Area clinics offer dental care for low-income people

Viewing oral care as a luxury often leads to neglect and untimely loss of teeth.

Retired oral surgeon Dr. Doug DeGroote, volunteering at St. Mary Health Clinic, prepares to extract a tooth from a patient.

MELISA RILEY/FOR THE STARNEWS

St. Mary Health Center provides medical and dental care for low-income individuals and receives many dental referrals from the emergency room.

“People go there when they have tooth infections and they didn’t know where else to go,” says Laura Vinson, executive director of the center.

“The saddest thing I ever saw was a 36-year-old Hispanic woman who had to have all of her teeth pulled,” Vinson recalled. The woman had been receiving fillings but, because of the cost, never received specific education or care for the health of her gums, such as treatment for gingivitis, which is an inflammation of the gums. According to the Mayo Clinic, factors that put women at higher risk for it include hormonal changes related to pregnancy, menstrual cycle or birth control pills.

Katherine Waring, a dental hygienist at Keith Family and General Dentistry in Wilmington, says that while she doesn’t notice major differences between men and women when it comes to oral care problems, she does see more cases of gingivitis among women. Along with hormones, Waring thinks stress also plays a role.

“Many people don’t recognize dental care as part of their overall health,” said Dr. Harrison L. Keith III, her employer. “Usually most people avoid dental care for three reasons: time, fear or money.”

Overcoming obstacles to proper oral care is a multifaceted problem. Keith says he and other dentists work with patients in order to ensure they receive the care they need.

Source: http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20151013/ARTICLES/151009939

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