Deadly toothache...yeah, seriously.

Originally Posted by Article

WASHINGTON - Twelve-year-old Deamonte Driver died of a toothache Sunday.
A routine, $80 tooth extraction might have saved him. I
f his mother had been insured.
If his family had not lost its Medicaid.
If Medicaid dentists weren't so hard to find.
If his mother hadn't been focused on getting a dentist for his brother, who had six rotted teeth.

By the time Deamonte's own aching tooth got any attention, the bacteria from the abscess had spread to his brain, doctors said. After two operations and more than six weeks of hospital care, the Prince George's County boy died.

Deamonte's death and the ultimate cost of his care, which could total more than $250,000, underscore an often-overlooked concern in the debate over universal health coverage: dental care.

Some poor children have no dental coverage at all. Others travel three hours to find a dentist willing to take Medicaid patients and accept the incumbent paperwork. And some, including Deamonte's brother, get in for a tooth cleaning but have trouble securing an oral surgeon to fix deeper problems.

In spite of efforts to change the system, fewer than one in three children in Maryland's Medicaid program received any dental service at all in 2005, the latest year for which figures are available from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services....

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17372104

That's quite sad. ALWAYS brush your teeth.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

BIGWORM, that's just plain fucking stupid for you to just say that. "ALWAYS BRUSH YOUR TEETH."

First of all, rotting teeth are usually because of kids were lacking nutritition. BELIEVE me I'd would KNOW myself personally since I was one of those kids with rotting baby teeth at tween age. :\

Those kids with rotting teeth would rather have some damn food than some luxury like a toothbrush or toothpaste. :\ Cheap I know, but seriously have you lived on food stamps with a single mom on welfare before? I bet you haven't.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Philia

Those kids with rotting teeth would rather have some damn food than some luxury like a toothbrush or toothpaste. :\ Cheap I know, but seriously have you lived on food stamps with a single mom on welfare before? I bet you haven't.

I have, and she was raising 4 kids at the time and we could still manage to afford a toothbrush for each and every one of us.

In anycase, I don't think he meant to imply that by brushing your teeth you're magically exempt from dental diseases, however, it is essential to have good oral health in side with keeping healthy in general.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I hardly ever brush my teeth sadly. Always forget. But I went to the dentist just this last two weeks ago. and i had hardly any cavaties. like 2 i think. really tiny ones too. So brushing my teeth wasn't so needed. lol.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Smelnick

I hardly ever brush my teeth sadly. Always forget. But I went to the dentist just this last two weeks ago. and i had hardly any cavaties. like 2 i think. really tiny ones too. So brushing my teeth wasn't so needed. lol.

Yeah, but did you pay for it?


I really think that the whole issue of paying for at least basic medical and dental work is fucking stupid and should be changed.

I was speaking idiomatically.

This article reminds me of a kid at my elementary school. His family didn't have health insurance of any kind and his parents didn't really care, so what started out as a cavity became an infection bad enough to swell up half his mouth and made it difficult for him to talk at all. Several of the teachers finally intervened at that point. I forget what they did exactly, but I think they had child services force his parents to take him to a dentist.

I didn't realize that tooth infections could spread to the brain, though it makes sense. What a horrible way to go too; excruciating pain for several weeks, followed by several brain surgeries.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by guyinrubbersuit

Yeah, but did you pay for it?...

no. my mom has a dental plan thankfully. i'm covered under it until i'm 25. 100% basic fillings and cleanings. so i guess i'm lucky i didn't have anything more serious

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Smelnick

I hardly ever brush my teeth sadly. Always forget. But I went to the dentist just this last two weeks ago. and i had hardly any cavaties. like 2 i think. really tiny ones too. So brushing my teeth wasn't so needed. lol.

2 cavities in one visit is a lot of cavities.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I went to the dentist's just last week or so, and he said that my teeth are excellent. I guess it's because I drink lots of tap water (lots of fluoride) and because I brush twice a day (occasionally three), not too roughly, not too gently.

It's funny because when I was younger I was notorious among my family for having awful teeth; never any cavities (fillings) or anything, but the colour of them was a tad off due to me having a major sweet tooth. There was much exaggeration about the colour; yellow, green, brown. Perhaps all of that encouraging cruel talk has made me more cautious with the quality of my teeth.

When I was younger a few of my teeth were growing at erratic angles and threats of braces were abound at the dentist's. Fortunately my teeth straightened out on their own; the amount of children/teenagers with braces today really surprises me, what with brushing being more enforced and what not.

(lol look at me prattling on about my teeth.)

Regarding the article posted, I do feel incredibly sorry for that twelve year old. Dying because of such a thing (toothache) is really absurd and unfortunate. I send his family my condolences.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Oh no. I had a tooth pulled not that long ago, and was lucky to get into the free dental mega extraction super duper unit whatever thing (after a month of SOUL DESTROYING PAIN). All my teeth are a fucking trainwreck, and I brush all the time (with acid it would seem).

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Interesting. I heard on the radio this morning that certain counties are looking into oral health as one of the key components of an entry exam for pre-school / kindergarden. They say that some schools don't accept children who haven't had a regular oral check-up with a dentist in the past year or so that they apply to the school. (Must be a private school...)

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Radical

2 cavities in one visit is a lot of cavities.

You lucky people and your healthy teeth. That's not a lot for someone who has problems beyond what normal brushing habits can keep under control.

I think the most I've ever had at one visit was 9.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Philia

Cheap I know, but seriously have you lived on food stamps with a single mom on welfare before? I bet you haven't.

Actually, no, but at a point I was on welfare myself, so I now what it means to be strapped on cash.

Now that I think about it, my friend had just dealt with 7, count, SEVEN cavities...at one time.

:sad:

I was speaking idiomatically.

While that sucks, gotta love how they turned the piece into a "This is why we need socialism" sob story.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Radical

2 cavities in one visit is a lot of cavities.

not if i hadn't been to the dentist in 3 years. lol.

FELIPE NO

Its kinda sad that people are dying from toothaches in the U.S.A. I brush my teeth in the morning and the evening, and for the most part, eat well. Its all about balance. Unfortunetly, many people in the United States don't even have proper nutrition.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I don't have poor teeth, but at the same time, I don't have good teeth. I try to brush my teeth twice every day, but forget a lot during the evening. I've been to the dentist a couple of times and they said my teeth were fine. Only once did I have to get a tooth pulled out, 'cause another one was growing above it. Other than that, no problems...although this story has got me a bit nervous. Sometimes it's hard to really know if you have tooth problems or not, until it's too late. Dental surgeries are freakin' expensive.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

What I have will require surgery. All my fault for not caring about my teeth. My wisdoms have come in and destroyed all 4 of the molars they were tucked under. I will lose one of my canines. The 2 front teeth next to my 2 'buttteeth" have fillings. In about 15 years I will lose them.

I lost dental care in 2005. . .but I was not serious about brushing.. The limit for my dental care provided for my job is only 1,000 dollars. When I got those fillings + tartar removal, the bill was 1134$. With all this needed to be done now, I will have a huge dental bill. There's no life threatening tooth pain, just pain from I just my destroyed teeth being forced further down by my wisdoms. I'm ok and stuff, and I'm going to be seeing a dentist sometime in the next month.

I'm alittle scared though.


Just brush seriously....and flossing is priority.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I like how Muzza says his dentist said his teeth were excellent, and then goes on to tell us that it's because he takes care of his teeth. That's a shocker. =o

My dentist said mine were excellent too, and I hadn't been to see one in like a year. For most of that year, as in, 11 months and maybe a week, I hardly brushed at all. Twice a week maybe if lucky. Never flossed in my life. Then I started brushing once a day for three weeks. Dentist verdict was hardly any plaque and healthy teeth, and no gingevitis. Never had any cavities either.

I think really all you can say is shit happens. It'll always happen. If it wasn't this kid's teeth it'll be someone else's kid's tonsils, or someone else's kid scraped his knee and had absolutely no clotting agents in his blood or some shit. I'm not sure we can manage giving free quality health care to everyone, and then there'll always be sob stories about the people who miss out.

It shouldn't prevent people from wanting to improve, but we should all be aware that the problem is essentially unsolvable.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Geez, this is making me really worried about my own rotten tooth...

I don't really consider myself poor, but having either a crown or implant for a tooth is really expensive

Fuck.

Anyways, the cause of death must've been incredibly shocking to the family; can't imagine what the mother must be feeling right now, and it's a terrible way to die.

Depressing news, but I didn't really like how the article begins (though I guess it's a good attention getter)

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Devoxycontin

I have extremely weak enamel, and very close teeth that makes flossing impossible. So I've had plenty of cavities.

I've never had cavities before, so I don't know but, does it hurt during surgery and does it feel numb and then painful afterwards??

I was speaking idiomatically.

Here in Sweden, Dental care is totally free up until you turn 20. It doesn't concern me anymore, unfortunately, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to go to the dentist on a yearly basis dispite the fact that my family wasn't doing well economically. Say what you will about socialism and well-fare states, but you don't see many kids with bad teeth in Sweden . I figure that might change though, since our government changed into a more liberal alliance recently. I'd hate to see a kid die like that because his parents couldn't afford health care. It wasn't his fault that his parents didn't have enough money.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Erisu Kimu

I've never had cavities before, so I don't know but, does it hurt during surgery and does it feel numb and then painful afterwards??

I have the same thing as Devo, so I've had plenty of cavities as well.

Having cavities filled doesn't require any surgery unless they are huge, wherein a root canal would probably be necessary. I've never had one of those, so I can't comment.

I've had plenty of cavities filled, though. The only painful part is when they inject the anesthetic into your gums with a needle. After that, you can't feel much of any pain, just the movement of the cleaners and the fitting of the filling. It doesn't hurt too bad. My face is usually numb on the side that the tooth is on for a few hours afterward and then you can't feel much of anything.

How ya doing, buddy?

To avoid a root canal just have the tooth removed. IMO if it's that bad the tooth isn't worth saving.

Quote:

Geez, this is making me really worried about my own rotten tooth...

The process from them rotting is very slow(takes months). Better decide what you wanna do now.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Winter Storm

The process from them rotting is very slow(takes months). Better decide what you wanna do now.

Holy shit, MONTHS? Why's that?

I'm probably going to have to get it done during Spring Break, which is in a few months. >( It totally blows though; It's my baby tooth, and there isn't an adult tooth anywhere (though I think it's because of malpractice by a dentist several years ago)

Damnit, now I'm depressed again (and this is completely off-topic; sorry)

Jam it back in, in the dark.