There is a dental crisis in America. It is not as if American dental care is not readily available, there are plenty of American dentists waiting in front of empty chairs. The blame lies with parental irresponsibility and the greed of insurance companies.
It is only fair to warn, the five facts I am about to relay regarding the public neglect to seek quality American dental care may be shocking, appalling, even disgusting to some, but it is the unfortunately ugly truth.
1. 55 percent of Americans did not see a dentist last year. How is it that, in a country which offers great dental care, over half of its citizens refuse to take advantage of it? The type of dental care america has at its disposal would put the care of other nations to shame. Wake up, people! We have highly skilled dentists, go see them.
2. 16 million low income children were unable to visit the dentist last year. Our fantastic American dental care cannot accomplish what it should be if money hungry insurance companies continue to refuse to support dental care. Speak up, America. Make these self serving insurance companies pay!
3. 130 million Americans lack dental insurance. See Ugly Truth No. 2. Dental insurance should not be nearly as expensive and unavailable as it is. American citizens deserve the benefits of American dental care without being discriminated against based on social class.
4. In 2009, 830,000 ER visits were linked to dental conditions. Dental conditions which could have been avoided if these patients had access to American dental care. Write to your legislators, exercise your democratic muscle to make health insurance companies cover certain dental conditions, as they can clearly lead to emergency medical complications.
5. Only 44 percent of American dental care expenses are projected to be covered by insurance companies in the next fiscal year.
Americans face daunting challenges when it comes to maintaining a healthy smile. Until our dental insurance problems are addressed, I propose we refuse to offer our smiles (in the form of votes) to politicians that do not offer realistic solutions. American dental care has so much to offer, and it would be a shame to let that decay due to the plaque that is the insurance industry.
