It Is Time For Dentists To Worry About The Troubling Levels Of Uninsured Miami Residents

Over the years, Miami, FL. has always had its fair share of challenges when it comes to healthcare. In 2015, it ranked third-worst County regarding health insurance coverage. Such a low ranking, which translates to only 35% of the population under cover, means that the overall out-of-pocket expenditure in healthcare is high. It also says that more people cannot afford quality healthcare.

In such a dire situation, people abscond some services and retain only doctor visits when sick. Regular check-ups and doctor visits become a luxury. One of the areas wholly neglected in such a situation is dental care. Even though dental care ranks high in health concerns among populations, little attention seems to be given to it. Most insurers keep dental care at a premium, almost as if it is a luxury.

The current anxiety about the fate of Affordable Care Act is not helping either. Medicaid and Medicare have not sufficiently handled the dental healthcare problem. The hope remains there though as more dentists continue to be open to using the two national providers. A woman recently watched his son die because no practice was willing to accept Medicaid. In the process, a bacterial infection on his tooth made its way up to the brain. Such stories do not inspire confidence.

Miami is no different from this disturbing trend. In fact, considering that it has a history of vulnerabilities, notably the fluoridation of domestic water, the dental fraternity in the county ought to be worried now even more. From 2011, a cost-cutting move saw the County decide not to fluoridate water, a serious health risk for the population. For some years, the county had to be forced to reverse this mistake.

However, the challenge lies ahead as dental problems are likely to be manifest in a community that is already vulnerable as more people remain without dental insurance. Comparatively, a Miami-Dade resident is less likely to seek dental check-up compared to other Counties in the rest of Florida.

Several initiatives to promote fluoridated toothpaste and dental hygiene training in schools exist. However, they don't seem to affect the already escalating concern that simple dental procedures such as dental sealants and washing remain luxuries.

Nova Southeastern University researched common health problems affecting children between 5 and 17. They found that more than half of this kids have or had dental caries. Even though a mild dental concern when treated, its impact on the population is massive.

Children with dental carries suffer pain, infection, poor feeding, poor speech, low esteem, and poor performance. A child may lose teeth, develop severe infections, and lose significant time in the hospital or at home. According to one dentist, Karl Jobst Grove OK, the cycle is big, and it now threatens to affect a significant population of our young people in the region.

Dentists will be on the receiving end of this trend if it is unchecked. For a dentist, handling a small form of dental caries only require a minor procedure. Such a procedure is cheaper to perform within most dental units. However, as people postpone them, what they are currently doing, the problem becomes bigger. It becomes expensive and complicated to handle complicated surgeries and or accompanying treatment regime.

Often, such procedures would take a toll on the respective family's finances. Miami Times News wrote recently that huge medical bills are the number one cause of homelessness. If the future is huge dental care bills, then, everyone ought to be disturbed.

Compounded this challenge is the huge gap between the available dentists and the recommended ratio. Florida has the lowest dentist ration presently, with Miami contributing significantly to this trend. This low doctor-to-patient ratio is partly a result of complicated licensing of dentists in the county.

In conclusion, it is a time that dentists must start worrying about people without health insurance. In future, we know that issues will continue to escalate especially among the vulnerable population. Dental health continues to be a huge research area too as more research continues to link other medical conditions to poor dental care.