SaludToday Guest Blogger
Jefferson Dental Clinics What disease kills as many people a year as handgun violence? Oral cancer. This silent killer is responsible for 10,000 deaths a year, and half of those diagnosed with oral cancer this year will be not alive in five years—and Latino men are among the most at-risk groups. Why the grim prognosis? Oral cancer is often detected late, because many skip routine dental exams. “The unfortunate reality of oral cancer is that the death rate is particularly high, not because it is hard to diagnose, but because often the cancer is discovered late in its development,” said Leslie Renee Townsend, DDS, regional dental director for Jefferson Dental Clinics. “Screenings for early detection are very important,” Townsend said. “Too often ...
SaludToday Guest Blogger
Jefferson Dental Clinics "You have a cavity." You've probably heard this exact phrase from your dentist about your teeth. In fact, 82% of Latino adults have had a cavity. What should you do? First, bone up on what cavities are. "Demineralization" is the process of how tooth enamel loses minerals. Tooth enamel is comprised of a pattern of minerals and when they are lost, gaps in the pattern form that eventually widen and deepen as minerals are lost faster than the rate of rebuilding occurs. A common misconception is that sugar itself erodes tooth enamel; however, the sugars simply act as a food for the bacteria. The bacteria produce lactic acid, which erodes the enamel when it is left to settle onto teeth. Can you see or feel a cavity? If ...
SaludToday Guest Blogger
Jefferson Dental Clinics Dental ER visits have doubled since 2000. An analysis of federal data by the American Dental Association reported a total of 2.2 million dental health-related emergency room visits. That’s one visit every fifteen seconds. Latinos have the lowest dental utilization rate, putting them at a higher risk for developing abscess or infections that may require hospitalization. In fact, patients with private insurance plans are among the highest group to visit the emergency room for a dental abscess, reports a study conducted by the Journal of Endodontics. Uninsured patients report the lowest rates of hospitalization for the same condition. Emergency dental visits can cost more than three times the price of an average dental ...
