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Yes, Dingo. It could be a lot worse.. At least if dental care is needed it is available free of charge eventually. I do believe there is awaiting list but I think if it is very serious a hospital emergency room would refer on to relevent services.Which would speed up things. We are lucky that people on health care cards do get free treatment.dingo said:We have what is called medicare down here which entitles every Australian to free hospital care......our heath system could be better but it could also be a lot worse.
I am cranky that this boy died when it could have been sorted out.I am a little techy about toothys at the 'mo as I have a toothache ...... Caanot imagine a dentist coming near me without some pain killer.The drill just about drives me insane..Beyond Belief said:After reading Peppers post it made me remember my first dentists back in the 50's. He didn't have a drill, he picked the cavity out with an instument. Well obviously he didn't do a very good job, my teeth have also been terrible. New cavities und the fillings. The first root canal I had in 73, took 6 months to finish. He couldn't get the get infection cleared up. He finally drilled a hole in the upper part of my month. Yuk.
I feel so bad for this little guy. I am aware of a young man who had this happen, but he didn't die. He did suffer from brain damage.
Pepper said:You said it all for me! My guess is these children drank sodas instead of milk, and weren't taught dental hygene.
Of all my friends, I don't know of a single child that even has had a cavity or filling.
dingo said:We have what is called medicare down here which entitles every Australian to free hospital care......our heath system could be better but it could also be a lot worse.
Okay, when I said dollar store, I meant the stores where everything is a dollar, not those junky stores called "Dollar Store" where things cost more than a dollar - first off - that might be where I was confused at the expired dates on toothpaste. The store I buy my toothpaste at is called "Dollar Tree" and everything in it is one dollar each.Dena said:Toothpaste does expire, and people also buy foreign toothpaste which does not follow US guidelines. There was a big deal made a few years back about this. These products are found in dollar stores.
I loathe dentists - have a definite phobia...but that's neither here nor there I guess...my husband makes sure our boys go to the dentist a couple of times a year.kazzbar said:I am cranky that this boy died when it could have been sorted out.I am a little techy about toothys at the 'mo as I have a toothache ...... Caanot imagine a dentist coming near me without some pain killer.The drill just about drives me insane..
Of course it is. I don't think anyone was minimizing that basic thought when they brought up other angles to discuss.JanetElaine said:You know, even if this was initially caused by bad brushing habits or whatever, the last time I checked 'less than perfect oral hygiene' wasn't punishable with the death penalty in the US. This child didn't need to die, and he did - that's what the outrage should be about.
The Emergency Room. That's how. I live in the area where this happened and the emergency rooms in every hospital in the tri-state area treats medicaid patients for EVERYTHING, which is why medicaid patients GO to the ER instead of doctors' offices. They go to the ER for colds and superficial cuts and everything else you can think of. This woman could have, and should have, taken her sons to the ER and they WOULD HAVE BEEN treated for their DENTAL issues. It happens every single day. It is why the ERs are overrun, but at least they are treating people, no matter what.southcitymom said:I am curious as to how you would get dental care for your children's teeth if you didn't have any money to pay for it.
No emergency room in the US provides regular dental check-ups, so that wouldn't be an option.Dalilah said:The Emergency Room. That's how. I live in the area where this happened and the emergency rooms in every hospital in the tri-state area treats medicaid patients for EVERYTHING, which is why medicaid patients GO to the ER instead of doctors' offices. They go to the ER for colds and superficial cuts and everything else you can think of. This woman could have, and should have, taken her sons to the ER and they WOULD HAVE BEEN treated for their DENTAL issues. It happens every single day. It is why the ERs are overrun, but at least they are treating people, no matter what.
There is no excuse for this. None. Now, the taxpayers will pay several hundred thousand dollars for this poor child's brain surgery, instead of a nominal amount (comparatively speaking) for dental work.
My original post: "I am curious as to how you would get dental care for your children's teeth if you didn't have any money to pay for it" was directed to a post that stated: "It (not providing regular dental care) is negligent on the part of the parents regardless of economic issues..IMO"Dalilah said:I didn't say that ERs give regular dental checkups. That is absurd.
If her sons were complaining about their teeth/mouth pain and she could not find a dentist, the ER will check the patient and call a dental surgeon to come and evaluate and treat the patient.
If she took her child to the ER and only complained about a headache, then she missed the opportunity.
I have not always had dental insurance or money to pay for dental work. But, I was able to find a doctor who was willing to take payments. In one case, it took me a full year to pay off a dentist for a regular check up for myself and my daughter.southcitymom said:I was just curious as to how one would provide regular dental care to a child if one had no money to pay for it. So far, no one has answered that question for me.
I hear you. But if I were worrying on a regular basis about how to house myself and two children (they were homeless for at least a while), dental visits would probably cross my mind very rarely.Dalilah said:I have not always had dental insurance or money to pay for dental work. But, I was able to find a doctor who was willing to take payments. In one case, it took me a full year to pay off a dentist for a regular check up for myself and my daughter.
I do put some blame the mother because if it were my child, I would stop at nothing to make sure it was taken care of. In my case, just for regular check ups, I had to call maybe 25 or 30 area dentists to find one who was willing to take payments. I didn't have great credit at the time, so it wasn't easy. But, if you try hard enough, you can find an answer. I suppose I just don't understand how she could have let it get that bad. There are answers, there are ways, it's up to us to find them no matter our situation.