Delayed Dental Care Leading To More ER Visits
The number of emergency room visits related to dental problems doubled from 1.1 million in 2000 to 2.2 million in 2012, according to an analysis from the American Dental Association. A different study suggests patients may be able to avoid complications from dental implants by speaking up about problems such as bleeding, pus and loose replacement 'roots.'
USA Today:
Dental Problems -- Sometimes Deadly -- Driving More People To ERs
What started as a toothache from a lost filling became a raging infection that landed Christopher Smith in the emergency room, then in intensive care on a ventilator and feeding tube. "It came on so quickly and violently. I was terrified," says Smith, 41, of Jeffersonville, Ind., who lacked dental insurance and hadn't been to a dentist for years before the problem arose last month. "I had no idea it could get this serious this quickly." Smith is one of a growing number of patients seeking help in the ER for long-delayed dental care. An analysis of the most recent federal data by the American Dental Association shows dental ER visits doubled from 1.1 million in 2000 to 2.2 million in 2012, or one visit every 15 seconds. ADA officials, as well as many dentists across the nation, say the problem persists today despite health reform. (Ungar, 7/9)
Reuters:
Patients Can Spot Trouble With New Dental Implants
Patients with new dental implants may be able to detect signs of trouble early enough to help prevent complications that can damage gums and bone, a British study suggests. When researchers asked 75 people who received dental implants in the past year if they had complications such as bleeding, pus or loose replacement-tooth “roots,” they expected clinicians to routinely catch problems that the patients missed. But that didn’t happen. (Rapaport, 7/9)
