Dental care crisis: How oral diseases affect your overall health
JACKSON, Tenn. — Most oral health conditions are largely preventable and can be treated in their early stages.
Most cases are dental caries (tooth decay), periodontal diseases, tooth loss and oral cancers. Although the oral health of Americans has improved greatly over the past 75 years, it is still far from ideal, especially for low-income families.
For many, access to oral health care is out of reach, contributing to a vicious cycle of poverty and poorer overall health. Kids from low-income families are twice as likely to suffer from tooth decay and half as likely to visit the dentist.
“Math is the gateway to your body. You know, we have a lot of blood vessels in our mouths so if we have anything going on, as far as cavities, abscessing, gum diseases, it’s a lot of bacteria that is travelling throughout our body, and it can increase our chances of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, dementia, and it can negatively impact pregnancies,” said Dr. Asley Boling DDS, owner of Aspen Dental.
To be more specific, 13% of youth aged 2-19 years have untreated decay — that’s more than 9.6 million children.
Aside from the pain and anxiety that tooth decay can cause, these children are also likely to be malnourished and get bullied.
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