DentaQuest, the nation’s largest provider of Medicaid and CHIP dental solutions, and TeamSmile, today announced the launch of the TeamSmile Dental Home Project powered by DentaQuest, a nationwide initiative that connects children in need with long-term dental care resources and dental teams. Established with $275,000 from DentaQuest, this project builds upon DentaQuest’s years long partnership with TeamSmile, the nation’s premier advocacy group connecting oral health professionals with professional athletic organizations to provide life-changing dental care to underserved children across the country.

And with this new legislation passed, Dr. Damien Cuffie, Director of Louisiana DentaQuest, says patients no longer have to worry about or put off certain procedures, “Prior to the age of 21, they had pretty much full dental coverage. They could get cleanings done every six months, teeth extracted, crowns replaced, you know any restorative work that was needed. But once they turned 21 those benefits changed so now those benefits are extending beyond 21 throughout their adult life.”

Best for Affordable Dental Care: DentaQuest

In addition to distributing 25,000 backpacks with school supplies, the event will feature on-site health screenings to include: dental screenings and sealants, vision screenings, routine immunizations and COVID-19 vaccines. The event also connects families to a wide range of health and social services offered by community agencies. With one in four Texas children living in poverty, the Mayor's Back to School Fest presented by Shell is focused on changing the future, one child at a time.

"For example, at my company, DentaQuest, we actively manage dental benefits for millions of Americans, contracting with contrasting health plans, government entities and health care providers. We’ve been doing this for more than 20 years. We could easily default to business as usual. Instead of fearing that which we don’t understand, we have approached digital transformation head on, doing it one step at a time and ensuring our culture keeps pace."

The health plan is also emphasizing the importance of health and wellness and will be offering free dental screenings with DentaQuest for children and adults on August 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will be giving away free toothbrushes.

DentaQuest is an oral health care company that works to expand accessibility to health care for all. The DentaQuest Health Equity program, which is in its eighth year this summer, celebrates individuals for their work helping people gain access to medical, oral and behavioral health care.

DentaQuest representative Gonzalo Perez, manager of the DentaQuest case management and outreach program, said Martin's ability to be a “disruptor” within the health care system was one of the reasons she merited the award.

Texas A&M College of Dentistry professor Dan Burch has been recognized as one of 12 health equity heroes. Burch received the honor from DentaQuest for his work in making dental care more accessible for individuals with special needs and/or intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.

DentaQuest released its 2022 Health Equity Heroes: Disruptors in Health Systems; the award recognizes the work and advocacy for equity in medical, oral and behavioral health.

Besides ridding your mouth of gnarly morning breath, cleaning your chompers in the morning plays a crucial role in maintaining oral health, and it all comes down to the bacteria lingering in your mouth while you snooze. "As we're sleeping, bacteria has the tendency to settle — we don't have [as much] saliva moving around our mouth to prevent this bacteria from settling," says Amber Bonnaig, D.D.S., the dental director of Georgia for DentaQuest, a health care company that provides dental benefits.

On this second annual Health Equity Hero Day, DentaQuest, a purpose-driven oral health care company dedicated to improving the oral health of all, announced its 2022 Health Equity Heroes: disruptors in health systems. In addition to celebrating and promoting the work of the 12 Health Equity Heroes, DentaQuest is making $60,000 in charitable contributions— $5,000 in the name of each hero to a nonprofit of their choice.

Gonzalo Perez leads the DentaQuest Case Management team. See what he finds rewarding in his team's work and why he feels he makes a difference working at DentaQuest.

DentaQuest announced that Hyon Leon, director, data analytics & underwriting, has been named to Profiles in Diversity Journal’s 2022 Asian Leaders Worth Watching.

As a dental benefits administrator serving more than 33 million people nationwide, the majority of whom are low-income children and families enrolled in Medicaid, we see firsthand – and at scale – the obstacles people face in accessing high quality preventive dental care,” said Steve Pollock, president and CEO of DentaQuest. “SMILE Health is unique in its approach to rapidly validate and deploy solutions designed to address these obstacles. Given DentaQuest’s mission to improve the oral health of all, we are eager to support entrepreneurs working toward a more equitable, healthier future.”

As of April 1, pregnant people in Tennessee will have access to Medicaid coverage for a full year postpartum. In line with Gov. Bill Lee’s original proposal, the state has extended this coverage from two months to twelve and has expanded the benefits to cover oral health care — a critical piece of the overall puzzle to ensure healthy pregnancy and maternal outcomes.

Steve Pollock, president and CEO for Medicaid dental benefits administrator DentaQuest, issued the following statement reacting to the NCD report: “This new report makes clear that oral healthcare is healthcare and investing in dental benefits is the fiscally and ethically responsible move. Without routine dental visits, dental disease or pain can go untreated, particularly among people with I/DD who may have difficulty communicating. This report proves that providing Medicaid dental benefits for adults with I/DD — 60 percent of whom rely on Medicaid for their health coverage — is more cost-effective than continuing to exclude those benefits. It is also more ethical — coverage would address a significant disparity in care, reduce chronic pain, improve quality of life and bolster self-confidence. And an adult dental Medicaid benefit directly addresses a key gap in health equity for other populations, as well.”

Steve Pollock, president and CEO for Medicaid dental benefits administrator DentaQuest, issued the following statement reacting to the NCD report: “This new report makes clear that oral healthcare is healthcare and investing in dental benefits is the fiscally and ethically responsible move. Without routine dental visits, dental disease or pain can go untreated, particularly among people with I/DD who may have difficulty communicating. This report proves that providing Medicaid dental benefits for adults with I/DD — 60 percent of whom rely on Medicaid for their health coverage — is more cost-effective than continuing to exclude those benefits. It is also more ethical — coverage would address a significant disparity in care, reduce chronic pain, improve quality of life and bolster self-confidence. And an adult dental Medicaid benefit directly addresses a key gap in health equity for other populations, as well.”

Anel Torres was one of many affected by the water line break and boil water notice that happened this past February She lives outside the city, in the Pueblo Nuevo area, and says the water crisis put her life on hold. Torres says, “We didn’t have running water for a couple of days so my job kind of stopped, and my children had to be home as well, so it kind of hit us back.” Torres reached out to her employer based in Boston about the water crisis that was affecting her family and several members of her community. Her employer, Dentaquest, took notice and delivered nine pallets of water bottles to her doorstep. In total that was approximately 17,000 water bottles.

Brian Jones, vice president of commercial, individual and exchange for DentaQuest, recently joined TeamSmile’s Board of Directors, reinforcing both a personal and professional dedication to improving oral health for all.

DentaQuest agreed with an NDCreport on extending Medicaid benefits for disabled Americans but further said it should extend to all Medicaid recipients.\r\n\r\n

Teeth whitening pens generally contain hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide (the same ingredients used by professional dentists) as active ingredients to help safely whiten your teeth, according to Amber Bonnaig, D.D.S., dentist at DentaQuest. Hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide (which breaks down to release hydrogen peroxide when in contact with water) break down stain-causing compounds, making your teeth appear lighter. Typically, at-home whitening solutions contain about three to 20 percent of these active ingredients, while in-office systems can have anywhere between 15 to 43 percent, says Bonnaig. For best results, avoid smoking and drinking dark beverages as these impact the effectiveness of your teeth whitening with any teeth whitening solution including pens.

Today, Roxanne Martinez, executive vice president and chief human resources officer for DentaQuest, issued the following statement in celebration of International Women’s Day and the contributions of women in the oral health industry:

One of the nation’s largest and most experienced Medicaid dental benefits administrators, DentaQuest focuses on improving oral health outcomes for more than 33 million Americans with a nationwide network of providers in all 50 states. This investment in the Western University of Health Sciences’ dental school aligns directly with DentaQuest’s mission to improve the oral health of all.