With summer vacation kicking off exciting plans, it’s easy to put off that back-to-school checklist for later. However, parents and guardians may want to consider crossing one item off early: scheduling your child’s summer dental appointment.
When school starts again in the fall, the kids will be three times more likely to miss school days and four times more likely to have a low mean score because of tooth-related pain than any other disease.
“Dies are the most common chronic childhood disease in the US,” he said Maria Jose Cervantes-Mendez, DDS, MS, associate professor/clinician of pediatric dentistry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. “One in four children are likely to have tooth decay by the time they enter kindergarten in our community.”
The cost of delaying care
Cervantes’ statements are supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Foundation for Children’s Oral Health, which reported that pediatric emergency dental care cost up to $1.6 billion in 2012. This staggering figure revealed that children receive more expensive emergency dental care rather than affordable preventive care, costing families more than time and money.
“Dental cavities in children can have serious long-term effects on their overall health and quality of life,” said UT Director of Dentistry Micaela B. Gibbs, DDS, MHA. “Inability to eat can cause malnutrition and stunting, and pain from dental disease impairs a child’s ability to sleep and learn. The stigma of poor oral health affects self-esteem and socialization. All of these collectively have long-term consequences that last into adulthood. “
According to Gibbs, two factors increase the risk of cavities turning into serious infections:
While many families know what a healthy balanced diet includes, rising costs combined with a lack of nutritious foods readily available force them to eat a diet high in carbohydrates such as rice, potatoes, beans and bread. As the carbohydrate particles stick between the teeth after eating and drinking, they are converted to sugar, the preferred food source for the bacteria that live in the mouth.
There are significant barriers for many families when trying to get dental care. The high cost of dental treatment, lack of insurance coverage, insufficient numbers of Medicaid providers, language barriers and geographic challenges are obstacles for well-intentioned families. For many cultures, lack of experience with dentistry or lack of understanding of its importance also contributes to reluctance to seek care.
Low cost care available
South Texas families can rest easy because low-cost, high-quality care is available close to home.
The Ricardo Salinas Pediatric Dental Clinic in San Antonio and the Laredo Health Department Dental Clinic offers patients specialized care at a manageable cost. Each clinic employs a bilingual staff, accepts Medicaid patients, offers pediatric services on a sliding fee scale and is managed by board-certified pediatric dentistry.
“We are incredibly proud of the exceptional care we provide at our two community clinics,” said Gibbs. “Patients will never experience lower quality care just because of reduced service costs.”
“The dates are available,” Cervantes said. “A dental problem should be the last thing on our children’s mind when they are at school and we can help ensure that.”
This summer, families can make an appointment at the Ricardo Salinas Dental Clinic by calling 210-450-8700 or the Laredo Health Department dental clinic at 956-523-7500. Clinic location and maps are at School of Dentistry website. Pediatric appointments are also available at UT Dentistrylocated at the South Texas Medical Center in San Antonio.
