Tiffany Raiford
Dental insurance is controversial; not in that it’s bad or that it’s a problem. It’s controversial because you either have it and love it, or you don’t and love it. Dental insurance is important in our house since we have four kids and there’s two of us. That’s 12 cleanings every year, and that really does add up. I think my husband’s insurance policy through work charges us almost nothing for dental insurance, so it’s really a great thing in our household. Many people forgo it, forgetting that their oral health is actually one of the most important aspects of your health.
Someone recently asked me why we go to the dentist like Runnels Orthodontics every six months. It seems fairly simple to me; for a cleaning. I’m almost 33 and I’ve never had a cavity or any other dental health issues. However, it’s more than that, too. You see, the cost of dental insurance might not seem worth it to some, but to me it’s worth a lot more than you might imagine. To me, it’s worth my overall health. Paying a small monthly premium for dental insurance seems like a small price to pay to help prevent more serious health issues.
There’s more to dentures (find out about neuromuscular dentures here) or cavities or even root canals. I’m talking about the fact that medical professionals agree that poor oral health is a problem that leads to other health issues; serious health issues. Brushing your teeth is a habit, but it’s also something that could save your life one day. I choose to pay for dental insurance for myself and my family every month so that we minimize our chances of paying for more expensive health issues later. What health issues am I talking about? Read on to find out what health problems you increase your risk of being diagnosed with by not taking care of your oral health.
Diabetic Issues
If you have diabetes, your oral health is going to become even more important than ever. Ignoring your oral health means allowing bacteria into your blood stream. When you do this, it makes it more difficult for your body to regulate your blood sugar. Anyone with diabetes knows that controlling your blood sugar is the most important thing you do throughout the day, and making it more complicated is not an option.
Heart Disease
Let’s say that you have an issue with inflamed gums and periodontal disease. You might not really notice or spend much time worried about it, but it significantly increases your chance of heart disease. Both of these oral health issues come complete with bacteria that, if left untreated, can get into your bloodstream. Once it leaves your mouth and travels through your blood stream, it puts you at risk for heart disease. It causes something called atherosclerosis; this causes your arteries to essentially clog and block blood flow to the heart. Does that sound like something worth skipping dental visits for?
Stroke
Now that you know you can develop heart disease from poor oral health, you should know that it gets worse. Not only are you blocking the flow of blood throughout your body, you’re also increasing your risk of suffering from a stroke and/or a heart attack. Since both can kill you, you don’t want to play around with that. Imagine suffering a stroke that causes permanent damage in part of your body one day and knowing that you might have been able to prevent that with regular visits to the dentist.
Dementia
One of the worst things a person ever has to go through is the loss of a loved one to a loss of memory control. We have friends whose mother has dementia, and it’s terrible. This is a strong woman who was fine one day and suddenly could not remember a few things here and there. Just a few years later, she has no idea who her kids are, she’s never met her grandchildren despite the fact that she sees them every few weeks, and she’s just not the same person. It’s awful to watch her mind fail her, and it’s even more awful for those who have to suffer knowing she doesn’t know them.
Untreated gingivitis can enter the brain through your nerves and/or bloodstream and cause dementia. Now do you think that paying for dental insurance seems like a better idea than not?
Respiratory Disease
Gum disease doesn’t sound like fun as a whole, but did you know it can cause you to suffer from respiratory disease on top of the symptoms you already suffer? Gum disease increases your risk of suffer from infections in your lungs, including pneumonia. It’s a very simple fix to get rid of gum disease and manage it, but it’s not worth suffering through and the ending up sicker than ever to save a few dollars each month on dental insurance.
Even if you don’t like the dentist, you need dental insurance so you can handle those occasional oral health needs. It’s a simple way to help keep your health on track and avoid some of the worst health issues a person can suffer from. Is saving a few hundred dollars per year on dental insurance worth dying from?
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