Life is returning to normal. But where dental health is concerned, normal may not be good enough.
According to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, even BEFORE the pandemic, one-third of American adults under 65 hadn’t had a dental exam or cleaning in more than a year.
That is a disturbing statistic. If Annie was correct in singing, “You’re never fully dressed without a smile,” an awful lot of us are going commando.
I’m not into floss-shaming, but I conscientiously kept my six-month checkup appointment earlier in July, and I hope I can convince a few of you to get back into the dentist’s chair.
For the sake of full disclosure, many of the newspapers in which this column appears derive part of their income from advertisements for dental practices. That does not influence my message. So, head out to the nearest dental clinic, allowing plenty of time to stop at a local diner, buy the dentist’s receptionist an arrangement from a local flower shop, and window-shop area homes represented by a local Realtor. And if some jerk runs into your car in the dentist’s parking lot, there’s always the personal injury attorney on page 7. *Ahem* But I digress.
According to the report, race, income and urban/rural divisions play a part in how likely one is to skip regular dental care. And I certainly think towns, charities and dental schools should brainstorm ways to make affordable dental care more widely available. Patients need to shake off defeatism and be more proactive in seeking solutions to logistical/financial obstacles.
But even some affluent white urbanites with five clinics within bicycling distance forego regular dental care, because of various exasperating attitudes.
Copyright 2021 Danny Tyree, distributed by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate.