Oral Health Care

Oral Care | Episode 104

Episode summary introduction:

I have heard people say that the way to tell someone’s overall health and wealth is by the condition of their teeth. Unfortunately, there is truth to that statement. There are currently so many Americans that cannot afford regular health care, don’t meet the guidelines for Medicaid or FAMIS, Virginia's health insurance program and are uninsured. Dental and oral health isn’t included in almost all healthcare policies. It’s considered supplemental and comes at extra cost. If we cannot afford healthcare in America … How can we afford Dental care?

Topic 1:

The American Dental Association recommends;

Brush teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste
Clean between teeth daily, flossing.
Eat a healthy diet that limits sugary beverages and snacks
See a dentist regularly for prevention and treatment of oral disease

Topic 2:

Untreated oral disease has a large impact on quality of life and productivity:
Over 34 million school hours were lost in the United States in 2008 because of unplanned urgent dental care.
Over $45 billion is lost in productivity in the United States each year because of untreated oral disease.
Nearly 18% of all working-age adults, and 29% of those with lower incomes, report that the appearance of their mouth and teeth affects their ability to interview for a job.

Topic 3:

The average cost of dental insurance for Americans is $15-50/month. This would be through a person’s work benefits. Of course, this is not a large amount of money, but this only covers a small portion of the population.

Outro:

Digestion may start at the mouth but so does your overall health. It’s easy to say, see the dentist and get your teeth fixed but the reality is there will be more adults missing at least one tooth by their forties due to lack of dental coverage.

At most you may lose your tooth, teeth but at the end of the day you will have your life. There are free clinics that help with dental services and there are dentists who donate their time and skills to those in need.

Attached you will find VA resources that will be attached to today’s show notes;

https://freeclinicscare.org/become-a-patient/?utm_source=eruptr&utm_medium=cpc&cr=va_free_clinics_statewide_sem&utm_campaign=va_free_clinics_statewide_sem&gclid=Cj0KCQiAmpyRBhC-ARIsABs2EAqkKLnuats8BdEy0tvuEUTqX_K0GSQO-avFtRtU6rDgKV9Cc4irltoaAljyEALw_wcB

https://www.vadental.org/for-our-patients/Low-Cost-Dental-Services

References:

https://www.ada.org/-/media/project/ada-organization/ada/ada-org/files/resources/research/hpi/hpigraphic_1221_1.pdf?rev=ef3f323d5658428898562224a15845c8&hash=229A77542E921FAF5051608DA6336964

https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/oral_health_disparities/index.htm

https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/basics/index.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5535498/

https://www.dentalhealth.org/healthysmile

https://jdh.adha.org/content/jdenthyg/91/1/6.full.pdf

https://www.johnsonfamilydentistry.com/american-dental-association-home-oral-health-care-recommendations/

https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/oral-health-recommendations