Ignoring Dental Care

Dental health issues can have an effect on more than just your mouth. That's why it's important to get to the right dental professional for your specific needs, and knowing the differences between each role can aid you immensely in your search.

Evidence increasingly shows that poor oral health is associated with functional disability that can lead to deficits and decline” (Overview of oral health, 2017). According to an article in the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, dental fear can have a significant impact on a person’s awareness of their oral health, as well as one’s pro-active steps towards prevention and treatment. Therefore, it is paramount in helping a patient alleviate their fear by listening to the patient, acknowledging their concerns, and taking things slowly (Yildirim,

While most of the patients I interacted with were seeking non-dental care, I met patients who were seeking care to health conditions that stem from their oral health such as oral abscesses, which our team was unable to treat except for prescribing antibiotics or painkillers. I encountered similar situations when I shadowed physicians in the emergency room of hospitals, observing a variety of craniofacial disorders originating from a preventable tooth decay. From these observations, I learned that patients often did not receive treatment that addressed the root of their problems: their oral health. As the result, I learned that many physicians saw the same patient repeatedly for problems that would otherwise be easily prevented through proper preventive dental care. Determining to address the unmet needs for accessible preventive dental care, I decided to pursue a career in dentistry so that I can provide a positive and meaningful impact to the underserved community on their oral health and ultimately their overall

On my work placement at Grandholm Dental Clinic, I shadowed several dentists, observing how they were able to diagnose and treat

A health system defined as ‘all the activities whose primary purpose is to promote, restore and/or maintain health’ (WHO 2013). A good health system is indicated by its capability to delivers quality services, when and where the people need them (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2014). Australia’s health-care system is a combination of public welfare and private market provision (Willis, Reynolds & Keleher 2009). There are multiple layers of responsibility and funding provided by governments, individuals, health providers and private health insurers (Biggs 2013).

Many low income areas have dental therapists as part of their local dental team. Many people in these areas have never been to a dentist or do not go every six months as recommended this poses many other health problems. There has been case studies and data showing that in these areas dental health

Oral health care is an integral part of the US healthcare system. In 2012, Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced “The Comprehensive Dental Reform Act”, which aimed on expanding dental coverage, accessible oral health care centers, increase in dental workforce, enhanced dental education and encourage dental research. (Congress.gov). The ACA, aim to curb the national health spending, by facilitating the affordability to quality care through private and public health insurance. The purpose of this bill is to cut the healthcare costs and to reverse the “silent epidemic” of dental health status (surgeon gen). This dental bill with an integrated approach towards the preventive and comprehensive oral healthcare is estimated to provide coverage to almost 17.7 million adults. (ADA

“The impact of unmet oral health care needs is magnified by the well-established connection between oral health and overall health” (Fineberg, H. 2011, p. ix). Oral health status is linked with general health, as evidenced by the association between poor oral health and chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease. Poor oral hygiene can also lead to other health issues such as, oral facial pain and digestive problems. “The silent epidemic of oral diseases disproportionately affects disadvantaged communities,

As dental health care providers, we look at the many ways we can help our community with their access to care, ways to provide preventative treatment, and how we may best be able provide services to our clients. Many times the largest issue that lies within our community is access to care1. This is current crisis is a tremendous barrier which is affecting low-income populations, restricting their access to care1. In order to provide much needed services to many who go without dental care, a new position has emerged within the dental provider community within the last few years. This new role is the mid-level dental provider. A mid-level dental provider is a

North Seattle Dental has been focused on providing high quality dental care and building lasting relationships with patients for more than 40 years. The range of dental services available to current and new patients include preventative dental care, cosmetic dentistry, restorative dentistry and more. The award-winning dentists on staff don't just offer treatments that utilize the most up-to-date dentistry technologies, they offer compassion, understanding and, most importantly, work to ensure patients are comfortable and safe during every visit. Thanks to their convenient location, extended hours and wide range of payment options, proper oral care is something everyone in the Seattle area can enjoy.

There are a variety of factors that are known to affect patient compliance. Therefore, one cannot assess the patients overall oral health without taking a patients overall lifestyle, beliefs, attitude and dental IQ into account. It is important to assess the aforementioned because without taking them into account and addressing each patient on an individual basis, the patient will likely have a decrease in compliance while the patient’s disease state remains unchanged. A person’s beliefs and attitude are important because this indicates their frame of mind and what they perceive as their action and ownership of their mouth and condition. Based on the psychological theories a patient will fall into one of three main patient attitude models: 1. Health belief model (“states that for an individual to take action they have to believe they are susceptible to the disease, that the disease is serious, and the benefits of the following prescribed advice outweighs the costs.”) 2. The health locus control theory (“states that

As medicine progresses day by day so are the varieties of procedures that can be accomplished on patients in order to improve quality of life. One of the areas of the health care system that has developed the most is the dental field. Now a days, the diversity of dental procedures performed on people of different ages is extraordinary. Dentists have also improved, not only their techniques thanks to the advances in technology and new equipment that allows them to perform all the different procedures, but as well as on their training. Dentists today, thanks to that intensive training; are capable of screening for

When you visit our office, you can look forward to relaxing in our warm and inviting environment. We understand that our patients need to feel confident on our ability to provide state-of-the-art dental care, which is why we’ll work hard to make your visit pleasant and comfortable. From the moment you contact us, you can expect the following:

Be it general dental practitioners (GDPs) or specialists, dentists strive to provide the best dental care for their patients. Their medical counterpart on the contrary, provides medical care, care for the systemic health. Over the past years, there has always been an explicit isolation of the two fields either in their training, licensing or regulating body. However, studies have clearly established the oral-systemic interplay. Currently, there is a shift towards an aging society; a trend also observed in New Zealand. Dentists can expect to see and care for greater number of elderly, medically compromised patients in the years to come. Care for these patients requires not only an understanding of oral diseases itself, but improved knowledge on the basic biological and pharmacological aspect of systemic diseases (Lamster and Eaves, 2011). These factors, along with projected shortage in general medical practitioners (GPs) in many countries, with New Zealand further necessitate the need for dentists to expand their role.

Although many Americans have good oral hygiene due to fluoride and making everyday good decisions, others do not have any access at all to oral health care. Over the years, dentists have been trying to demonstrate the importance of oral care. (“Access to Dental Care”) From commercials to campaigns, dentists will continue to demonstrate to their patients as well as to the people who don't have insurance the importance of oral health care. They will teach them preventative care and some techniques on how to prevent from getting any diseases.