Millions of Americans, adults and children, lack access to dental care.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Low-income people, racial or ethnic minorities, pregnant women, seniors, people with special needs, people in rural areas - they all have a much harder time accessing a dentist than other groups of Americans.
We spend billions on marginal and often unnecessary procedures on people who are in the final dying process, yet we leave millions of Americans out of the health insurance system, and America's kids have the worst dental health in the developed world.
Let's be honest, dental care in America is extremely expensive, period.
When we talk about the healthcare crisis in America we've got to also be talking about the dental crisis and how to address it.
Most every dental school has discount dental services.
And under the existing circumstances, I understand there are situations where people indeed need care and need services, but I believe in America that the majority of those people are getting those services under situations and circumstances that are afforded to them by their health care providers and their state government.
The result was, of course, that today, tragically, more than 40 million Americans don't have health insurance, and for many, not having health insurance means they don't have access to good health care.
Many Americans are unaware that we still have a large population of working families, elderly, and children who rely on emergency food pantries, shelters, and other resources to meet their nutritional needs.
There are few in America that really know how to take advantage of the current health care system.
While most Americans have access to the best oral health care in the world, low-income children suffer disproportionately from oral disease.