there is the issue of conversions. It’s not enough just to draw traffic to the site. The site and content must be skillfully designed so that visitors willingly take action by calling the dental office or filling out the online appointment form. Second, a dental website must go even further by establishing additional trust that the staff and treatments will be pleasant and pain-free. Visual features such as the “Family Album” page can convey warmth and evoke trust in ways that words just can’t.

“Features that boost conversions — like the “Family Album” page — are included in all of IDA’s Portals and are super-simple to set up,” says Jim Du Molin, founder of Internet Dental Alliance, Inc. and dental marketing expert. ““The Portals provide dentists with everything they need to maximize online lead generation for their practices and get more patients.”

On the “Family Album” page, dentists can showcase more details about themselves, their team, their family, their pets, their hobbies, and their favorite charities – whatever they want. The page can be set up on the practice’s Web Portal within a few minutes by uploading the desired photos in the online Control Panel. IDA cautions that the doctor must obtain written consent from any friends or patients included in the photos. IDA provides a downloadable consent form to make the consent process easy.

About Internet Dental Alliance, Inc.

IDA is North America’s largest provider of websites for dentists, email patient newsletters and dental directories. In 2012, it completed its cutting-edge dentist marketing Lead Fire lead generation system. Based on organic geo-targeted local search strategy which is customized for each dental office, LeadFire technology automates search engine optimization, and makes it possible to generate new patient leads within minutes of setting up the system. Internet Dental Alliance provides dental practices with online dental marketing services such as dental practice websites, website design, online newsletters, find-a-dentist websites, and other dental advertising advice and resources.

Julie Frey
Internet Dental Alliance
888-476-4886
Email Information

Remember the tale of the jilted Polish dentist who pulled all the pearly whites from the mouth of her ex-boyfriend?

Turns out the story has no teeth.

The report that dentist  Anna Mackowiak removed all her ex-boyfriend’s teeth after he came into her dental office complaining of a toothache turned out to be false.

[Related: Do clean teeth really protect against heart disease?]

The popular story, which included quotes from both parties and ended with statements that Mackowiak was being investigated and that the man had already lost his new girlfriend because of his toothless look, was picked up by Yahoo! News, MSNBC and dozens of other major U.S. media outlets.

[Related: Dentist fines patient for negative online review]

Kudos to MSNBC contributor Erin Tennant  for chipping away at the story and getting to the truth of the matter.

Here’s what Tennant learned:

• The Polish police agency in the region where the incident reportedly took place is not investigating any such case.
• Poland’s Chamber of Physicians and Dentists is not investigating any case like the one reported. Nor, is a dentist named Anna Maćkowiak listed on its professional register.
• News outlets in Poland did not report the story. Some, however, reported the foreign media’s coverage of what they called a “prank.”
• The original story was traced back to Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper. The writer Simon Tomlinson,  says he does not know where the story originated, despite its bearing his byline. “I’ve drawn a bit of a blank,” he told MSNBC.
• American Dental Association’s  national spokesperson, David Johnson Jr., said the story was highly improbable because most dentists are equipped to administer drugs only for conscious sedation dentistry. That would mean the man would’ve known all his teeth were being pulled as it was happening.

It looks like, in this case, the only thing pulled was our leg.

More odd news from Yahoo!:

Advanced Family Dental Care under the expert supervision of Dr. Matthew Cherian has been featured as one of the most trusted dental offices.

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) May 01, 2012

Advanced Family Dental Care under the expert supervision of Dr. Matthew Cherian has been featured as one of the most trusted dental offices. Newsweek along with NBC 10 and ABC-Channel 6 has been recognized them as one of the top dental offices in the Philadelphia. Newsweek has mentioned, “Dr. Cherian and his team maintain the highest standards of quality patient care. During the past ten years, Dr.Cherian has brought predictable and stable results to tens of thousands of patients in the Delaware Valley.”

Advanced Family Dental Care offers expert dental care for beautifying smiles, improving one’s dental health, and consequently appearance. Dentist in Philadelphia are highly trained and highly educated to provide the best dental services. Advanced Family Dental Care provides Emergency Dentist services in Philadelphia. They offer Emergency Dental services in Philadelphia for tooth pain, cavities, chipped/ broken teeth and broken partials to name a few. They also provide safe, fast and effective Teeth Whitening services in Philadelphia. Teeth whitening, also known as dental bleaching is a general procedure in dentistry but most especially in the field of cosmetic dentistry. Advance Family Dental Care also provides efficient and professional Root Canal service in Philadelphia.

The experienced and friendly staff at Advance Family Dental Care is well trained to help patients in their hour of need. They also provided advanced procedures like root canal treatment, TMJ treatment and dental implants to name a few. Their recommended products are of best quality and long lasting, which helps to maintain one’s beautiful smile forever. These appreciations from Newsweek and others are boosters for Advanced Family Dental Care to serve patients with more dedication.

Founder of Advanced Family Dental care, Dr. Cherian has been referred as “One of America’s Top Dentists” since 2003 by the Consumer Research Council of America. Dr. Cherian and his efficient team have been serving patients from past 10 years with perfection as Dentist Philadelphia. Their office is strategically located in Elkins Park.

To know more visit http://www.advancedfamilydental.net

DR. MATHEW CHERIAN
Advanced Family Dental Care
215-792-6599
Email Information

“The $ 1,000,000 Dental Sign” is The Wealthy Dentist‘s new dental marketing tutorial. It shows doctors the easiest way to promote their practices and add new patients.

(PRWEB) April 23, 2012

According to The Wealthy Dentist, dental marketing with good signage is the easiest way to add new patients to a dental practice. The new “The $ 1,000,000 Dental Sign” program shows doctors all of the factors that go into good signs – locations, traffic flow, most effective types of signs, building location and orientation to the street, zoning codes and much more.

The two-part video tutorial was designed by dental marketing expert Jim Du Molin, who has more than 25 years of dental management experience. He and his wife Suzanne Du Molin, a C.P.A., M.P.A. and Certified Financial Planner have advised hundred of dentists, and have spoken on the topic of dental practice marketing at dozens of North American dental associations and universities during the past three decades.

“The economics of good dental signage are too important to just wing it,” says Jim Du Molin, Editor-in-Chief of The Wealthy Dentist and founder of dental marketing resource Internet Dental Alliance. “A well-deigned set of signs — you’ll notice the plural, meaning more than one — can easily put $ 1,000,000 extra into your pension fund for retirement.”

The program offers dentists valuable advice on a topic that seems simple on the surface, yet can have a major impact on profits over the life of the dental practice. It covers topics such as how to negotiate with local signage companies, what to consider when contracting for a new facility, how to draw “walk in” traffic, how to use office windows to promote the practice and how to how to update “tired” signs for minimum cost.

Bonus items include full-color examples of good and bad dental signs, access to the “Sign Design Gallery” showing the latest pictures of signs submitted by other doctors who have used the program. There are several downloads, including an MP3 audio to play while driving,, a printout of the slide show, and a transcript of the video that can be printed out and used as a reference.

“The right signage can make all the difference,” added Du Molin. “To tell the truth, many dentists underestimate the importance of their practices’ signage – probably something like their patients underestimate the importance of flossing and brushing.”

About TheWealthyDentist.com

Jim Du Molin — Editor in Chief of TheWealthyDentist.com — has been giving hype-free dental marketing and practice management advice since 1985. He helps dentists attract more new patients and manage their practices more effectively. With the power of the Internet, The Wealthy Dentist can deliver this dental marketing training directly to you at home or in your office, at a fraction of the normal cost.

Visit http://thewealthydentist.com/dental-marketing/dentalsigns.htm for details about the “Designing The $ 1,000,000 Dental Sign” program and to get a copy of the training.

Julie Frey
Internet Dental Alliance
888-476-4886
Email Information

Steering clear of sports and energy drinks could be all it takes to keep the pearly whites clean and avoid having to pay for an expensive tooth whitening treatment, suggests a new dentistry study.

In the May/June issue of General Dentistry, authors noted that the increased consumption of sugary sport and energy drinks is causing irreversible damage to teeth, specifically on the tooth enamel or the glossy outer layer of the tooth.

The finding applies particularly to teens, the authors say, who are the main guzzlers of such products: between 30 to 50 percent of US teens down energy drinks, while up to 62 percent consume at least one sports drink a day.

In addition to the high sugar content, the high acidity levels in the drinks were found to cause erosion of the tooth enamel — “essentially bathing” the teeth in acid.

Without the protection of enamel, teeth become overly sensitive and prone to cavities and are more likely to decay.

In their study, researchers examined the acidity levels in 13 sports drinks and nine energy drinks. Samples of human tooth enamel were soaked in the beverages for 15 minutes, followed by immersion in artificial saliva for two hours.

For five days, the cycle was repeated four times a day to simulate the same exposure that many American teens are subjecting their teeth to.

After the fifth day, researchers found that the teeth suffered enamel damage. Moreover, energy drinks caused twice as much damage to teeth as sports drinks.

It’s not the first time dentists have looked at the harmful effects of sports on teeth. Researchers from New York University arrived at similar results in 2009 as sports drinks in their experiment also eroded tooth enamel.

Recommendations

To keep your pearly whites clean, authors recommend minimizing your consumption of sports and energy drinks.

Patients should also wait at least an hour before brushing their teeth after consuming the beverages. Otherwise, brushing just spreads the acid onto tooth surfaces and increases the erosive action.

And if you do give in, chew a sugar-free gum or rinse the mouth with water, both of which increase saliva flow and helps the mouth return to normal acidity levels.

Internet Dental Alliance dental marketing plans now include dental websites that can generate hands-free referrals to increase practice profits.

(PRWEB) April 30, 2012

New dental marketing Portals from Internet Dental Alliance, Inc. (IDA) provide built-in opportunities for patient prospects to share their new dentist with friends and family. The “Tell-A-Friend” button is an optional feature. When dentists activate it to display on their Portals, patients can send emails from the dental websites recommending their doctors. The “Tell-A-Friend” feature is a hands-free way for dentists to incorporate referral marketing into their online campaigns.

Referral marketing has been traditionally considered by many experts to be one of the most effective ways to gain new patients because it creates a “warm lead” – a prospective patient who hears about the dentist from a friend whom they know, like and trust. Potential patients who are “warm leads” will often call the office to set an appointment even if they’ve never visited the dental website simply because their friend or family member made the recommendation. The cost to acquire that kind of patient is next to zero.

“For best results, provide an incentive or special offer to include in the ‘Tell-A-Friend’ email,” says dental marketing consultant Jim Du Molin, founder of Internet Dental Alliance, Inc. “The ‘Tell-A-Friend’ feature is a great low cost way to let your patients market your practice for you!”

IDA provides pre-written suggestions dentists can use to create their special offers. They can be edited to customize them to each dental practice, based on their services and treatments. Dentists also have the option to write their own.

When a patient sends the referral email, their friend gets an email with the recommendation and the special offer. The patient who makes the recommendation also gets an email confirmation, making it easy to follow up with their friend.

“The referral marketing feature is one of the ways IDA incorporates social marketing into the Portals,” adds Du Molin. “We offer it because we want our members to have every tool available for their marketing success.”

About Internet Dental Alliance, Inc.

IDA is the largest North American provider of websites for dentists, email patient newsletters and dental directories. Known for its cutting-edge approach to dental marketing, it completed development of its advanced LeadFire technology in 2012. LeadFire’s proprietary content generation technology makes it possible for doctors to generate new patient leads within minutes of set up, and uses organic geo-targeted local search, customized and optimized for each dental practice . Internet Dental Alliance provides dental website design, find-a-dentist websites, online newsletters and other dental practice management advice and internet marketing resources.

Julie Frey
Internet Dental Alliance
888-476-4886
Email Information

Online Dental Insurance Platform is Committed to Continued Expansion in the Coming Year

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) April 24, 2012

Today DentalInsurance.com, a leading innovator and provider of dental insurance and discount protection to individuals and employers, announced record sales for the first quarter of 2012 as a result of several advancements made to improve the consumer experience of online dental insurance shopping.

Individual, family and business dental insurance consumers are able to visit DentalInsurance.com for dental insurance quotes, comparisons, and dental plan application for a wide variety of dental plans that meet each consumer’s unique needs.

“DentalInsurance.com is proud to offer an expanding selection of quality dental insurance products to consumers,” said Avery Smith, Director of Business Development at DentalInsurance.com. “We are committed to our customers’ satisfaction, and each year we have taken strides to ensure we remain focused on this commitment. This first quarter has shown us that our customers are taking notice.”

About DentalInsurance.com

Based in Los Angeles, CA, DentalInsurance.com has been the preeminent dental insurance and dental discount plan comparison shopping experience since 2001. A leading innovator and provider of dental insurance and discount protection to individuals and employers, DentalInsurance.com was the first company to enable consumers to compare, apply for, and purchase dental insurance and discount protection from top-rated insurance carriers online via the company’s website at http://www.dentalinsurance.com. Working diligently to deliver the most competitive carriers and plans nationwide, DentalInsurance.com provides individuals, families, and businesses quality dental coverage to fit every budget and lifestyle.

Avery Smith, Director of Business Development
DentalInsurance.com
310-390-1000 x217
Email Information

New dental marketing websites from Internet Dental Alliance, Inc. (IDA) provide plenty of options for generating leads for all of their practice locations and services.

(PRWEB) April 22, 2012

For dentists who want a dental marketing dental marketing website that’s easy to change, Internet Dental Alliance, Inc. (IDA) now offers Web Portals. They’re a key component of IDA’s New Patient Marketing Machine™ — a complete online dental practice marketing strategy and toolkit that puts doctors in control of their lead generation.

Web Portals can be easily configured via IDA’s Control Panel, which accesses a database containing practice addresses, phone numbers, hours of operation, promotional photos, articles about treatment services and more. Doctors have the option to use IDA’s pre-written content for fast turnkey set up of their dental websites. They can also edit the pre-written articles or write their own from scratch. All of this content can then be optimized for geo-targeting and market-targeting new patient leads.

“The easiest and fastest way for doctors to grow their dental practices is laser-targeted online lead generation,” says Jim Du Molin, founder of Internet Dental Alliance, Inc. and dental practice marketing guru. “The New Patient Marketing Machine™ goes far beyond providing a conventional website. IDA’s Control Panel lets doctors manage one or more Web Portals from a single easy-to-use interface!”

IDA Web Portals are automatically optimized for local search based on the primary practice location using address, city and ZIP code. Additional practice locations can always be listed on the main site to let visitors know about them. Also, each Portal can be optimized to generate leads from up to four geographic areas other than the main location. For example, if dentists want to draw patients from nearby towns or counties, keywords for up to four of them can be added to each Portal. This optimization strategy helps pages from the Portals show up in search engines when prospective patients use those terms to find a new dentist.

Portals are also a powerful dental marketing tool for attracting patients based on treatment services. Hundreds of pages can be optimized in less than 10 minutes to attract leads based on specific dental markets such as cosmetic dentistry, dental implants, sedation dentistry, etc. In fact, creating campaigns that target high value patients puts doctors in control of their lead generation and practice profits.

About Internet Dental Alliance, Inc.

IDA is North America’s largest provider of dental directories, websites for dentists and email patient newsletters. It completed its unique Lead Fire lead generation system in 2012. LeadFire technology automates dental SEO and content marketing and allows doctors to begin generating new patient leads within minutes of set up. It automatically optimizes IDA Web Portals for each dental office using geo-targeted local search terms. Internet Dental Alliance provides online dental marketing dental marketing services such as dental website design, marketing newsletters, and other dental management advice and resources.

Julie Frey
Internet Dental Alliance
888-476-4886
Email Information

TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libya‘s prime minister met war crimes prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo on Thursday and reassured him that Muammar Gaddafi‘s detained son is in good health and that his government is determined to give him a fair trial.

“I assure the world that Saif (al-Islam) is being given a humanitarian treatment with respect and according to human rights guidelines,” Abdurrahim El-Keib told reporters after meeting the International Criminal Court chief prosecutor, in Libya to investigate Gaddafi’s son who is wanted by the ICC.

Earlier this month a senior defense lawyer at the ICC asked the court to report Libya to the U.N. Security Council over its failure to extradite Saif al-Islam to The Hague.

Xavier-Jean Keita said the wanted man had been physically attacked and was suffering dental pain.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Saif al-Islam in June 2011 after prosecutors accused him and others of involvement in the killing of protesters during the revolt that eventually toppled and killed his father.

But Libya says Gaddafi’s British-educated son should face justice at home rather than stand trial in The Hague.

He was caught in November disguised as a Bedouin tribesman in the Sahara desert, months after telling his father’s opponents they would be exterminated like rats.

He is still being held in a secret location in the town of Zintan, 160 km (100 miles) west of Tripoli by the former fighters who captured him and who have so far declined government requests to hand him over.

(Reporting By Hadeel Al-Shalchi; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)