Fighting Toothlessness in Appalachia: Either funny, sad, or both.

[formerrepuke]

"...volunteers who are bringing free mobile dental care to poor people in the hills and hollows of Appalachia, sees case after case of severe tooth decay and gum disease -- the consequences of sugary foods, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, a lack of fluoridated water, and simple neglect."

<snip>

"The central Appalachian states lead the nation in toothlessness. More than 32 percent of Tennessee residents surveyed last year had lost six or more teeth because of decay or gum disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control. That number was 38 percent in Kentucky and 43 percent in West Virginia, which holds the distinction of the most toothless state. Kentucky ranked No. 1 in toothlessness in 2003."

<snip>

"People feel like they can do without teeth, or that they can always buy false ones," said David Aker, mountain missions director for the Kentucky Baptist Convention.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/07/21/appalachian.dentistry.ap/index.html
...THIS stereotype, at least, has basis in fact.

[laureloak]

1. Not funny at all.

BTW, I've always wondered why health insurance doesn't cover eyes and teeth?

[mike_c]

5. because the "risk profile" is not conducive...

...to good profits. Teeth and eyes are almost guaranteed to need attention regularly, so most health insurance companies don't insure them. When you do get dental/visual insurance, it usually comes with a buttload of limitations and conditions.

[Cobalt Violet]

2. Not at all funny.

Dental care is unaffordable to many. You can't blame the poor for dental price gouging. It's either $50. to get a tooth pulled or $5000. for a root canal and a cap. No other options.

[William769]

3. Well being from Appalachia

I don't find it funny at all. There are numerous reasons for this, the main one is these people are bascily self suffecient Which is more than I can say for some groups in America.

[sandnsea]

8. See post below

Being self sufficient is the attitude that prevents these hard working folks from demanding their fair share. I don't live there, so I don't know, but if there's coal dust in the air and it's damaging people's tooth enamel, then the companies ought to be held responsible. It's a cost of doing business, the people shouldn't have to subsidize coal corporate profits with their teeth.

[distantearlywarning]

4. I was also told by an Appalachian friend (WV)

that coal dust in the mouth destroys tooth enamel and leads to tooth decay, and that this accounts for much of the toothlessness in certain areas.

[sandnsea]

7. Probably true

My son said ash in the air from fighting forest fires does the same, he lost a front tooth for that very reason. It literally just fell out of his mouth. So much stuff that is job related, but too many have fallen for the idea that unions just want to collect money for nothing and gouge the company. It's too bad.

[China_cat]

12. And for women

they are raised to believe that you lose a tooth for each baby you have. That just becomes a fact of life and you don't believe there's anything you can do about it.

[raccoon]

6. Most people who've always had money and/or insurance

to take care of dental care don't have a CLUE how it is for the majority of people. Why they lose so many teeth at an early age.

Most of the time, people at the lower end of the income scale, when they're past 40, have false teeth or lots of missing teeth.

That's why once when a local disc jockey made a joke about Waffle House employees' teeth, I emailed him and set him straight.

[Kerrytravelers]

9. Whats sad is if these people vote, most likely it's repuke, even if

they're being screwed over time and again. They don't seem to understand that the repukes don't care about their health, they only care about big corporate interests.

But, y'know, we can't be having them gays get married. :eyes:

[Heddi]

10. Not funny at all

Loss of dentation can cause alot of problems in the whole body. Tooth infections can lead to heart problems that last a lifetime. Tooth infections can turn into systemic body infections and people can die from sepsis (blood poisioning) because of an infected tooth.

My family grew up (and all but me still lives there) in SC. My grandmother had a full set of false teeth by the time she was 36 because her teeth were so bad.

My mother, who is only 49, is looking at having to have all of her teeth pulled, or at least a sizeable number of them, because they're falling apart due to decades of neglect and decay.

Dental care is EXPENSIVE. Sure, a cleaning is only $50, but then you've got to get the xrays too, which is another $100-200. And if you've got a cavity, it's a few hundred to get that fixed & filled. Forget about it if you have an abcess or need a root canal.

I have dental insurance, and I have bad teeth. I never had a cavity, tho, until I was about 23 years old, and when I went to the dentist, I had 4 cavities. All were filled, and MY part of the insurance bill was $250. The insurance paid about another $3-400 for the portion that they covered.

This is a very serious matter, and no different than people going without proper medical care for their 'bodies' instead of their mouths

[Modem Butterfly]

11. It's not funny. Ignorance and poverty are sad.