Share Link: 
We can spend our money on a lot of things: iPhones, big-screen TVs with surround-sound, cars, jewelry, computers. The list goes on. And for some people, dental care is just an item on that list. They believe that they can choose whether to take care of their teeth.
Were you aware that one-third of adult Americans over 65 have no teeth and two-thirds have fewer than 10 teeth? We’re one of the wealthiest nations on earth, and we have some of the most advanced dental care available, so what could be the cause of these statistics?
The majority of us have the financial means to pay for both our wants and needs. There is an indigent population that has to choose sustenance over oral health and therefore doesn’t have much of an alternative, but 80 percent of Americans are not indigent. That means a lot of people are choosing to ignore their oral health.
Is a lack of dental insurance the problem? There’s no insurance to purchase big-screen TVs, stereo systems and computers or to buy nice clothes, yet people find the money to buy these things anyway. When you consider that a dental check-up costs about what some women spend at the hair salon – even without “hair insurance” -- this argument loses even more steam. In fact, more money is spent annually in the United States on dog food than dentistry. Does this mean that some people just value other things more than their teeth?
The solution is not dental insurance. Depending on the plan, between 10 and 60 cents of every dollar goes for administration. Since the maximum annual benefit allowed by most insurance plans has not changed significantly since dental insurance began in 1971, coverage has become nearly irrelevant. A $1,000 annual maximum benefit doesn’t buy much these days. Insurance companies exist not to help the patient, but to provide a return on investment to their shareholders. Unless someone else is paying the premiums, you’ll never get more back in benefits than you paid in premiums.
Evidence clearly connects gum disease with the health of your heart. Gum disease has been linked to heart attacks, strokes, respiratory diseases, diabetes and pancreatic cancer. To make matters worse, patients can remove the soft film of bacteria that accumulates on their teeth (plaque), but not the hard mineral deposits (tartar). Therefore, when people skip check-ups and tartar is allowed to accumulate -- sometimes for years -- gum disease is almost always a result.
Elevate the value you place on your oral health by:
Prevention is not expensive, but neglect can be.
Dr. Daniel T. Quevedo has lived in the Orlando area since the mid 1960s and is a longtime resident of Sweetwater Oaks. He has been in practice for 26 years and is a member of the American Dental Association as well as the Florida Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He also serves as an administrator on the world’s largest online forum for dentists with more than 100,000 members. For more information, call 407-786-2552 or visit SweetwaterSmiles.com.
