PRI: Public Radio International

New Frontline documentary finds that one in three Americans can't afford a dentist

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 02:45:00 -0500

For some Americans, dental care means a sturdy chair, a fluoride swish and a free toothbrush. But for one in three Americans, it's a nightmare, including astronomical bills, crippling credit card debt, panicked visits to the emergency room and life-threatening disease.

Nicole Cunha

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:35:12 -0500

I hope everyone that watches this looks deeper at the dental community. So many children are dying and so many patients are being treated in offices that aren't prepared to handle medical emergencies. Add in the factor that some dentists who accept medicaid push children through their offices like they are on an assembly line and you end up with traumatized children or you end up with dead children... Such a travesty!

BrighterSara

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 20:47:12 -0500

Dental care can be so difficult to access and afford for many people across the US. Hat's off to Frontline for tackling this important issue. With almost half of the population without dental insurance, much more needs to be done to help bring reasonable options for care and treatment that won't break the budget.

Dental pricing transparency is a significant issue also facing the industry. Procedure prices can vary 400% in the same neighborhood, sometimes within blocks of one another. In conjunction with Empirica research, Brighter recently released a survey on this topic and its impact on the LA area. Uninsured patients are potentially overpaying by hundreds of millions of dollars, with seniors, families, and minorities among those most impacted. For more, check out: http://www.brighter.com/research/price_transparency/los_angeles/