More Floridians Check in Emergency Rooms with Toothaches

According to latest estimates, more and more citizens of Florida actually go without routine dental care. As a result they have to check in directly to the emergency rooms because their dental issues have worsened so much that they need immediate intervention. Hospitals and taxpayers supported expenditures of approximately $90 million in 2010 for ER dental care.

According to latest estimates, more and more citizens of Florida actually go without routine dental care.

As a result they have to check in directly to the emergency rooms because their dental issues have worsened so much that they need immediate intervention.

Hospitals and taxpayers supported expenditures of approximately $90 million in 2010 for ER dental care.

Last year alone, the cost of emergency dental care in the S-E of Florida amounted to exactly $3.2million. According to several experts the issue might be a direct result of the fact there are only a few dentists who accept patients with Medicare.

Dental professionals are not reimbursed properly, so they prefer not to accept patients with Medicare for treatment. Then, quite often the emergency dental visits offer only a provisory solution, treating only the pain. The underlying cause is not being treated and this in turn results in the patient having to come back for more in –depth and proper follow up treatments.

Florida Public Health Institute’s Oral Health Coalition has analyzed quite recently the billing codes from Florida hospitals. It has been found that there is a considerable increase in the number of Florida patients who visit the ER with a toothache: in 2008 there were recorded 105,992 such visits, while in 2010 there were already 115,696 visits. What is even more surprising is that the number of children visiting the ER with toothaches is amounting to 15,000/ year.

With this occasion, the Oral Health Coalition has specifically asked those responsible to help low income people get better access top preventative dental care, to fluoridation programs and to offer dental screening solutions for children.

All these solutions if implemented are extremely cost effective for the long run. People will have their dental problems treated in time, and thus they will not have to visit the emergency rooms with dental complications that actually cost the nation tens of millions each year.

There are several extremely serious dental complications that can be prevented if such programs are implemented and if people pay more attention to their dental care regimen. Some of the complications that can be avoided include severe infections, gum disease or abscesses.