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Taking Care of My Family All Year Long: Military Family Appreciation Month

November 28, 2015 No Comments

This post was sponsored by the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program as part of an Ambassador Program for Influence Central

As November, and Military Family Appreciation month, comes to an end, it reminded me that the need for support for families like myself isn’t something we need just one month out of the year. There are organizations and people that support us all year long. I am so thankful that many of these organizations exist and have made it one of my goals to share their stories on this blog. I encourage all of you to learn about these organizations so that you can use them, and share them with people in your life. As a military family we also feel its important to give back to both our military community, so we volunteer our time giving back to these same organizations. It isn’t just about getting support and having a month set aside for people to appreciate you. Giving back to those that are in your circle, whether military or civilian, is such an important part of life. If you’re looking for a way to get involved here are some easy ways to get started!

1) Operation Homefront keeps a list of current needs they are seeking help for.

2) Join, Donate and Volunteer with National Military Family Association

3) Become a Blue Star Neighbor and encourage others to support a military family in their community.

4) Donate to Luke’s Wings, a charity that provides military family members with flights to be by the side of their wounded service member as quickly and stress free as possible.

5) Visit the tabs I have up top to find other ways to support military families.

As a military family I am also thankful for blessings like these that have blessed our lives personally, and the lives of others that we know. One of the other many blessings we have is access to affordable health care. While military families are granted TRICARE health care (or pay for extremely affordable health care on TRICARE Reserve Select), we do have to purchase dental care. However TriCare and MetLife have made that easy for us, but providing us with quality dental care at a great price. We are so blessed to be able to have access to inexpensive health care as a military family. And as a National Guard family we can access this as well. One of the reasons we were able to do this so well is by choosing TDP {TRICARE Dental Program} with MetLife. With TDP we are able to receive great dental care, from a choice of amazing local dentists. As someone with a fear of dentists, it is super important that I am able to find an amazing dentist and not have to worry about the quality of my care and what benefits I will receive. With TRICARE Dental we receive the following benefits:

Two cleanings and two exams per year, at no cost, when a network dentist is seen
Sealants on permanent molars for children through the age of 18, with a 20% cost share
Orthodontic coverage for children {one of my biggest worries, because I remember what it was like to get braces!)
$1,300 Dental Program Annual Maximum per enrollee per plan year
$1,200 Accidental Annual maximum per enrollee per plan year
One Athletic Mouth Guard per consecutive 12-month period, with a 50% cost share {and we have little ones that are headed towards being more active in sports and this is much appreciated!}

If you are military family, active, reserve or National Guard, I highly recommend MetLife TRICARE Dental Program. As Military Family Appreciation month winds down, take steps to care for your military family by enrolling in TRICARE Dental.

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5 Things MilFams Can Do for their Teeth this Holiday Season ~ #MetLifeTDP

October 31, 2015 No Comments

“This post was sponsored by the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program as part of an Ambassador Program for Influence Central.”

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say, “The Dentist makes me nervous.” Like really nervous. I’ve put off dental care before, and now I’m playing catch up. Fillings to be filled and roots to be canaled. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and through this process I’ve been so thankful for the amazing dentist that I have. Its not my favorite thing in the world, but you quickly realize that what you put in you get back. And its this time of year, with the slew of holidays and the sweet treats, that really make you realize just how important caring for your teeth and gums are. Having a good dentist, while important, is only a small part of the puzzle. So with a renewed interest in dental care, and a nervousness which I don’t want to pass on to my children, here are some things you and your family can do to make sure your teeth are in tip-top this holiday season.

1. Brush twice a day with a soft tooth brush – The brushing twice a day, no big deal. I got that. But the brushing too hard thing, that’s a tough one. Be gentle on those gums people! Healthy brushing habits prevents tooth loss and gum disease.

2. Floss Daily – Flossing, tooth care’s ugly stepsister. It’s time consuming and you rarely think of it unless an errant popcorn kernel gets in-between your teeth. Setting a good example for my kids is really what got me to be more consistent about flossing my teeth.

3. Take care of your toothbrush – We’ve all heard about replacing your toothbrush every six months, or whenever your dentist gets a new one. But there’s a lot more to it. First, make sure you are really rinsing your toothbrush, next store your tooth brush in an upright position {didn’t know that one}, and try not to store your toothbrush within containers too often.

Henrik Abelsson Abelsson – Own work. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons –

4. Visit your dentist twice a year. Find one you like and are comfortable. Be honest with your dentist. When I met mine for the first time, my husband already really loved him. I was completely honest with him about my past dental experiences. Just talking about it made me feel so much better and going to the dentist is a little less anxiety filled for me.

5. Make sure to grab yourself some quality Dental Insurance. We’ve been using Tricare dental programs for thirteen years, with a one year lapse in service. We temporarily switched over to a civilian insurance, but as soon as we were able we quickly went right back to MetLife Tricare Dental. When you visit an in-network provider you get two exam and two cleanings within a consecutive 12-month period. And we all know that prevention is key with anything related to your health. Its something to be taken seriously, speaking from experience. And luckily Tricare allows you to feel stingy without the service feeling stingy.

So while you’re sitting there stealing your kid’s Halloween candy {totally guilty}remember the importance of taking care of those teeth! Remember that Tricare has been taking care of military families for a long time, and continue to do so by offering low premiums that are affordable and provide great preventative care in a world where health care costs are rising! And what’s important to me is that those serving in the National Guard and Reserve also have access to MetLife dental.

For more information on enrolling visit Tricare’s MetLife Dental site. Enrolling was a snap, and customer service has always been amazing for us. Catch up with them on Facebook and twitter as well.

Happy Holidays!