Consumer Survival Kit; 519; Teeth/Christmas Clubs/Co-ops

Consumer survival kit program number five nineteen eighty. Christmas clubs. Co-ops. The Maryland Center for Public Broadcasting. Or public roads. What do bicycles and dental care have in common. At this store they're both under the same roof. Department store dentistry. Cheap convenient. And one of the latest trends in dental care. This is where Christmas clubs are born. If you are expecting miracles from a Christmas club you could be doing a snow job on yourself. On the surface this looks like any other supermarket but it's not. That's because profit isn't their bag. A look at what's in store for you at a co-op. All this and more next on consumer survival kit. What.

Can you. Do. Hello I'm Larry Lohmann. Is it like pulling teeth to get your family to go to the dentist. In the past if the drill didn't send you through the roof the dentist's bill was short too. Now new developments in dentistry may lessen the pain. Here's friend Dawn with a report the nation's dental records are nothing to smile about. Estimates are one half of us don't get the dental care we need. Five million Americans have already lost all their teeth by the time they reach age 35. One fifth of us have never been to a dentist. Twelve million of us are too afraid to go. Most of us at this very moment are walking around with five untreated

cavities. Fear of the drill. Plus the bite of the dentist bill have resulted in our neglecting our teeth. Dr. Alan Gott sting founder and director of universal dental centers is trying to change all that. We spoke with Dr. got Stan at the center in the Times Square department store in Levittown New York and asked Why have a dentist office in the department store. Or the practicing dentist for the past 20 years. Four years ago. I found out a certain segment of my patients were not coming back to me often enough. That was generally the middle class who did not have any dental coverage at all. Some demographics. We have our. Laboratories. So

in the past that's the reason we're able to. Not only do they put their prices right out front to the ears of shoppers. A very good concept because you would have people who would normally perhaps not seek dental care from a dentist come into a department store such as this one and see the dental facility and perhaps have a very good concept. Of. How much money.

You know what. They do right. Well I find the private physicians prices are astronomical these days and I think this dental care center has competent help and I'm very pleased with. Their ability to take care of my mouth. At. Considerably less. Some critics question the quality of budget dental Sutter's the claim that under these circumstances profit comes first the patient second. That low cost means low quality. And that budget business will give dentistry a bad name. But a review of the dental profession as a whole reveals a record that's not pearly white. A Pennsylvania insurance department guide reports based on available evidence it can be conservatively estimated that at least 15 percent of U.S. dentists are incompetent dishonest or both. According to the National Institute of dental research 12 to 15 tons of teeth are extracted every year

it's estimated that six million of these should have been saved through other treatment. Dental surveys indicate periodontal or gum disease is the primary cause of tooth loss in adults. And yet according to one dental authority 50 percent of all dentists pay no attention to periodontal problems. There's been no formal investigation of department store dentistry but there's been every indication that the quality is equal to or better than that offered by many private practitioners. Dr. Irwin Mendell head of the division of preventive dentistry at Columbia University has said why shouldn't low priced practitioners do quality work even if a patient is paying lesser fees. He won't come back if he isn't satisfied. If free enterprise works so should these practices. Department store dentistry is representative of what's called the new delivery system of dental care. At the moment it's available only in California. At Sears and gum rewards. And in New York at Times Square stores. But it's very possible this is the ultimate direction dentistry will take because it cuts the cost of dental care.

As part of this new delivery system you'll also be seeing. A great use of advertising advertising of dentists fees and services is now legal in every state. Some applaud this as a way to educate the public and increase price competition. Others in the profession find it degrading. You'll also be seeing a greater use of paraprofessionals many state laws now restrict the use of dental auxillary. But in the Cincinnati dental services center where dental assistants are allowed to among other things make impressions and fill teeth. Patients pay less dentists at this center can't afford to charge about 40 percent less because the whole operation is more productive more cost efficient. And according to an FTC report there's ample evidence that dental hygienists and dental assistants can perform these procedures safely and competently under the supervision of a licensed dentist. Another new development to lower the cost of dental care is the direct sale of dentures. Last November Oregon became the first state to allow denture as technicians trained in the fitting of dentures to sell directly to denture

wearers. The savings may be substantial and the quality just the same. According to Ronald faylen of the Federal Trade Commission a dentist typically pays a lab one hundred fifteen dollars for a denture and then builds a patient approximately five hundred fifty dollars an organ. It's reported the dentures purchased directly will cost approximately $300. Those purchased through a dentist between 600 and $2000. Of course when it comes to ways of cutting the cost of dental care prevention is unnatural. The better your teeth the better your chances of keeping those dentist bills down. And recent developments in dentistry are improving your odds in the fight against decay. Fluoridation is one example. Half the U.S. drinks Florida hated water when used from birth. It can reduce tooth decay by 65 percent and costs us only about 15 to 18 cents per person per year where water supplies cannot be Flora dated. Many children participate in weekly fluoride mouth rinse programs such as this. The cost

approximately three dollars per child per year with a reduction in cavities of about 35 percent fluoride can be applied topically during your routine dental check up. But this is not more effective than a rinse and it is more expensive. Dentist can also prescribe chewable tablets to take at home. They cost about $14 for a year's supply and recently an over the counter fluoride Colgate floor guard came on the market. It's similar to the solution used in school fluoridation programs but it has a substantially ror floor right concentration. Figure 12 bottles per year at around 16 dollars for a 15 percent reduction in cavities. Soon you may be able to take your fluoride with you. Research is being done on the slow release fluoride wafer device which is simply attached to one of your teeth and dentists have also come up with a way of sealing out cavities pits and fissures in cavity prone mowers are coated with a plastic sealant. The treatment is painless but it cost twenty to fifty dollars per

tooth and only lasts about two years 10 years down the road. You may be able to get a vaccine that will prevent tooth decay. It works on monkeys but scientists say it isn't ready for human use yet. In the meantime the cheapest and best prevention. Fluoride either in your water or some other form of fluoride treatment plus a tooth brush a fluoride toothpaste and a package of dental floss all available at your local drugstore. Larry Thanks Fran. We've extracted some of the best information on T4 our kit called a brush up on dental care which is already in circulation. We'll tell you how to avoid bad dentistry. What's involved in restoring teeth. And the price of various dental repairs such as inlays crowns and bridges. The 88 tells you what to expect from your new dentures and some little known facts about X-ray examinations. Vitus periodontitis canker sores erosion and abrasion and how the ptosis kit also contains articles on diet orthodontics and new treatments for lost or damaged teeth. It's all in the kit plus a lot more for your kids and $1 to cover the costs of reproduction

postage and handling dental care box 1079 Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 0 1 7. Please allow 3 to 4 weeks for delivery. Maryland residents please add 5 percent sales tax. Have you had something to smile about lately. Our survivor of the week Did Mrs. Gloria Murray bits of Jacksonville Alabama writes Old English scratch cover polish was recently recommended to me by a piano dealer for an antique piano I have. I used it and was impressed with how good my piano looked. However during the polishing some of the Polish rubbed off on the keys and a sweatshirt I was wearing. The stains did not come off. Since there was no caution on the label no statement whatsoever that the Polish might stain clothes or ivory. I felt I had a legitimate claim for damage. I wrote to the boil Midway company in their reply they included a copy of directions for removing stains caused by the Polish which leads me to believe they have a lot of similar complaints and added If the stains had already set we can only recommend that the removal be turned over

to a professional cleaner. They made no attempt to reimburse me for damages. I wrote to the Federal Trade Commission and as a result of my letter I N.A. the insurance company of North America sent me a check for eighty three dollars so the piano story ends on a happy note. The key to success. Determination. If you have a success story to tell write us the address is Survivor consumer survival kit. Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7. Again that Survivor consumer survival kit Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7 and now on another note. They're called Christmas clubs around November you fill out an application. But anywhere from 50 cents to 20 dollars of your money into the bank each week along with a coupon and 50 weeks later you get your money back in the form of a Christmas club check which is yours to spend for the holidays. You also get a book of Christmas

carols and a shopping bag and a Christmas card list plus various premiums. But it's the check that we as CSK are most interested in. Appropriate choice of words interest. You don't necessarily get any when you put your money in a Christmas club. So why do it. Patrick McGrath has this report. The Christmas Club concept was formed some 70 years ago in a bank in Carlisle Pennsylvania. A few years later here in Easton Pennsylvania a business was formed called Christmas Club a corporation. Today almost all banks the majority of savings and loans and some credit unions offer the Christmas Club program everything they need from coupon books to promotional materials is supplied by this corporation. I talked with the president Jack diner. Millions of people apparently from your records are belong to Christmas Club. Why are Christmas clubs so popular the reason is that it's a simple way for say people to save for Christmas.

The average person sees $5 a week and. In our judgment a person wouldn't go into a bank and open an account for just $5. Why not it would be too small an amount but is a perfectly acceptable as a matter of fact. The financial institutions of America will encourage you to come in with $5 or $1 in some cases 50 cents or up to $20. Tell me about the sort of person who takes out a Christmas card. Can you give us a profile such a person. Most people would think that it's a blue collar worker but research shows this is not the case. A professional person is almost as likely to have a Christmas club as the blue collar worker. It also goes across all age brackets and incomes. From the standpoint of interest wouldn't a bank customer be better off putting his money into just a straight savings account wouldn't you do better in terms of

the amount of interest that he might receive. And most of the financial institutions that we've studied there their interest rate is comparable to the regular past but in some cases it may be a percentage rate lower. The people I've talked to explain that by the operational expense of maintaining these small balance accounts in some cases don't you lose your interest though if you decide you needed the money after all before Chris. In some cases yes but that is that is the exception again. What's the psychology why do people need to have this special. Account that says Christmas Club Why. Why don't they just simply have a regular savings account or or do something else to save their money. That's a good question I think the psychology is first of all the Christmas season is a very emotional time for most Americans. Most people like to plan Ford as Matter fact 73 percent of the dispersement

is spent for Christmas savings. You might make the commitment that you would go to your financial institution and make a deposit Weekly. But then you have to live up to that commitment. Our company found out years ago that if you give a person a book a coupon book and that person makes a commitment to save a fixed amount of dollars for the forthcoming Christmas season that he'll stay with it. There is a mystique to a coupon book that you will stay with it. You make the commitment and you have that book in your desk drawer. And you just have to go and if you see that book read diminishing you'll see your account building up results from a 1978 Federal Reserve Board survey show that the average interest rate paid on Christmas Club accounts is less than three and a half percent.

Nearly half of the commercial banks offering Christmas clubs don't pay any interest. One banking expert told us it boggles the mind why people use Christmas clubs. And it would be better to put your money under your mattress where at least you can get out faster in defense of Christmas clubs. Well they do force you to save and it is psychologically satisfying to hand in money every week and know you're putting it aside for next year's gifts. Guilt free spending they call it. The point is it is just a savings account and a very mediocre one at that. You may get no interest or interest on a regular passbook savings account is 5 percent. And there may be penalties if you miss a payment or withdraw money early. For example Bank of America told us no early withdrawals are allowed if you do this your account is closed. Interest is forfeited and they charge you a dollar. Our financial experts say there are definitely better ways to save. But if you have the Christmas Club and can't shake it at least get the highest rate possible five percent at a commercial bank. Five and a quarter percent at a federally insured savings and loan Larry.

Thanks Patrick. You know there is a way to save money while you spend it. We told you how you can do that by using a credit card. You keep less cash on hand and more of it in the bank or savings and loan interest. Well now there's another reason to charge it. It can definitely pay you to use a credit card instead of cash when you have your car repaired. The reason of the work isn't satisfactory. The mechanic doesn't get paid. You don't lose your money because according to federal law you have the right to refuse to pay the credit card company if the mechanics work is shoddy your course of action. First try to resolve the problem with a mechanic on your own. If that doesn't work. Contact your credit card company and tell them you want to withhold payment. They want to know the name of the repair service the date of the repair and why the work was on satisfactory. What generally happens is that the credit card company puts pressure on the mechanic to get your car fixed so you'll pay your bill. There are a few conditions. The mechanic has to be in your home state or within 100 miles of your current address and the cost of the repairs must be over $50. Our kit on auto maintenance and accessories may help you avoid this kind of

trouble in the first place. One article explains the tuneup how to tell if you need one and the steps to take to do a professional tune up yourself. If you suspect you were overcharged on that last battery you brought. You'll be interested in this article. It will help put you in charge of the situation the next time you have to buy a battery. It tells about cold cranking amps and reserve capacity and what to expect from a battery labeled maintenance free. Are you confused about the best oil for your car should you go synthetic. We've condensed information from our program on motor oils so you have all the facts down in writing. We've also included what you need to know about coolants and rustproofing rustproofing doesn't necessarily protect your car from rust. We'll tell you what it can do for your car how the warranties differ and the questions to ask before you sign on the dotted line. We also have other articles to help you pick accessories for your car. A list of typical new car options and what they'll cost you. Plus advice on how to select the right sound equipment for your car and how to secure it. Once it's installed we have information on snow tires and how not to get stuck in a

bad deal. Plus a whole lot more for your kits and $1 to cover the costs of reproduction postage and handling two auto accessories box 979 Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7. Please allow 3 to 4 weeks for delivery. Maryland residents please add 5 percent sales tax. The kit will give you some food for thought and so will our next report. Here's a riff I can tell you what's in store for you at a co-op. Consumer co-ops sell everything from auto supplies to legal advice to burial service. But the majority sell food. Four hundred five million dollars of the four hundred forty seven million spent in co-ops last year was spent on food. And although this is a mere drop in the bucket compared to the two hundred eighteen billion total food sales in the United States participation in food co-ops is steadily growing the number of food co-ops in operation has more than quadrupled in the past six years. There are now at least 1000 food co-ops with approximately 1.2 million

members. This is what a food co-op looks like in this and this. And this. A food co-op is a group of individuals or families who buy food in bulk from a wholesaler avoiding middlemen mark up and distributes to its members. The co-op may have 5000 family members or 10. The look and degree of sophistication of co-ops throughout the country varies widely but they all have one thing in common. All our own operated by the members themselves. A co-op belongs to the people who use it and to get a sense of how people use a co-op. We spoke to members of a storefront co-op called the belly the belly food for people not for profit. We're trying to take over one portion of the food distribution process and enable people to get healthy foods. At a lower cost. Thank you. For doing that. Sort of.

Instead of pay for a lot of services. Paying for a lot of middlemen we're doing a lot of things ourselves. We go to the big race we go to the wholesale produce market. We go to the warehouse pick it up ourselves and people's cards exchange their labor and other words for discounted food. Basically how we set it up is that we charge the average person on the street 30 percent above wholesale and a person who works here four hours a month and goes to a meeting once a month gets a 10 percent above wholesale. So in effect it's a 20 percent discount. Part of our. Interested in.

That sort of comes down concretely to. What you're going to charge for your customers you're going to have and how much income you're going to bring in and try to tailor your process to that. After we left the belly We visited a supermarket just a few blocks away and compared prices. We priced ten items nine out of 10 were more expensive at the supermarket. Carrots 49 cents at the supermarket compared to 27 cents at the co-op lettuce eighty nine cents at the supermarket compared to 46 cents at the co-op.

Basil 95 cents compared to seven cents at the co-op safflower oil on the other hand was more expensive at the co-op one dollar and fifty cents a quart versus 99 cents at the supermarket. How much can you save by shopping at a co-op. Estimates range from 10 percent to 40 percent depending on the size of the co-op and the extent to which you use it. Even if you belong to a co-op you may have to do as much as one third of your shopping elsewhere. Generally though the larger the co-op and the more you use it the more you save. Oddly enough savings is not what most co-ops emphasize. Instead they emphasize quality nutrition and consumer protection. The food is generally fresher and more carefully selected. It's usually more nutritious than what's found in supermarkets. Usually no impulse items or junk food at the checkout. And there's an obvious effort to inform the consumer exactly what he's getting for his money. On the other hand co-ops are not for

everyone. One unhappy co-op member recounts quote the co-op philosophy is that you are all part of one big happy family. Shoppers and checkers. I got a lot of thoughts moralising when all I wanted to do was pick up my groceries and get out. Unquote. Nevertheless for those interested in starting a co-op we have some suggestions. Starting a co-op means taking a risk. You need money and you need organization to make it work. The national consumer cooperative bank will provide you with both. It was established last August to supply financial and technical assistance to nonprofit cooperatives and should be in operation this fall. In the past co-ops have had trouble getting off the ground. Now for the first time consumer co-ops not only have a loan source designed specifically for them but a resource for technical assistance. Contact the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development HUD and ask about the consumer cooperative bank. Other sources of help may be closer than you

think. There's an infectious sense of camaraderie among co-ops. Those who have been in the business are anxious to share information and help others along. Larry next week we'll take a look at celebrity endorsements. Some beautiful people are making some pretty strong plugs for products they say they use and love. We'll tell you why the FTC has to keep a careful watch of the star's sugar can sweeten your life and you won't even know it. It's hidden in processed foods such as steak sauce and instant soup. And it's turning many Americans into sugar Hollings. Some sour notes on the sugar situation. It may be time for a stock exchange and a move in the real estate to investors tell us why they took shelter in real estate and they'll explain the risks and the benefits involved for Patrick. Fran Rhea and the entire CSK staff this is Larry Lohmann. We'll see you next week on consumer survival kit. You.

Knew who. You. Were. You. Consider survival kit was produced by the Maryland Center for Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content. Funding for consumers of Medicaid has been provided by the station and by other public television stations. Iraq. Iraq.