The leading reason for Americans avoiding the dentist, whether insured or not, is the prohibitive cost, leading to issues of medical costs for preventable general health issues down the line. Growing research has found that treating dental issues such as gum disease can aid diabetics in controlling blood glucose levels and in lowering medical costs. Dental pain is a common cause of emergency room visits, with 2.1m visits to the ER in up to 10 years old alone being caused by dental problems, according to the American Dental Association . The effects of poor dental care is even reflected in the working sector as well, as poor dental conditions lead 66% of low-income citizens to be concerned that it affects their employability. There is a lack of national progress in addressing this issue and including it in general healthcare practices, rather than treating it as a specialty treatment. Separate systems hinder the healthcare system in treating patients effectively, as well as leaving many patients with skyrocketing bills. The Affordable Care Act , now under fire, does mandate that children 2010 are covered for dental care, but adult health insurance through Medicare and Medicaid does not cover dental. “If we can save some of those disease patterns from starting, then we can reduce costs very effectively across the board.” New methods of providing dental care are being explored throughout the country on a local level, but the fundamental lack of cohesion between dental care and general health care is even down to an administrative level, as record systems are different for health and dental.
The leading reason for Americans avoiding the dentist, whether insured or not, is the prohibitive cost, leading to issues of medical costs for preventable general health issues down the line. Growing research has found that treating dental issues such as gum disease can aid diabetics in controlling blood glucose levels and in lowering medical costs. Dental pain is a common cause of emergency room visits, with 2.1m visits to the ER in up to 10 years old alone being caused by dental problems, according to the American Dental Association . The effects of poor dental care is even reflected in the working sector as well, as poor dental conditions lead 66% of low-income citizens to be concerned that it affects their employability. There is a lack of national progress in addressing this issue and including it in general healthcare practices, rather than treating it as a specialty treatment. Separate systems hinder the healthcare system in treating patients effectively, as well as leaving many patients with skyrocketing bills. The Affordable Care Act , now under fire, does mandate that children 2010 are covered for dental care, but adult health insurance through Medicare and Medicaid does not cover dental. New methods of providing dental care are being explored throughout the country on a local level, but the fundamental lack of cohesion between dental care and general health care is even down to an administrative level, as record systems are different for health and dental.