Two patients recently visited Dr. Wendy Alpaugh’s dental practice in Stonington after complaining to their doctors of painful facial swelling. Two expensive CAT scans later, both wound up in the dentist’s chair for a root canal.
“If they had realized how much less it would have cost them if they’d maintained the preventive care,” Alpaugh said, trailing off.
Toothaches and other avoidable dental problems were the primary culprit behind more than 830,000 emergency room visits nationwide in 2009, a 16 percent jump from 2006, according to a report released this week by the Pew Center on the States.
In Maine, dental disease was the top reason Medicaid recipients and uninsured people ages 15-24 visited ERs in 2006, Pew reported, citing a study by the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine. That year, tooth decay, abscesses and other dental problems were responsible for 3,400 emergency visits by Medicaid patients. The study highlighted poor access to preventive and acute dental care as major drivers.
Shortages of dentists in many areas and some dentists’ refusal to accept Medicaid patients contribute to the problem, the Pew study found. Modest investments in boosting access to preventive care could cut down on dental-related hospital visits and their associated costs, according to the study.
“We are seeing fewer people keeping up with their preventive care, preventive maintenance, and we’re seeing increasing numbers of people come in for crisis care,” said Alpaugh, who chairs the Maine Dental Access Coalition.
In 2009, Maine’s Medicaid program spent $6.6 million on avoidable dental emergency department visits and outpatient services that failed to treat the underlying disease, according to a February 2011 report by Department of Health and Human Services.
Maine has made some strides in the six years since the Muskie report, but access remains a major problem, according to Deb Dietrich, vice president of community health for MaineHealth, parent to Maine Medical Center in Portland.
“This [Pew] report will be a call to action to look in a very granular way what progress we’ve made since 2006,” she said.
Despite the barriers to access, Medicaid spending on dental care for kids has risen in Maine over the last decade, from $11 million in 2001 to about $30 million last year, according to data provided by DHHS. The number of children, which Medicaid defines as recipients under age 21, who were served jumped 50 percent to 72,625 over the same period.
Adults, on the other hand, aren’t covered for preventive care under Medicaid. Their benefits are limited to emergency procedures such as extractions.
At Eastern Maine Medical Center’s ER in Bangor, the cost to treat the most common dental problems averages $738, depending on each patient’s symptoms. That compares to around $100 for a typical cleaning at a dentist’s office.
Dental complaints at EMMC’s emergency room and walk-in care clinic are on the decline. From February of 2011 through the end of this January, visits for common dental diagnoses dropped to 403 from 556 the previous year.
Parent company Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems attributes the drop-off to its partnership with a dental clinic at nearby Penobscot Community Health Care.
About half of Maine’s 650 dentists don’t accept Medicaid patients. The average reimbursement rate of 40 cents on the dollar doesn’t even cover most dentists’ overhead costs, said John Bastey of the Maine Dental Association.
“The dentist, he or she eats 25 percent for any [Medicaid] patient they see,” he said.
On the private insurance side, many large employers continue to offer dental coverage despite the challenges of the recession. Small businesses, however, are struggling some, said Shannon Mills, vice president for professional relations and science at Northeast Delta Dental, which covers about 225,000 people in Maine.
“We are seeing a very slight trend at this point with small employers” dropping coverage, he said.
Maine’s three largest health systems are working to improve Mainers’ dental care from the very first tooth. Four years ago, EMHS, MaineHealth and MaineGeneral Health launched a privately funded initiative that teaches medical professionals how to apply a fluoride varnish to the teeth of children six months to three and a half years old.
To date, more than 100 medical practices statewide have participated, said Tom Violette, the program’s project director at EMHS.
“What studies have shown is oral health is probably the strongest predictor of future health status,” he said.
Another example of problems with the system. People on MaineCare don’t care that it’s expensive to go to the ER, because they aren’t paying for it.
There have also been recent cases of persons without access to dental care actually DYING from massive tooth infections that reached their brains. ER’s may not be the least expensive or the best solution to serious dental problems but at the moment; it’s all many have.
What an ignorant comment. People on Maine Care would go to a dentist if we could get them there, so would I. No according to you they stay home, become infected, suffer horrible pain, and then go to an emergency room because it is more expensive.
In the computer world you have the Ten D o T problem.
You ever heard of personal responsibility?
Let me tell you about personal responsibility.
My teeth are in great shape. Why do you figure that is? It’s because I have always had enough money to afford to get them fixed as needed.
Despite careful brushing since childhood, and cleanings every 6 months forever, I wound up with at least two fillings in every tooth by my mid-40s. About then, certain teeth started cracking. I could afford to get them repaired. Now, in my mid-60s, I have 6 crowns. When one tooth developed an abscess, I had a root canal (nowhere near as traumatic as people say, by the way–mostly boring). If, God forbid, I eventually have to have a tooth pulled, I’ll be able to afford an implant.
One of my daughters has the same kind of tooth enamel I do. My husband and I have paid thousands of dollars for her fillings and crowns over the years (she’s in her mid-30s).
My husband has good tooth enamel, but slipped on ice a couple of years ago and demolished his front teeth. Just add money–presto, a nice set of crowns and his handsome smile returns.
Do you see the theme here? It is that the ability to afford dental care makes the difference between having teeth and having terribly decayed and/or damaged teeth. I’m able to exercise my “personal responsibility” toward dental health because I have the financial resources to do so. I would never look down on a person with poor teeth (or no teeth).
This is just more proof that it is cheaper to help those in need by providing healthcare continuously rather than waiting until something bad happens and they end up in the ER. So LePage and the state legislature are not doing the tax payers of Maine any favors by dumping people from the social services rolls. In the end it will cost us more.
1. Dump people from the social services rolls. GOP claims big victory by saving money.
2. Former recipients get ill faster and more seriously because of no healthcare and go to the ER.
3. Hospitals and dentist’s pass cost’s along to the insured so insurance premiums go up.
4. GOP claims Obama’s healthcare plan ended up costing Americans more, claims big victory.
Do not think that the GOP leadership is not aware of this. Because some people actually buy into this republican political rhetoric the party believes they win on both counts. Unfortunately they will not be held accountable for the needless suffering they have caused just to triumph in the elections. Very sad.
Agreed. Excellent points.
I can see that you have been listening to Steven Kings AM-62 libber radio!
Its called common sense based on the facts. Try it sometime.
That ability elludes most conservative thinkers.
Like the ability to earn elludes most Liberal thinkers.
like the ability to LEARN eludes most conservative (non)-thinkers. Good health care is about the three P’s: Prophylaxis, Prophylaxis, Prophylaxis!
What do condoms have to do with teeth?………;-)
Condoms? What?
Prophylaxis: A measure taken for the prevention of a disease or condition
It was a joke. :D
I understand. It was a joke. My smiley face came apart due to spacing. Not a joking matter, sorry, heavy things are a little lighter if we can giggle about them.
( I’ll bet patsy12 got the joke. )
because we’re always being ripped off by the money grubbing rob the public-cans.
You just proved my point.
How much extra are you paying this year into the state and fed?
This is a great post–you’ll surely be mocked for it here–but I truly applaud your courage and moral indignation, backed by clear and intelligent writing. Thank you.
Thank you for your praise. I’ll go a bit farther out on my limb…
I suspect that one reason the notion of putting enough Federal money into MaineCare to support comprehensive physical (which includes dental!) health is a deep-seated desire on the part of many conservatives to be able to tell who is poor.
You can’t reliably tell by clothing these days–the “designer clothes” some commenters love to say poor people “fraudulently” own come from Goodwill and consignment shops. I ought to know, I’ve got a closet full of them!
So how else to sort out the good and deserving from the loathsome poor, so you can recognize them at a glance? Just make sure dental care is beyond anyone who’s not affluent. Then, whenever one spots a person with missing, broken, decayed, or entirely absent teeth, one can fume about yet one more egregious example of lack of “personal responsibility,” and use this as evidence that there is simply no use trying to help “these people.”
I like the cut of your jib.
Unbelievable rant. Wow!
All about life decisions .
Yup. Deciding to attend prep school and a top-notch college & university was the right choice, all right, since that led to a successful professional career that has funded (among other things) lots of preventive and reparative dentistry.
Now, why doesn’t everybody just do that? Especially the folks born into poverty, and those with low intelligence, and people who were desperately traumatized in childhood, or introduced to drugs and alcohol by age 8, and so on. Tsk Tsk.
It’s not my fault someone else did it to me.
Are you saying that 8-year-olds are responsible for the actions of their parents, or other adults who get them started on drugs and/or alcohol?
Ranting about some extreme thought you have had will not solve anything. If you know of a eight year old that is is that situation you as a human being ought to step in and see that it stops. Grow up.
Sigh…
My line of work regularly involves talking to people who had horrendous childhoods. Describing this does not constitute a rant. And I suspect I’m more “grown up” than you.
How many people with $2,000 worth of tattoos skip reqular dental cleaning because they “can’t afford it”? Again, I don’t mind paying for those who truly can’t afford it. But if some of these people were to use their earned income credit on a trip to the dentist rather than a 46″ plazma tv and a new tattoo, I would have more sympathy.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
just for the record, when it comes to a dentist and bad teeth, 2k goes very very quickly
I do agree, but just wanted to throw that out there
Yet another Limbaugh styled diversion to the problem claiming those who use the system don’t really need it. They just need to re prioritize how they spend the money they do have.
It’s all about PREVENTION before you have infections etc. Google on how to prevent cavities and take care of your teeth at home first and foremost. It isn’t the lack of dental hygiene care that gives the disease…….it’s the lack of caring for them when you’re not able to pay for professional care. One doesn’t automatically have a heart attack because they can’t see a cardiologist??? It’s knowing what not to put into your mouth throughout the day in between your morning and night time brushing. NOTHING with sugar/starch from a.m to p.m unless it is with lunch or dinnner. WATER only into your mouth during the day. NO juice, soda, tea/coffee with sugar that you’re sipping for an hour or two. NO juice in the sippy cups for children. NO bottle in the bed or milk beside the bed. Go after the WIC program to get rid of their juice vouchers. This is tax money that pays for children to drink juice and then Mainecare turns around and pays to fix the rotten teeth. We as taxpayers are paying twice right here for rotten teeth. Educate, educate and you can PREVENT and save thousands for yourself.
So easily said from some one who can afford it all,
Do you suppose that someone who has no heat, food, or healthcare has a computer and internet access at home? Oh, don’t worry about a bottle of milk by the baby’s bed. They probably cannot afford it. Honestly your points are just more reasons why we should be providing universal healthcare for all in America.
You know, you do make a very valid point. I only see my dentist for maintenance every couple years as it comes out of my pocket. I brush and floss like a mad woman at home and, at 40 years old, I have had 2 fillings and no other issues with my teeth. I can only hope that continues.
Try that brilliant line of reasoning out on a cancer patient why don’t you.
Can’t argue with that, but we were talking about dental visit at the ER. Big difference squirrel y.
Principle holds true for all maladies and ailments. Lack of dental care & hygienic practices account for a substantial chunk of bucks that could be dramatically reduced with regular care. Just like just about every health segment you care to name. Of course, according to you, correct thinking, “personal responsibility” and no doubt, political correctness will render to right sort invulnerable. WOW! What a smug self serving crock.
Jimbobhol – I’ve heard of ‘personal responsibility’ – it’s one of those tired phrases that lucky, simple-thinking people use to blame unlucky people for their problems.
Now it’s about being unlucky. That might be considered simple-thinking.
When it takes 8 gallons of gas to get to your destination and your boss only pays you six gallons,guess what? You aint gonna make it.
Get a 8 gallon of gas job.
I consider myself a conservative jimbobhol but to your comment I have to say, “It’s not always that simple!” Let’s see how many decent paying jobs YOU can find real quick! Not just in the southern part of the state either, let’s see You find a good paying job in Piscataquis county, or maybe in Aroostook county!
It’s called sarcasm. It reminded me of something the divorce judge told me. ” I don’t care what your financial problems are get two job’s” and he wasn’t kidding. I’m probability more conservative than you by the way.
Do you drive on the roads of Maine? Did you pay for them 100%? If you did not then get off the tarmac, stay off the sidewalks and cut through the woods after getting written permission.
The personal responsibility line is used by those who have greed, no faith, and purely selfish motives.
I will go a little easier on you. Maybe it is only ignorance.
I would just like to point out… MaineCare does not cover preventative care after the age of 21. If you have teeth issues, MaineCare covers you to have them pulled. (Ridiculous!)
If someone doesn’t have Mainecare/regular insurance, to have your teeth cleaned at the dentist is approx $100.00, maybe less OR the University College at Bangor often has students clean teeth and they only charge about $20.00
So there are some options out there, but for you to say people on MaineCare don’t care, at least when it comes to dental, well… they don’t have any other options.
Now, MaineCare holders who go to the ER 4 times a week because they have a tickle in their throat… that is a whole ‘nother story :)
I would like to see some adult care here, but again. If the state educates the children in PREVENTION, they are in hopes that by the time you’re an adult that you are practicing what you learned, therefore NOT needing drilling and filling. All of the iced coffee and sugar drinks are rotting teeth. Get back on board with plain good old water and you would see a huge difference in the amount of dental disease. NOT having prevention care doesn’t mean that your teeth have to rot, it means that you need to know how to prevent this. Google and learn how to take care of your teeth. Get politically involved and support the registered dental hygienist so that they can be employed everywhere to help the public PREVENT.
Well my teeth aren’t rotted or anywhere close to it. I have no insurance so my yearly cleanings come out of pocket, I’m lucky I am able to. The steps you stated are a good start but people still need to be able to go to the dentist. I see you have posted 500 times so far, may I assume you are the worlds fittest, healthiest person with gorgeous teeth because you have no insurance and just live off Google tips? I’m just curious. I take pretty good care of myself but I have to wear glasses…guess i should have ate more carrots? Lmao.
Like your comment.
All this excessive talk about ‘PREVENTION’, is becoming a pain, and I don’t mean in the tooth either.
Agreed!!!!! =D
I had my first cavity after my first child, I had never had been to a dentist before in my life. I was told by the Dentist…and I quote….”You have the most beautiful set of perfect teeth I’ve ever seen”, I was 26 years old. Don’t even try to tell me that it’s an old wives tale that you lose calcium when having children, I know differently.
My perfect teeth came, not totally from prevention, but being born with good enamel, which everyone isn’t and being raised on plain ole cows milk straight from our own cows, and veggies straight from our own gardens, no preservatives or additives. I think it’s more of the additives and chemicals that the govt allows in our food that leads to more dental and health problems.
I agree with the brushing and flossing and staying away from sugar but those measures don’t always prevent dental issues, so stop with the “prevention solves all your dental problems”. What about the people who need braces, there sure isn’t any prevention for crooked teeth.
bingo! I was raised the same…fresh milk, fresh veggies, fresh meat…and well water with out added fluoride. I went to the dentist for the first time at age 25. One cavity. I also have good straight teeth. Not everybody is like that though, genetics plays a large part, but so does taking care of yourself and your teeth..but it doesn’t always work, and not everybody has the cash to take care of it.
Pulling is ridicules???
Dentists love fillings and root canals. You continue to be dependent on them and the expense is “RIDICULES.”
You may not agree but I stated it above. Give these people with horrible teeth DENTURES. There’s an expense up front, but that is the end of a need for a dentist.
Many of those in need will not take care of their teeth even after seeing a dentist. By all means, lets just keep throwing money at the Dentist.
A couple of visits quickly add up to more then the entire cost for the dentures.
You can also look for more ER visits as LePlague finishes his slash/burn method of budgeting.
Since hospitals are required by law to treat those w/out insurance, guess who will have to absorb the costs? It will be people who DO have insurance…and failing that, the hospitals will have to write the cost off until they can no longer stay in business.
Thank you, Gov. LePlague, for your astute solutions (a/k/a shell games).
First of all OCHO – way to over generalize your comments. If you knew anything about Mainecare and dentistry, you’d be well aware that there are very few dentists in this State that accept Mainecare. You’d also be aware that many of those who do live in rural areas that require transportation to get to.
Careful, democrats do not like the truth being told.
They have no choice! Hello. Most dentists do not accept Mainecare for dental services. Dental health equals health in general. Health insurance companies should be required to included dental expenses as they would any other medical condition. Quit blaming the victims of the American healthcare for profit system for falling thru the cracks of the insurance industries profit margin.
I don’t understand why they do this. Doesn’t Medicaid pay for dental visits as well, if so there should be no need of these people going to the ER for a toothache?
It is expensive to go to the dentist if you have to pay out of pocket, $150+ for a cleaning with Xrays. It get’s pricey for a family I totally understand, but in the long run it is money well spent.
Good luck finding a dentist that accepts Maine care.
It appears many do not understand the difference between Maine care(medicaid) and Medicare.
Maine care(medicaid) is given to the poor and in need. State run program
Medicare is offered to seniors and the disabled. federal program.
Classic. This is a real issue and rather than look at it realistically, you blame people on Mainecare…these days, what are they not to blame for? Well, it is difficult to think of how expensive the ER is when you are in pain and your face is swollen.
Do you know what can happen from a simple, preventable, untreated, cavity? Besides the severe pain and facial swelling, the tooth becomes infected. That infection can spread to other areas of the body and cause more serious problems. That is why the state of one’s dental health is such a good predictor of future health.If MaineCare provided preventative dental care, this would be avoided and who knows, it may cut costs in the Medicare program when these people are older adults.
8! if there was dental care for those over 21 in the state of Maine, there would be NO NEED for them to go to the ER for tooth care…THAT you can blame on MAINE…not Maine Care Recipients!! Get EDUCATED…READ STUFF and learn the TRUTH!! For every time YOU point a finger…there are 3 pointed back at YOU!!
Jackie, I hope you focus on the other parts of that report, lot’s of ‘meat’ to chew on; and it’s been buried way too long by the Mainstream Media who bought the Dem. party line that Mainecare has reduced ER use; when just the opposite has happened.
Thanks for telling Maine part of the truth about the poverty culture and unnecessary use of ER’s.
There’s a reason people don’t keep up with preventative care, we can’t afford to keep Dentists in BMW’s and million dollar homes.
There was a time when you could go to a Dentist for all your dental needs, now they only do cleanings and xrays for an ungodly sum and send you to Orthodontists or Oral Surgeon to have a tooth pulled for the tidy sum of about $300, FOR ONE TOOTH. You have to take out a mortgage on your house for a filling, which by the way, is only a temporary filling now. TEMPORARY???? Dr. Gerrish in Dover put a filling in one of my teeth in 1979 and it’s still there and I didn’t have to take out a mortgage for it.
My Granddaughter has braces, guess the cost, $5000.00.
Ah, yes, I remember those good old days. The dentist I saw when I was a child had: a chair for me to sit in, a drill, a primitive x-ray machine, and a bowl to spit in.
Modern dentistry costs more–and delivers more.
It worked back in the good ole days. Your point?
A filling and xray is close to $200 in my area. It used to be less than $100 for most of my life. It’s not really as much as people think. Lots of people spend that much on about 3 cartons of ciggs.
Even at $200, not a bad salary for 15 min. worth of work, hourly wage $800.
That’s not entirely accurate. First the dentist doesn’t clean your teeth, the hygenist does, so that person needs to get paid, then there’s the receptionist, billing, other support staff, the office, and equipment. Not to mention license costs and cost associated with keeping a license. So no, the dentist is probably not making $800/hr. Yes, Dr’s make a decent salary, but not usually as much as people think. Actually people playing Dr’s on tv make way more than real Dr’s that actually help people. I also forgot to mention in the list the years ff schooling and the costs associated with that. Private insurance compaines are the ones making the real profit on healthcare, not the practitioner.
I would say to you, ‘the point of the message was to show that all dental work seems expensive.’
well put, therefore promoting prevention through the dental hygiene profession.
Semantics! Maybe the Dentist doesn’t clean your teeth but you still have to go to the Dentist to get to the Hygienist.
I don’t begrudge them the right to make money, it’s a choice whether we utilize their services or not but they need to be honest about why many people don’t go to them for preventative care and stop laying the blame on the toothless.
there are independent dental hygienist that work out on there own. The drawback is……..the dental board only allows a hygienist to take dental xrays if you pay the dentist for them. Dental hygienist can identify issues on xrays that may need a dentist attention. The reason that the dental board doesn’t allow a hygienist to take xrays is……because they want to control YOU as the public so that you have to go to the dentist for your xrays and pay them. Dental hygienist can take xrays in the office if the dentist is on vacation……because you pay them. the dentist will lead you to believe that a hygienist isn’t safe to take xrays in their own office. Again………….a restriction in PREVENTION.
Before a dentist can go into practice, he or she pays medical school tuition for years and years. Then they have to rent office space and buy all that expensive equipment. I’ve read that the suicide rate among early-career dentists is very high because of the pressure to pay off all those loans.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuX_tfB_NxM&feature=related
:)
If you don’t want the debt, don’t incur it.
Well, that’s the price you pay for choosing to be a Dentist. OR a Doctor, or a number of highly trained careers. There are VERY few medical professionals I feel sorry for. Most are doing JUST FINE. If you truly believe the SOLE reason for Dentists committing suicide is financial I have to disagree. Perhaps that happens on occasion but generally that individual had other stuff going on..
And for the people who don’t smoke, not so much of a bargain, is it?
The dentists may “eat” 25% of “costs” for Medicaid patients; Mainers would have insurance if jobs were available for them to afford insurance. Dentists do not need to be pitied when a crown costs $1200 or so dollars, etc.!
I actually think that Dentists licensed by the State should be required to see a minimum number of Mainecare clients as part of their license.
Then jack up my costs because I can afford out of pocket for my entire family. Brilliant.
I am very fortunate. I go see the dentist when I am in South America. My last cleaning with a filling cost me about 20 USD. It appears I might need a root canal and I was given a price by my dentist of 200 pesos, which is right around 45 dollars or so.
Emergency Room visits are super expensive, can anyone explain why?
salary, the price of supplies and regulations vary from country to country
And what I consider to be very cheap is actually not that cheap at all for the average Argentine Citizen. I can say that dental care is cheap here do to the fact that what I make a week in salary is a months salary for the average Argentine.
You just hit the nail on the head. We can return to the days of 3.00 on hour minimum wage. Then you can have your 45.00 root canal.
So it really isn’t a fair comparison is it”?
Like I posted, Im very lucky to be in the spot I am in.
I hear ya, Just make sure the whole story gets out. Not just that Hugo Chavez and his cronies are big on healthcare.
Im in Argentina. I wouldnt be real welcome in Venezuela unless I was a left wing clown like Chavez is. Sean Penn was there about a week ago, I saw him on the news down here. He seemed to fit right in. Chavez can make all the comments about US healthcare he wants. His own countries health care is so backward and antiquated that he has to go to Cuba to get chemotherapy. And all is talk about using the oil money to the benefit of his people is a crock of pickles too.
Ayup,
Too bad, I loved Spiccolli. Now he’s just a self righteous id.
I keep looking at the crawls under the news hoping to hear that Chavez has succumb to cancer. Sounds terrible but that, is not a good guy.
There are two theories out there. One is that he doesnt really have cancer but is only pandering to get sympathy for his upcoming reelection. He still appears to be of a healthy weight. However that theory could be explained away with him taking steroids.
The other theory is that he is truly sick. Chavez is known for giving long pretaped television speeches. Some of those speeches have been recorded with Chavez making numerous speaking errors and acting confused. The theory is that those parts of his speech would have been edited and refilmed except Chavez does not have the strength to sit through the retakes.
Thank you for clarifying this for me.
No sarcasm
I think the real story here should be why these doctors did not do a FULL AND COMPLETE examination? I realize they are busy but one look in the mouth of these patient should have clued them into to perform an Xray and not an expensive CAT scan. I realize they are not DMD/DDS but medicine sometimes is just common sense. No wonder MaineCare is going broke.
the hospitals don’t have a dental xray machine or a registered dental hygienist!
MaineCare is going broke because it is being abused… the ER isn’t really set up for dental emergencies, people have just recently started going because they aren’t fully educated on what they should actually be doing, but again, this is not the reason MaineCare is “going broke”
stop restricting dental hygienist and you will see much more prevention……..saving Mainecare and the ER’s money
If this reporter is suggesting that the half of the poulation of Maine that is paying taxes needs to foot the bill more help for the other half of Maine that is getting free care of all sorts, then this reporter needs to re-examine the financial mood of this state. People are at a breaking point. Aid needs to be cut, not expanded until there are more jobs available and help for the needy can be distributed on a bigger population, and miraculously, less help may be needed. Not easy I know, but at this time, taxpayers need a break.
Penny-wise, pound foolish.
OK, you volunteer to pay extra taxes.
Yes, I agree with you newscruiser: let these poor folks disappear and go die. That way we’ll save lots of money. After all, it really is all about money, isn’t it?
It never stops does it? Let everyone else pay for those without dental care. I have no dental insurance and have to pay for it all myself. So, yes, it is about money when I earn it and I have to give it away. I pay plenty of taxes, but enough is enough.The more people pay in this state for taxes, the more “the needy” want and the more legislators are willing to give them. If those people chose to want dental preventive care, then give up something else. As I said, we need more jobs before we give anything else away.
As I originally posted, then, let these folk go die or become invisible to all us workers. That is basically the result of your logic: let ’em die toothless.
I do not have any insurance at all. I am 66 yrs. old and cannot afford medical insurance, much less dental. I have taken care of myself. I do not go to a doctor nor to the emergency room. I feel for those who can’t, who are clueless about how to remain healthy. Should they just go away, shut up and die? What is your solution?
I think we should give the Affordable Car Act a chance. It will change the direction we are headed in now. If you do not change direction, you end up where you are headed. This pablum about socialism is just horse poop.
When Mother Theresa helped the poor in India, she never asked their religion, their political leaning, never asked how they got where they were: she just helped everyone who came to her, no questions.
When Mother Theresa helped the poor in India it was her choice. The original postulate was why can’t some/many/most of the 50% that are not paying into the system start contributing? And your response was a straw man response to a question that wasn’t asked.
If you claim to be any type of religious believer, then you have your answer. If you are not a believer, then you are lacking the understanding of how you are being manipulated to hate those who are worse off than you, instead of stopping the greed of the few.
Where is our “Mother LePage” when we need her?
I would recommendvolunteering/ lobbying in Augusta to stop restriction of trade/prevention services from being available to everyone!! Next dental board mtg in Augusta March 9th.
More dental hygienist/prevention specialist need to be employed everywhere. Prevention is much cheaper than drilling and filling.
I agree. It’s the same thing with health care in general. Insurance co.s should be paying for wellness care, not for sickness. In order to get help, one has to be sick! How backwards is that?
call Delta Dental and ask who their dental hygienist is on their board? They don’t have one. They have dentist deciding where reimbursement goes………….so do you think Delta will reimburse Independent hygienist/the prevention specialist?
taxpayers need to take note on how restricted the dental hygienist are and hop on board with supporting legislation to stop their restriction. Allowing prevention everywhere in all communities will save YOU the taxpayer MILLIONs according to this article. There should be a reporter at every dental board mtg. The next one being March 9 in Augusta reporting on how this board restricts prevention services for all of YOU.
Have you thought that the problem is that you are getting Scr*&%% ?. Medical and dental costs are far lower in Canada and other civilized countries. You should be able to afford great care at lower prices and maybe your lack of care for others could be brushed away.
I have a payment arrangement with my dentist. I’ve been doing it that way for years. I am a low income person, and I struggle to pay my bills, but I make sure I send a payment each month and my dentist has never had a problem with it. I refuse to go without proper dental care.
Maybe if the dentists would set up a coverage plan in their areas of the state that gave access to people with dental problems 24/7, there would be a lot fewer people running to the ER for dental pain.
When I still had teeth, I had an absess. Unfortunately it was a Friday. I drove almost 200 miles in Washington County hunting for a dentist that could take me out of my pain. Stopping many times to puke and clear my eyes before I could continue. I didn’t go to an ER because I didn’t need an MD. I needed a Dentist. I finally ended up in Lubec where there was a Dentist at the clinic there.
To my knowledge there is only one pain worse than a tooth ache, an ear ache. One can be taken care of at the ER by MD’s, the other needs a Dentists attention.
By the way I did have dental insurance at that time. Just a hard time finding one on a Friday. Apparently they, for the most part only work 4 days a week in Washington County.
sorry for your pain. Once again PREVENTION. Unfortunately it sounds like you didn’t have the dental hygienist that could have taught you prevention or you didn’t understand what the hygienist was trying to help you with along the way. If people heard/understood and followed what the dental hygienist/prevention specialist explained to you at your visit…………..people would have a lot less dental pain.
At that time I worked 12 to 15 hr. days Mon to Thur. Most of my life I drove truck over the road. It’s kind of hard to have a regular normal life that allows you to visit the dentist on a regular basis. Some of us just don’t have great teeth to begin with. Runs in families.
I would bet that a dentist that just changed his business hours to run opposite of all the other dentist, that they would make a small fortune.
“runs in families” It is live bugs that run in families. There is no such thing as “bad teeth, soft teeth.” It is contagious/infectious tooth eating bacteria that is passed along in families. Again, I obviously preach PREVENTION. It doesn’t have to go from generation to generation. This is why dental hygienist need not to be restricted by dentist as to how prevention is spread to the public.
So; if we took a swab and wiped the inside of YOUR mouth and then ran the swab over an agar plate and incubated it for 24 hours there wouldn’t be a single colony of bacteria growing on the plate?
that is correct. Because I know how to keep the environment of my mouth not acidic, then the teeth destroying bacteria are not there. One has to know how to keep the environment of their mouth healthy and that bacteria can not grow. I hope that you are able to google dental prevention and find out all the answers and help out the generations in your family that still have teeth. Good luck. I would recommend going to the maine dental hygienist association website and that will help you.
I stand corrected, there would be healthy bacteria, not teeth destroying bacteria.
You may not have as many colonies of Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacilus acidophilus, Norcardia spp.’ and Actinomyces viscous as a person without adequate dental care has; but they would still be there.
Your degree in dentistry? Are you an MD? Each and every statement you made can be proven wrong with a simple Google search for genetic cause of bad teeth, or hereditary dental issues. As long as your reference isn’t Glen Beck.
Prevention,………can you get off of that line?” Maybe you have not read any of the other causes of dental problems or do you just refuse to learn?
Dr. Wendy Alpaugh, the dentist referenced in the article, is set up in a community health center on Deer Isle. It is my understanding that the community paid for the building and materials, and set up Dr Alpaugh and pays her a salary (along with several dental hygenists). Any resident can get treated at the community health center. This is a great way to go for rural communities (think of the dr. in the tv show Northern Exposure)
While waiting for all these health care issues to be solved I sure hope you’re not an unemployed, rural taxpayer with no healthcare…..and a pain-pounding toothache.
Wow…….another article promoting ‘drilling and filling” and NOT one mention of a registered dental hygienist!! Registered dental hygienist are the prevention specialist in the the profession NOT the dentist. A dentist has approx two wks of prevention education in dental school, a registered dental hygienist studies PREVENTION anywhere from two to four years. If the state is really serious about not spending millions on a disease that is PREVENTABLE, they would look into having dental hygienist in every school and into the Walmart clinics and on every street corner in this state!! How can dentist who make a living drilling and filling NOT mention the PREVENTION specialist in the field when they are interviewed for an article like this??? The public really needs to understand politically how the dental hygienist is controlled by the dental board in the state of Maine and lobby to expand where the hygienist can practice so that PREVENTION is available to EVERYONE here in Maine.
I would stop with the prevention you are becomeing a joke.
no” joke” intended.
It’s been tried over and over. PCHC used to have a large mobile dental unit that traveled all the northern territories with a hygenist, a dentist, and an dental assisstant. Big news, the governor (Baldacci) had a great photo op, prevention on wheels!
Once the funding stopped, the bus quietly slipped away.
Prevention is great, but it costs money.
Hygenists in Maine can now set up their own practices ( I tried to get my wife to but she didn’t want the hassle). They need to affiliate with a dentist to refer people to, but that would significantly reduce the cost of a cleaning. As you know hygenists cannot legally diagnose, only point out areas of concern to a dentist. Perhaps an expanded hygenist license, along the lines of a PA in the medical community would be a way to provide greater care.
mmmlllddd It sounds to me from reading alot of your post here that YOU may just be a disgruntled dental hygenist! I’m sorry for you if some dentist has done something that you don’t agree with or has not treated you in what you percieve as fair. Your rants here about “prevention”, and “dental hygenists”, may have SOME truth to them. But preaching on here will not right what you seem to have been wronged. Understand Some people do have bead teeth! My mother at age 19 had to have dentures and it was NOT because she did not take care of her teeth! I have been a little better off than she was thanks to my father having better teeth than she did with less care! I happen to be looking at a $3000 bill to have 3 teeth removed that are beyond repair, AGAIN not because of a lack of care! My teeth have become brittle and break very easily! Prevention has not and WILL not change the fact that if I bite into something hard I’m likely to break a tooth, again no lack of prevention! Get over it as the saying goes “IT HAPPENS” get on with things!
I’m also not saying that it is not sometimes these peoples fault either alot of times it probably is, but if you had a toothache and no insurance other than Maincare (that Does NOT allow someone over 21 to just walk into the dental office and make an appointment OR the local dentists do NOT take Maincare. WHAT would YOU do? I know I WOULD go to a medical Dr looking for some kind of relief whether it be an antibiotic to relieve the infection or a painkiller and referrals to a dentist!
Thats my 2 cents
Good day!
Try preventing it when you have diabetes, are physically challenged, injured in an accident, or have any number of illnesses that cause dental problems. Please stop with the simplistic answers, they are so wrong. Then you are so right about the dental control of Maine law to prevent any possible savings.
Try getting dental insurance you can’t use it the first year but you half to still pay for it that happen to a friend of mine
Sounds like they got duped – I’ve never had that problem.
Me either. Once you have the insurance, you are covered.
I wish I could pay half for my insurance. ;)
This is not just a problem in Maine, but also in many other states. There are very few dentists in Connecticut who will take patients on welfare oe medicare, due to the state reimbursing them so little. Now regular doctors are beginning to do the same, declining to take welfare & medicare patients. With federal & state governments making drastic cuts to those in need, we will soon find that in order to see a doctor or dentist, one will have to have insurance or cash up front to pay for treatment. Those on welfare & medicare will have no choice but to visit the ER, as many are doing now. This in turn will result in those who can pay being charged more, along with hospitals being forced to close.
I believe kthat MAINE CARE is what they hesitate to accept. Most still take Medicare.
MEDICARE DOESNT COVER DENTAL SERVICES WHATSOEVER.
I was speaking in general terms. THE MEDICAL PROFESSION,
MEDICARE IS CERTAINLY MORE ACCEPTED IN GENERAL.
THAT, is what I was saying.
Its too bad this article doesnt mention PCHC’s amazing dental program that does take Mainecare for children and adults, offers a sliding scale for all patients and has walk in emergency care mon-fri 8-4pm. Located on union st in bangor. They are an amazing group of people.
They also don’t allow parents to stay with their children, forcing the parent to abandon the child when they are in pain, and in fear. Then they schedule multiple visits for treatments that could be done at one time………why?………….Multiple billing opportunities. Sad when they actually are the best choice for Mainecare.
No thats no longer the case. Parents can accompany their children. As far as multiple appointments for treatment. Most people dont realize the process. Its not as easy as coming in, sitting down and doing extensive work. Moms and Dads dont tend to understand that. Anyone that thinks PCDC is profiting is dead wrong. They give away millions in reduced care every year.
on a personal note, i’d like to point out that dr wendy alpaugh is one of the finest human beings that ever drew breath. she helped start “partners in education” when her children were in school and now she helps people throughout the state to access care. she’s beloved on the island.
Absolutely!
And incredibly well respected in the dental community statewide!
I brush and floss for less than 5 bucks a year. Never had a dental problem, go figure. But then again I know tooth paste and floss is far too expensive for those poor Maine care recipients. But they can afford 5 dollar a pack cigarettes and 20 dollar 30 packs of bud light every week.
Yowzer, aren’t you a kind person? Did you ever stop and think that maybe, just maybe, someday the tables will be turned and you’ll be in their shoes? What kind of mother and father did you have who brought you up to be so condemning toward others? Sounds like their parenting skills are lousy.
Parenting skills that result in responsible, self-sufficient adult behavior are to be lauded.
I agree completely. And yet there are many screwed up people who had a GOOD upbringing. It doesn’t ensure anything.
Despite our meeting of minds about responsibility your response sounds dangerously close to releasing parents from the responsibility of even trying to provide their best possible parenting… because everybody else is jumping off the bridge, too. Tell me I misunderstand, please!
Mental Illness, Addiction, debilitating personality disorders.
My point is this, many GREAT parents have had to deal with the above and it didn’t matter how good a parent they are.
As a matter of fact the appearance of good parenting is often an illusion.
Full disclosure, My parents were smart, affluent, well rounded people. Superficially, they appeared to be GREAT parents. Dig a little deeper, not so much.
On the outside I appear as normal as anyone. However,Ask around, “I ain’t Right”
I can directly attribute SOME of the problems I’ve experienced because of that poor parenting.. My parents did their best, they had their own stuff that got in the way and trust me, that isn’t uncommon. This isn’t about BLAME . It’s about identifying “WHY”
I’m not suggesting that parents give up. I am suggesting that they stop BEING THEIR CHILD’S BUDDY.
The idea of people I would consider intelligent getting high with their 15 year old kid makes me sick to my stomach.
And all the more so when they are combined with compassion. Not too much to expect, is it?
Parenting skills instinctively include natural compassion for their children. It’s up to the parents to act on it responsibly.
What I meant was it is incumbent upon the parents to also teach their children to have compassion for others.
Do you extend belief to compassion for taxpayers who have to pay for others’ lack of responsibility?
I try to put myself in others’ shoes. We’re all in this together.
I guess you consider me to be a lesser human than you. Of course. I disagree. Anyone can express financial compassion through any charity of their choice, any church or any other organization of their choice but don’t force other taxpayers to play by your rules. Laws are changed all the time. Should current law be re-shaped to address the economic reality that the taxpayer well is dry please feel free to donate whatever you choose just as many others will do by their choice too.
Not that anyone is morally judging anybody, but…
I’ll bite my tongue.
Good thing you still have teeth because gumming your tongue isn’t quite the same.
Generalize much?
Don’t mind me though. I’m just one of those evil people who believe in personal responsibility.
Really??? Have you ever experienced a mind numbing toothache? All you want to do is sleep and yell at people. If they don’t have insurance what do you suggest they do??
Personal responsibility can only go so far. there are plenty of people who take care of their teeth and yet STILL have major issues.
You might wanna look up a word, “EMPATHY.”
I really want to see you give yourself CPR if you have a heart attack. THAT would be personal responsibility. How about cramping up while swimming? Tell me you would still believe in personal responsibility then.
No surprise, what do you expect from Mainers with Green Teeth.
Root canals are a SCAM.. The Dentists would be out of business without them. Pull a tooth, you don’t need to pay him next time for the same tooth. He certainly doesn’t want that, does he?
The best and cheapest way to assist many of these people is DENTURES.
Less then a thousand dollars and NO MORE DENTIST.
Something else not pointed out. generally all an ER does is give an anti-biotic because the tooth can’t be treated until the swelling reduces. Just don’t give out anything stronger then an aspirin for pain relief.
Well what a complete shock that people aren’t keeping up with the preventative maintenance of their teeth! Most health insurance policies don’t cover dental and, well, the last time I went to have my teeth cleaned and have x-rays, it was $245.00 My dentists insists that I come every 6 months. I can’t. I go once every 2 years and brush and floss in between in hopes of not ending up in the ER someday. And why wouldn’t Mainecare folks not check into the ER for a bit of facial swelling and pain? It’s FREE to them. For those of us who pay out pocket, we’d likely suffer for an evening until we could see our dentist. At least I know I would.
You would not have to suffer and wait if we had universal health care and at the same time those using the ER could have just gone to a dentist. Do you think the US will become a civilized country at some point?
I see all these prevention comments, I’m sure a lot of people do practice prevention but when you have no job and very little money to get by on, paying the electric, fuel and other bills comes way become seeing a dentist. Your diet changes, food now goes from healthy to what cost the cheapest. Added to the fact that are very few dentists in Maine, let alone those who take Mainecare.
I had a “temporary” filling and unfortunately the dentist didn’t clean it out properly and it decayed my tooth(talk about painful, couldn’t eat or sleep). The options were a root canal and crown for $1800.00 or have it pulled for $300.00 and then a bridge for $500.00. I had mine pulled. If you didn’t do the math, I SAVED $1000.00 or would have IF I didn’t lose my job and had to hold off on the bridge.
Seems like I had this discussion about 7 yrs ago with Collins ,Woodcock, and Snowe…all because Preventative Dental care was UN available in Maine for Maine Care recipients. I am a Type One Diabetic and with diabetes comes dental problems. The kind of dental problems that a diabetic often gets are the kind that may also cause HEART DISEASE. As an insulin dependent Diabetic, at least 3 visits to the dentist per year for general cleaning/check up are NECESSARY. Needless to say, I wasn’t afforded those visits and developed periodontal disease and had to have most of my teeth removed. Took some doing, but I got Maine Care to allow me partials. Periodontal disease is one of those dental problems that may cause serious problems beyond dental. Researchers have observed that people with gum disease (when compared to people without gum disease) were more likely to develop HEART DISEASE or have difficulty controlling blood sugar.
In conclusion, I’d have to say the state would have saved a ton of money, had they allowed three visits per yr to the dentist.
and one more note…had I developed HEART DISEASE due to lack of dental care…The state would then be paying for my quadruple heart bypass AND continual care and meds for my heart….and thats WAY more expensive than three visits to the dentist per year could EVER cost!!
Dental care and health care are outrageously expensive in the USA if you are not covered by insurance. My niece was quoted $5000 a tooth for a root canals here, Her insurance would only pay the first $1000 per year period. She is in South East Asia with me right now (Bali) and just paid $500 for 2 root canal and 2 crowns. The dentist is brilliant, studied in Australia . Even with her airline ticket and accommodation she is still far ahead of the game, Total cost of her trip including dental work under $3000.
Pretty sad day when you can travel half way around the world, have a beautiful exotic holiday and have your medical treatment done for almost the same price as your co-pay at home. I do this every year. Dental, eyes, everything.
Frankly, I think they should concern themselves more with the psych evals and substance abuse patients using the ERs – some of which tie up beds for days at a time.
Maybe because someone is making a grand a day for a hospital stay instead of providing room in a State run mental facility?
I’m not sure about a grand, but yes, when the benefits run out , if the patient isn’t ‘cured” it’s usually off to a state run hospital – if they have a bed.
Lets try and lay most of the blame for bad dental health directly where it belongs. With the person who failed to care for their teeth in the first place. The dentist, the state gov. and/or the Fed. gov. are not at fault for bad teeth.
Please list your dental degree, as you seem to claim to have a vast medical knowledge. Dental health no matter how much brushing, or use of right wing gargle, is subject to going bad for no reason. Now, if you can give me your degree, list your published papers, I may have to be willing to learn differently.
I’d like to see more sealents paid for children. Seal those teeth, its less expensive then fillings. Preventative, a child with a toothache can’t learn. Education in this State is a must.