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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

No money to take care of teeth - governments don't care about health

This is from The Lancet:

Do it yourself Research by Which? suggests that about 3 million people have tried doing their own dentistry-pulling out teeth with pliers or string tied to a door handle, whitening teeth with cleaning products, using glue for loose fillings or crowns, popping an ulcer with a pin, and mending dentures. Self-dentistry is not just the result of fear of dentists; for many people, good dental treatment is hard to obtain.

Hard to obtain means it's too expensive. I will say it once again: governments don't care about their citizens health. It's outrageous.

12 comments:

Mark Krusen said...

I'm trying to sink my teeth in to this post. {Sorry}

I'm lucky to have $1,000 a year towards dental work from my wife's employer. It doesn't take much work to use all of that up.

Ana said...

I did search the expression "sink the teeth".
Thank you! I've learned a little more.
$ 1.000 a year is maintenance.
It's amazing. I don't understand. They don't use too much material.

Laura said...

I can soooo relate to this post. My husband's medical insurance doesn't include dental coverage and I'm stuck not being able to afford it on my own. What bothers me is that dental care is not a luxury, it's a necessity for good health yet it's not covered under provincial insurance. I can even understand cosmetic procedures not being covered but medical emergencies certainly should be.

Ana said...

I wrote this posting thinking about you ADrifter!
This is sad.

Mark Krusen said...

Ana,
Just a quick note. I was just injecting humor when I said "sink my teeth" into it.

I agree with Anonymousness Drifter.Dental ought to be covered,especially if it is a medical necessity.

Ana said...

I know Mark!
:)
I've found it funny having to look for the meaning. It's amazing that although we have an idea of what an expression means we have to search.

Mr B The Tech Teacher said...

Dear lord, that's awful. Seriously, that just bites!
Sorry couldn't resist it.

We have a national health service (NHS) over here that covers dental work, but it's pretty poor. It's nigh impossible to find dentists that are taking on NHS patients, and when they do it takes months to get seen.

Ana said...

Shiv,
Isn't it amazing?
Anonymous Drifter has been feeling pain and cannot afford to go to the dentist.
She is not alone.
I don't understand this world.
Seriously. I really don't understand.
Well I know that this world don't give a damn for people and making money became a end in itself.
This is shameful to say the least.

Anonymous said...

I just had dental work done. The total work for the month of January and February came to $1,800.00.

My husband insurance will pay about 2/3's of this. (Medicare pays nothing)

This is one reason I think I should stay married to him. I can't afford to take care of my teeth without him.

Teeth are so important to health....and mental health too.

Ana said...

Yes, it's very important!
Some of the psych-drugs ruin teeth.

Marj aka Thriver said...

I haven't tried any self-dentistry, but I am scared to death to go to the dentist! Hey, thanks for stopping by my blog.

Ana said...

No need to thank!
I have a good relationship with my dentist because I used to treat with his father when I was a little girl.
We grew up together.
Don't fear. The worse is not treating. The more you don't go the more you will have to go there.
To avoid fear it's better doing a little at a time.