A growing number of states are offering dental care to low-income adults who once had to rely on charity or the emergency room to treat their tooth problems.

For months, Carlton Clemons endured crippling pain from a rotting wisdom tooth. He couldn’t sleep, barely ate and relied on painkillers to get by.

The 67-year-old from Nashville, Tennessee, could not afford to see a dentist on the $1,300-a-month his family gets in Social Security and disability payments. So he waited for the state to roll out a program this year that offers dental care to the more than 650,000 Medicaid recipients like him who are 21 and older. Tennessee is spending about $75 million annually on the program.

“Man, I thought I had made it to heaven because the pain was over,” he said after the tooth was pulled in July at the Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry. “When they did pull it out, I was so happy. I was so glad. Everything just changed after that.”

  • Xilly@lemmy.worldEnglish
    51·
    1 year ago

    Dental care should be included with medical. It’s ridiculous that it isn’t.

      • pythonoob@programming.dev
        15·
        1 year ago

        Teeth are inherently trans because of the nature of baby teeth turning into adult teeth. We can’t have any of that shit. Can you believe that minors are electing to have their wisdom teeth (given by God) pulled?! How can we allow this kind of heathen behavior.

  • Maeve@kbin.social
    71·
    1 year ago

    We should have universal healthcare at no more cost to the patient. We paid for it so give it to us. No more corporate/billionaire welfare.

  • TenderfootGungi@lemmy.worldEnglish
    41·
    1 year ago

    While in college, my wife worked a summer in a local factory. She said what stood out the most was that everyone except the managers had bad teeth.

    And Teeth are part of our body. Why it is not part of every health insurance plan is bizarre.