ST. LOUIS -- The lack of quality dental care in America is nothing new, but the American Dental Association recently released recommendations for seven new - and relatively simple - ways to improve the state of the dental health system.
The report, titled Breaking Down Barriers to Oral Health for All Americans, identified the lack of a coordinated approach to treat underserved populations as a main barrier to treatment. A July report from the Institute of Medicine found that 33 million Americans live in areas that don't offer adequate dental services and almost 5 million children skipped their regular dental visit because their parents could not afford to take them to the checkup. While the issues are serious and may be viewed as costly to remedy, the ADA listed the following seven easy and inexpensive ways to treat them.
- Educating families on the importance of routine dental health to prevent minor ailments from becoming costly and painful dental procedures
- Extending the system of dental care to more people so all Americans have access to routine dental care
- Finding a way to make sure those who need free or discounted care not only have access to the dental services, but also use the services available
- Discovering a better way to share best practices related to safety net operations between the government and the government-administered programs
- Ensuring that dentists provide their patients with the information to make sure they reduce the chances the patient's disease will reoccur
- Simplifying the process associated with public health and assistance programs, thereby reducing red tape and helping patients with non-clinical needs
- Drawing attention to the problems associated with a lack of access to dental care so the attitudes and priorities of lawmakers, the general public and the media change
While a lot of these suggestions are based off changes that will be made at the national level, focusing on prevention is the easiest for most Americans to implement. St. Louis dentist Dr. Michael Frith, the dentist behind Masterpiece Smiles in Ellisville, Mo., offers several general and cosmetic dentistry procedures for all of the patients visiting his St. Louis dentistry office. Dr. Frith offers comprehensive oral exams, as well as oral cancer screenings and services specific to pediatric dentistry. For those needing more than a routine dental checkup, Masterpiece Smiles provides cosmetic dentistry procedures, including dental veneers, bonding, crowns and smile makeovers. For information about scheduling a dental checkup, contact Masterpiece Smiles today.
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SOURCE Masterpiece Smiles