Man Dies Of Toothache

[NorthCarolina]

OpEdNews

A 24-year-old Cincinnati father died from a tooth infection this week because he couldn’t afford his medication, offering a sobering reminder of the importance of oral health and the number of people without access to dental or health care.

According to NBC affiliate WLWT, Kyle Willis’ wisdom tooth started hurting two weeks ago. When dentists told him it needed to be pulled, he decided to forgo the procedure, because he was unemployed and had no health insurance.

When his face started swelling and his head began to ache, Willis went to the emergency room, where he received prescriptions for antibiotics and pain medications. Willis couldn’t afford both, so he chose the pain medications.

The tooth infection spread, causing his brain to swell. He died Tuesday.

Link: http://www.opednews.com/populum/linkframe.php?linkid=137362


At only 24 years of age, I am not sure why he was not covered under his parents for-profit health insurance plan.

[dkf]

1. I don't think you are eligible if you are married.

[NorthCarolina]

2. I thought that may be it

but I wasn't sure. Thanks for the response.

[fasttense]

153. My kids, who are healthy, can only get on my Health Insurance for $12,000 a year each.

So, for both my kids (in their early 20s) that would cost us $24,000 a year. That's with no pre-existing conditions and no major medical problems. Maybe his parents just couldn't afford it.

By the way, they believe the leading cause of death back in the stone age was infection due to abscess teeth. Seems we have not advance much.

[NorthCarolina]

175. That's some pretty steep pricing, undeniably out of reach for a majority of Americans.

You are correct, in many ways we have not advanced much. In fact, I believe that from a moral standpoint we have actually regressed much since the 1960's. The DLC, created in response to Jesse Jackson's run for the WH, is the focal point of America's decline, and bears sole responsibility for the corporatization of the Democratic Party.

[kdmorris]

9. You are eligible if you are married, as long as

neither you nor your spouse is eligible for employer-provided health insurance.

Maybe neither of his parents had insurance, either?

Still, very sad case...

edited to add: that only applies to health insurance, so it still may not have covered a dental issue.

[SharonAnn]

98. And if there's a deductible, he probably couldn't afford it.

[kdmorris]

126. Exactly so...

My daughter is 24... we put her back on our insurance, but she still had to get Medicaid when she found out she was pregnant, because she can't afford the deductible or the co-pays. Medicaid only pays the part that our insurance doesn't pay.

[trud]

129. dental not medical

My impression is that health insurance generally does not cover dental work, although dental work that is what I vaguely think of as a big medical issue may be covered. Don't ask me to recollect exactly what that is. I think oral surgery I had was covered under my medical policy.

In any event, as others have noted, even if he was covered by health insurance, he may not have known about that rather obscure provision. And as anyone who's had an infected tooth knows, your brain hardly functions at all. On the other hand, if we had universal health coverage, making decisions about getting care would be a non issue.

[boston bean]

149. prescriptions are covered under medical. he coulnd't affor the anti biotic.

[mrmpa]

184. Free anti-biotics................

here in Western PA, a grocery store's pharmacy has free anti-biotics and free diabetic medications.

[dflprincess]

202. Prescriptions written by a DDS are not covered by medical insurance

at least that has been my experience.

Though you are right, that if a MD wrote a prescription even for a dental problem, it would be covered.

[boston bean]

204. He went to the emergency room, where an MD prescribed him anti biotics.

He only filled the pain pills because he couldn't afford the anti-biotic.

Bad choice, but still a choice he made to help himself feel better. Obviously not realizing the mistake he made.

[roguevalley]

79. it is a big historical killer, toothaches.

this country sucks ass.

[mrmpa]

80. A year and a half ago, my brother's tooth was infected, the...

infection went to his throat, eye and brain. In the hospital for about 8 weeks and last count 14 surgeries. He had seen his dentist and was prescribed anti-biotics and was taking them.

[roguevalley]

128. bless his heart. I am sorry to hear that. My great uncle was a

saddle maker and pulled teeth. the tools would make you hurl. This country makes me hurl. Take care tonight.

[MadMaddie]

81. The Republicans and the for Profit Healthcare industry

don't give a damn about history, they only care about profit.

More Americans will die because of the for profit system....toothaches and other very treatable maladies will kill more Americans than in the last 30 years.

They Republicans will have you pray while you are dying....

[AlbertCat]

189. it is a big historical killer, toothaches.

Indeed... Turkana Boy, a 1.5 million year old homo erectus died from a tooth abscess. Nice to know we're going back there, right?

[Horse with no Name]

87. Marital status doesn't matter under the new rules.

However, as we found out when we added our adult children, it was very expensive.

Perhaps his parents weren't in a position to do it. And betcha now they wish they did anyway.:(

[dflprincess]

101. You're assuming that his parents had an insurance plan to add him to

You're also assuming that, if they had a plan, that the deductible was low enough they could afford to use the insurance.

The fact is that people in the United States die because they cannot afford to access care - and that some of those people have "coverage" and we're going to see it happen more often as more people get stuck with high deductible plans. We are the only western country that allows this to happen and nothing in the Profit Protection Scam is going to change that.

Instead of making snide comments about this man's parents, you should be questioning the politicians, both Republicans and Democrats, that allow this kind of avoidable tradegy to keep on happening in the "greatest country on earth".

[Horse with no Name]

106. The only snide crap is from you...I am not ASSuming anything

was merely stating that it is VERY expensive to cover an adult child because I paid to do it and if indeed the insurance was available and they did not take it, that they would probably give everything they have to get a do-over.

Take your rude shit elsewhere. I'm not interested. I know who is responsible for the swill we call healthcare.

[dflprincess]

108. "Perhaps his parents weren't in a position to do it. And betcha now they wish they did anyway"

You're right - that's one of the most compassionate statements I've heard someone make about someone else's tragedy. How could I have possibly thought you were being snide?

[Horse with no Name]

110. Self edit.

Not worth it.

[Horse with no Name]

111. .

[demigoddess]

118. the odds are quite favorable that they had no health care to add

him to. Do you know they were employed, not unemployed or retired? And most employed have no health insurance anyway. And if they are 'offered' it, they have to make a good bit of money to be able to afford it. Then also how many children are they presently supporting?

[Turbineguy]

3. He had

the republican health care plan.

Pretty sad thing, so young.

[rsmith6621]

4. They Must Have Been In Bad $$$ Shape

....Keflex antibiotic 20 pills cost retail $14.00 and Vicodin 10 count $7.50 at my pharmacy.

[NorthCarolina]

10. Do those charges reflect the cost under your insurance plan?

Remember, this guy had no insurance so the cost of medication could be far higher for him.

[rsmith6621]

18. Retail Price

[Warpy]

24. No, generic pain pills and antibiotics aren't expensive

A five day antibiotic might have set him back a hundred bucks because it's still on patent. A ten day antibiotic would have cost him under twenty bucks.

This is crazy. It didn't have to happen. Education about which prescription was the most important might have saved this guy. He just had no idea a young guy could die from a bad tooth.

Yes, they can. They do. People who work in health care should never assume any patient's ability to pay, especially not now. Emergency rooms need to go back to dispensing things like antibiotics.

[eilen]

192. The ED should have given him an IV antibiotic while he was there.

That might have been enough to save his life -- and then give the information on low cost drugs-- where to get them etc. with his prescriptions. We have a community health center that charges based on a sliding scale. There are samples they will often give if the individual indicates financial need or shows by his history-- untreated abcess d/t lack of insurance that he may need the help.

The problem is today things are so bad that the holes in the safety net are so large so many institutions are overwhelmed with the level of need. They saw a walking 24 year old healthy guy with a toothache.

[Lyric]

28. I didn't see anything in the article about the specific antibiotic he needed.

Clindamycin (Cleocin) and/or amoxicillin and clavulanate (Augmentin) are usually the first choice for an abscess, and both of them CAN be rather pricy depending on the dose required.

Keflex is primarily used for skin infections, although it can sometimes be prescribed for an oral infection if the patient is allergic to clindamycin. However, considering the severity of his abscess, I have a very hard time believing that he'd have been given a prescription for Keflex. Frankly, I'm shocked that they didn't admit him overnight and give him a bolus dose or two of a powerful IV antibiotic.

[thesquanderer]

161. Same problem

re: "Frankly, I'm shocked that they didn't admit him overnight..."

I'm not, for the same reason... he didn't have insurance.

[liberalla]

31. $3 pain pills versus $27 antibiotics

More specific info from post #23

"Doctors prescribed an antibiotic and pain medication. Willis, who was unemployed and did not have medical insurance, purchased the $3 pain medication but not the $27 antibiotic because he couldn’t afford it, Collins said."

Completely effed up... completely unnecessary.

[n2doc]

5. What makes you think his parents had insurance? n/t

[NorthCarolina]

15. I don't know whether they did or not,

but I keep hearing how much health care reform helped everyone 26 and under with access to affordable insurance, and this guy was only 24. It was simply a question I had when I read his age and that he had no insurance.

[n2doc]

30. I assumed he didn't have a good relationship with them

or they were dead, or maybe they didn't have insurance. I think that more and more people don't have insurance, so the option of adding a kid to it isn't for them. In any case, sad story. I had my wisdom teeth out at 18, and if I hadn't had insurance I would have ended up like him, as the teeth were coming in sideways.

[Irishonly]

188. Maybe the parents are on medicare n/t

[undeterred]

6. There is probably a lot more of this that goes on than we hear.

It could happen to lots of us. Dental care is the weakest link in what is available through the United way and other community services. There is almost nothing that you don't have to pay for up front. I need dental care and I can't find anything that I can afford, and I've looked through everything that is offered.

[eilen]

193. Our community health center has a dental clinic

but I don't know if they offer oral surgery. Many times oral surgeons want their money up front.

[SoCalDem]

7. Maybe his parents did not have coverage to extend to him

Many people's options these days are quite limited, and some plans do not even offer dental or vision care..poor kid:(

[Little Star]

69. If it was a single parent maybe he/she could not afford to cover the adult child.

[MH1]

8. another moral of the story:

if forced to choose between antibiotics and pain medication when you have an infection, take the antibiotics.

yes it sucks but you have a chance of staying alive. as the infection goes away so will the pain. if the infection gets worse, unless it's a really strong pain med, it's not going to help anyway at some point.

I *have* insurance but had a bad dentist who didn't give me antibiotics when he should have, but did give me a script for something with codeine. I was back in his office picking up the script 2 days later and could barely see straight. (This was years ago when they didn't send them to the pharmacy electronically). He also gave me a stronger pain med but I tell you, the pain med wouldn't have been worth much without the antibiotic.

Never went to that dentist again.

But anyway this is a very sad story and no one should be put in that position. (the above is because life isn't as it should be. hardly ever.)

[NorthCarolina]

55. I agree that the best option would have been

to take the antibiotic, but at 24 you still have a sense of invincibility. Sad story though no doubt.

[TheDebbieDee]

78. Dental pain is EXCRUCIATING! I can't believe anyone

wouldn't choose to cheaply dull the pain over more expensively fighting the infection. Especially if the person wasn't aware that the infection might kill him quickly.

[Gormy Cuss]

82. Exactly.

His choice was the wrong one, but addressing that pain was probably paramount to him.

[eilen]

194. Precisely. What drove him to the ED, having no insurance

was the excruciating pain.

[sweetloukillbot]

155. Agreed

I've had one tooth that has been a problem for 10 years and the ONLY thing that makes the pain go away is antibiotics. The last major flare-up I had I was taking Lortab and Percocet, washing them down with alcoholic milkshakes, but until the amoxicillin kicked in all that happened was I didn't care about the pain for a few hours. During the day I was able to keep my self doped enough to stay ahead of the pain, but at night I would wake up screaming once the drugs wore off.
I've learned over time that the only way to ease tooth abscess pain is to take antibiotics - to the point where now if I feel it slightly getting bad I just call and ask for an antibiotic script.

Dental pain is the worst, and I understand why he chose the pain meds - but it is awful that he would need to make that choice.

[Bluebear]

11. Impossible, Obama "got health care for all"

[Tx4obama]

17. Majority of folks with health insurance still have to pay for their own prescriptions. n/t

[Fumesucker]

22. Really, who gives a fuck the guy died in agony..

It's just the way the system is set up, the system Obama has sold us all to.

[Tx4obama]

25. So, now it is Obama's fault that everyone in America doesn't get free drugs?

That is ridiculous!

I am very sad that the man died, if he had purchased the antibiotics
instead of the pain meds he would probably be alive today.
He made the choice and no one can blame Obama for this situation.

Perhaps it is the doctor that is partially to blame,
perhaps the doctor did not explain to him how important taking the antibiotics were?

[Fumesucker]

29. Obama signed what he signed..

And what he signed makes the current medical delivery system have force of law.

What, did the Republicans take over Obama's pen hand and force him to sign it with telekineses or something?

[Tx4obama]

34. Where was it ever stated that there was a plan to force drug companies

to give out all of their medicine free of charge?

I guess I must have missed that memo.

[Fumesucker]

38. $20 billion to air condition tents in Afghanistan..

And this kid dies in agony because he doesn't have $20 for a prescription.

Priorities...

[Desertrose]

42. Yup......priorities.

Pretty damn sad sad.

[libmom74]

105. What about when Obama complicitly helped

to kill the prescription drug reimportation bill because of backroom deals made with big Pharma? If we could import drugs like other countries we would not be forced to pay the highest prices in the world.

[chervilant]

147. hmm...

You seem to be missing a lot, when it comes to Obama...

[Name removed]

46. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Fumesucker]

48. Flattery will get you nowhere with me..

:hi:

[walerosco]

70. Geeze

I know things are tough and his HCR could have gone further but please lets not blame this president because this poor you man made the fatal decision of not buying the $27 life saving anti biotic. I know things are tough but Obama cannot be everyone's daddy.

[Fumesucker]

72. You're really having a hard time wrapping your head around this whole "poverty" thing..

If you have $20 and the prescription is $27 then you go without.

I realize it's hard to understand that some people have so little money but it's really true.

[dflprincess]

104. They're also ignoring that, while an anti-biotic would have taken care of the immediate need,

a tooth infected that badly would have to be removed or else it will continue to cause trouble and extracting a wisdom tooth costs a ridiculous amount of money. And, even with medical insurance, if that tooth wasn't impacted, chances are the insurance wouldn't cover the extraction at all.

Only in America.

[chervilant]

146. And,

it's REALLY frustrating how many people--even purported Democrats, liberals, and progressives--make blaming statements like "the {young} man made the fatal decision..." when referring to situations like this one, where poverty necessitates choices that the 'well off' cannot even comprehend.

[Shining Jack]

127. +1

[Name removed]

157. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[muffin1]

39. Right...

he should have *chosen* the more expensive medication, even though he couldn't afford it.

[coalition_unwilling]

138. If we had fucking single payer healthcare, he would not have died.

End of fucking story. I BLAME OBAMA FOR THIS SITUATION AND WILL NOT VOTE FOR HIM IN 2012. End of story. You go right ahead and blame the victim. You're as pathetic in your own way as Obama is in his.

[woo me with science]

159. And here we have it.

The "compassion" of the Third Way.

:puke:

[blueamy66]

167. I read upthread that the Vicodin was $3

Would this be at a Walmart, where alot of generics are this cheap?

Cause my guy's insurance makes us pay the tier 1 co pay for generics....$10.

Maybe we need to shop around for scripts...

:shrug:

[Shining Jack]

124. +1

[chervilant]

145. Yeah...

Affordable health care.

(Actually, I'm surprised no one has trotted out 'teh list.')

[Curmudgeoness]

12. Your comment about him being covered under parent's plan,

you are aware that there are many people in this country who do not have any health insurance, right? And there is a good chance that this man's parents also did not have coverage. And since this is a new twist to insurance, I am sure that many people are unaware that they can cover adult children who are out of the home and married. Our society will have to learn to wrap our minds around that, and I really do not think that there has been enough information on this out there.

With that said, I am so saddened when I hear of a death that is so unnecessary. God damn the politicians who only care about the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor and needy.

[NorthCarolina]

19. I am saddened as well to hear this.

I am all too aware that there are many people in this country that do not have any health insurance. In fact, you can count myself and my partner as being amongst those uninsured folks. Have been since January of this year when BCBS of NC decided they needed a 25% rate increase, and that pushed it beyond our finances. Since we are a same-sex couple we can't apply for a lower rate through a family plan, so our only reasonable option was to go without. Lower cost plans through the government are not available to us as we own our home outright, that asset would have to be liquidated before we could qualify, and that is simply not an option we would consider.

[Curmudgeoness]

27. I really hate to hear this, but I know that you are not alone.

I won't even go into why you can't have a family plan, since there is just no excuse but ignorance for that. But you are not alone.

Please keep in mind, if you are ever in a situation like the man in the OP, there are places where you can go for help. A few that come to mind and do not make you jump through a million hoops that you will not get through in the end---Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, your church if you have one. You would even be smart to tell the doctor that you will not be able to afford the medicine and see if there are samples available, or at least make the doctor give you a list of most important to "could be unfilled".

This country is pathetic in how it treats it's own citizens.

[undeterred]

187. Even if someone has dental insurance...

there is a 6 month waiting period before a lot of things are covered. A lot of policies are covering smaller annual amounts now (like $500 or $1000 instead of $1500 annually) and they have deductibles.

And in order to get treated for a toothache you still have to pay for an exam and an xray and whatever else that dentist wants to do which may end up being a few hundred dollars. Its not like you can walk in the door and tell the dentist what you want.

Insurance companies want to TAKE your money, and AVOID paying for your expenses. Thats why they exist.

[eilen]

195. We don't have dental insurance

and I had to pay $275 for my son's annual exam and cleaning. This included xrays, and a short time with the dentist.


With health insurance, my annual women's health check cost over $500 (including mammogram) because of the deductible. This is why I don't go every year.

[undeterred]

200. I don't have any insurance and I haven't seen any health care professionals

this year.

[dflprincess]

203. Screenings like the "well woman" check ups are now supposed to be 100% covered

with no deductibles applied to them.

The problem comes if any of the screening tests come back needing follow up. I know from personal experience that it can cost thousands (over 8K as I recall) to find out the weird spot on the mammogram is benign. Fortunately, I had good insurance at the time and could have the other tests and biopsies done. With the high deductible policy I have now, I'm not sure I'll even bother with the "free" annual mammogram because I can't afford any follow up.

There was an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune several weeks ago about how insurance companies are all posting record profits thanks to these "consumer driven" policies and people, especially those with chronic conditions, not being able to get the care they need because they can't afford the deductibles. Nothing in the Profit Protection Act will change that.

[Andy823]

13. Could be

His parents did not have insurance either. There are more and more people losing their insurance, and jobs, and can not afford health insurance.

[newblewtoo]

57. that is a definite possibility

My father died when I was twenty one. My mother had never worked outside the home. Saying kids can stay on a parent's policy means the parent would actually have to have a policy (but lets not get hung up in the petty details). :sarcasm:

[BadgerKid]

168. I wonder how the jobless will afford mandated health insurance. n/t

[CTyankee]

14. Any infection in the head is a real danger to the brain.

I know that and I'm not a medical person.

Nobody should eff around with this kind of infection...or any kind, for that matter...

[sunwyn]

16. Being 20 miles from Cincinnati and mouthful of my own destroyed by chronic Lyme,

this story scares the shit out of me. Last time I tried the "government clinic" I was told they could only pull the teeth that were intact. The rest must be taken out by an oral surgeon , a service they did not provide. The other would cost 35 bucks a tooth. Being unemployed nearly 3 years at the time meant there was no way to afford. I was told my teeth would likely kill me in time but for now they would give me a script for antibiotics as several teeth were infected. Finding anyone told help with dental in Ohio is nearly impossible. I really feel for this guy and his family. I hope the illustrious Speaker gets slammed with letters.

[reggie the dog]

20. the cost here in france would be between 30 cents or so and 2 euros

[hedgehog]

21. IIRC. we ended up paying over $500 after insurance each

time wisdom teeth had to come out. I think the last set cost us closer to $1000. That's 4 wisdom teeth under light anesthesia in the dentist's office.

[sufrommich]

23. Weird side note, he was the nephew of Bootsy Collins .

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20110901/NEWS01/109020346/Bootsy-Collins-nephew-dies-after-tooth-infection

[liberalla]

35. Thanks for adding this info and link.

[Tx4obama]

36. Excerpt from your link

SNIP

University Hospital spokeswoman Diana Lara said she couldn’t comment on Willis’ case because of federal privacy laws. Anyone with dental problems can receive treatment at the Dental Center at University Hospital, though, she said.

It’s unclear whether Willis knew about the dental center.

“The Dental Center is here to provide care for those who are insured, underinsured and who have no insurance,” Lara said. “No one has to go without care when they are experiencing any sort of pain. We’re here for that reason.”

SNIP

[liberalla]

26. It's so tragic that he had to choose between the two prescriptions...

It's difficult to think that no one around him knew the significance of antibiotics. Family, friends, coworkers - someone had to know the danger of skipping the antibiotics. So sad. I wish I'd known him. I could've paid for his medications.

Also from the link:

"Now, clearly, this man made some sub-optimal choices here he’s not purely a victim of lack of health insurance. At the same time you have right before you a no-longer-living, no-longer-breathing example of the “push the patient to the edge of financial desperation” theory of health care cost controls. It turns out that the quality of a frightened, pain-wracked young man asked to make technical medical decisions under severe financial constraints is not very high. The social cost of 24 year-old fathers dying of eminently treatable tooth infections, by contrast, is gigantic."


Not sure why this is touching me more than many sad stories we hear about these days... but it is.

[Lyric]

32. Me too, if only because I've been there too.

It's not even necessarily that the guy was ignorant about which medication was more "important". If his situation was anything like what I've been through, he probably thought that if he got the pain meds first so that he could actually get some sleep at night and so he'd be able to THINK past the pain, he'd manage to figure out a way to get the money for the antibiotics within a couple of days. Unfortunately, he just didn't have time on his side.

This past summer, Rhythm had a throat abscess that nearly suffocated her, and wound up needing throat surgery to remove it (along with her tonsils). We couldn't afford her antibiotics and pain meds either, and a DU'er paid for them. If not for that DU'er, god only knows what might have happened to her. :(

[Auntie Bush]

37. DUers are pretty great people. I wonder if Freepers would do that?

[liberalla]

40. Wow, I'm happy you and Rhythm received help in time.

Big :hug:

[Lyric]

Yes, we were very lucky,

It hurts me to think of all the people who have nobody they can turn to when something like this comes up. I know what that feels like. It's terrifying.

:hug:

[Brigid]

44. Dear DUer who helped Lyric and Rhythm:

:yourock: Totally.

[Lyric]

47. Yes she does.

I heart her forever.

:loveya: You-Know-Who!

[Name removed]

63. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[trud]

131. Celtic

Well, not likely. Antibiotics can take days to kick in.

[joeglow3]

207. Saw a story. Anti-biotics were $4

They called a local Walgreens and they said they have multiple antibiotics in their $4 program he could have received. If anything, this shows the need for education on where to get meds.

[HockeyMom]

33. Publix in Florida dispenses FREE anti-biotics

Plus doctors get free samples of meds all the time. When we had no job, no insurance, the doctor who treated us took $10 and gave hus his free sample antibiotics in NY. A choice between antibiotics and pain meds? When the infection goes away, so will the pain. I have had tooth extractions, dental surgery, root canals, etc., and have NEVER taken any scripts for pain. Antibiotics, YES. Tylenol is cheaper and not addictive.

This man lived in a big CITY, not a rural community. This should not have happened. Cincinnati doesn't have University Dental Schools? A student, under the direction of a doctor, will do dental work for FREE. My Mom went to these Dental Schools all the time. They also have Pharmacy schools.

Very, very unfortunate this poor man didn't know he had other options.

[Lyric]

41. A tooth abscess as severe as this man had is nothing like the pain you say you've experienced.

It's a thousand times worse. I too have had tooth extractions, dental surgery and root canals. I've also had kidney stones, a ruptured gallbladder, and two severely herniated spinal discs that left me half paralyzed and numb for almost a year. I'd honestly rather have two kidney stones at the same time than have another severe tooth abscess. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't do anything but hunch over, hold my jaw, and moan. I'd have screamed, but screaming hurt too much. The pain was at its worst at about 2 am, and when I went to the ER and they took my blood pressure, it was 170/100...my normal is 117/70.

It doesn't surprise me one bit that he got the pain meds first. Any sane human who's having THAT kind of pain would want them first, if only because when you're experiencing pain at that level, you are no longer capable of fully rational thought. The NEED to make the pain stop is primal and bestial. It's nothing short of torture.

The problem, IMO, is that he never should have been forced to make that choice. Doctors and hospitals ought to be required to dispense antibiotics as a condition of release. Add the cost of the meds to the hospital bill. It would save lives and keep people from having to make such a terrible choice.

[HockeyMom]

61. I had an abcess that went into the roof of my mouth

which caused a cyst to form. Not only the tooth had to be removed but the cyst in the roof of my mouth cut out and stitched. I was 18 years old at the time. Ok, maybe I have a higher threshold of pain than the average person. That abscess didn't bother me at all. That is why the cyst formed because I never got a toothache and didn't go until I could feel the cyst in my mouth. I was only given antibiotic and not pain killers, even after the surgery and stitches.

Same thing when I had another abscess from dental tools which were left in my tooth after a root canal, and again caused a cyst to form. Same thing. Never felt it until it went into my gums. Only antibiotics were given to me.

Besides everything else, the ANTIBIOTICS are the most important meds that should have been taken, NOT the pain meds. The bottom line is that he would be alive today if he had taken the antibiotics, and didn't take pain meds.

[trud]

132. HockeyMom

You are extremely unusual and so should not judge the young man by your extremely high pain tolerance. Someone who is not in severe pain from a tooth abscess is probably literally one in a million.

[sweetloukillbot]

156. I've had two teeth that abscessed

One was similar to your experience. It hurt for a couple days then the pain went away. I'd occasionally notice some swelling above the tooth, but no pain. Eventually I noticed what felt like a cyst. Turns out it had formed a drainage tunnel and basically all the crap was draining out and not putting any pressure on the nerves. Still infected, no pain whatsoever.
The other one has been a problem over the past 10 years. I've had three root canals done on it, lost a crown, and had to have oral surgery. It's gonna finally come out in a few weeks (when I can afford the high cost with insurance!). But when that bastard flairs up the pain is worse than anything I can imagine. Enough opiates makes me not care, and a days or so worth of antibiotics beats the infection back enough to kill the pain completely. But those first couple days are unbearable - and nighttime is the worst. The drugs wear off after a couple hours and because you are laying down, the bloodflow to your head increases. I've woken up screaming in pain on several occasions and I have a pretty high tolerance for pain - I'd say on a scale of 1-10, that abscess at its worst is a strong 8-9.

[coalition_unwilling]

139. No one could have said it any more simply or eloquently than

you have here. If ever there were a clear case for the need for single payer, this is it. How much more obvious does it have to be that people die because they can't afford proper care? This country and its political leadership make me sick (npi).

[undergroundpanther]

150. And

It sucks that our bodies get sick,get hurt, minds break,hearts fill with cholesterol,get cancer,die of toothaches.I hate having a body in a world so hostile to life so cold and filled with too many psychopaths..

And it is criminal to ignore others very preventable torture because they can't turn a profit to the rich who have more than enough wealth...It is WRONG to make laws so a person who lacks enough money to survive in this silly pay to exist system,is tortured by an infection and killed by a bad tooth that no one cared enough to help him ,because he wasn't rich enough to pay for his life in a system stacked against most of us .The corporate loving rich coddling government that we have tolerated is abusive, is disgustingly evil..Evil as the burden of having bodies that can get,tortured,traumatized,and infected until the body itself is the instrument of torture,by bacteria wounds,or people,it's allowed kill us because some pig who has it all wants more.Profit stole this man's life..Fuck this pay to exist bullshit.To hell with the wealthy,and death to the psychopaths that made up this zero sum game of injustice to make us suffer.And the monsters who convinced us we need them.

[Pooka Fey]

180. + 1000 So true. I've witnessed a friend in pain from a tooth abcess.

I drove him to the dentist. He wasn't rational at that point. He was in so much pain, (he wasn't screaming, but moaning) - he was so obviously "out of his mind" that it was actually frightening to observe.

When he got called in to see the dentist, everyone in the waiting room looked around as if to say "Whoa".

[muffin1]

43. We have a dental school in Richmond,

but they are definitely not free. They charge approximately half of normal dental fees. Still too expensive for me - and a lot of people.

[chervilant]

148. Yep...

I got the same info about similar options here in Houston. Can't afford the "free" Dental School option at all. Have an upper molar and bicuspid that have lost fillings. The bicuspid sheared in half after its filling fell out. I am fearful each and every day that I'll get a big infection (horrendous pain) or expose the root (relentless, horrendous pain).

On the bright side, maybe I will "die quickly," which assuredly would make a sizeable number of the uber wealthy extremely happy.

[muffin1]

164. Oh, I'm so sorry.

:cry:

Right now, I'm rinsing with hydrogen peroxide to keep an infection at bay. I've asked all my friends if they have 'extra' antibiotics around the house. None of them do. The thing is, a DUer actually found me a dentist who will see me in emergencies. Right after I went to see him for the initial consultation, I got a full-time job. I didn't 'feel right' getting free help anymore - and I didn't have any 'immediate' emergency. Four months later, I lost the job. Now, I feel weird just showing up again now that I DO have an emergency. Plus, the problem is a bad tooth under a bridge that I had put in years ago. This dentist may extract the tooth for free, but that means I will lose that bridge - and lose three 'teeth' in the process. While it's nice to have that option, I really need a plate or implants - I'm already missing too many teeth. I will never get hired anywhere if I lose three more.

I have to run right now, but I will PM you later today...Hang in there, Sweetie.







:hug:

[chervilant]

185. Wow.

Thank you for your thoughtful and compassionate response. I remain hopeful about our species specifically because I get support like this from people who don't even know me. It truly lifts my spirits.

Ironically, the molar that's now missing a filling (which left a gaping hole) was slated for a root canal back when I had a teaching contract, and could access regular dental care. I was directed by my dental insurance people to a 'specialist' for the initial procedure--a young man in an expensive, posh office (devoid of any other patients, which should have been a big clue).

Without engaging in any kind of small talk (to put me at ease, as I've experienced with most of the dentists I've encountered), this young person took a long cotton swab, sprayed the tip, and ordered me to open wide. He then touched all my 'healthy' molars on that side of my mouth before he touched my sensitive tooth. I screamed in pain. He had put a commercial refrigerant on the swab!

He chided me, "Please don't yell." I told him, "Stop causing me pain!" He then insisted that he had to use this method, to 'be sure which tooth needed work.' I replied, "I told you EXACTLY which tooth needed work!" I removed his 'sanitary' paraphenalia and informed him he would never put his hands or anything ELSE in my mouth again.

As I left, his receptionist tried to stop me to get a payment for that visit. I told her that I would NOT pay for anything that man had done to me, and that if they tried to 'extract' money from me, I'd be talking to every licensing board I could find to get this cretin barred from inflicting that kind of pain on anyone else.

I have been wary of ANY kind of dental work since that experience...

[muffin1]

186. That sounds like an awful experience.

I'm sorry you went through it. Just reading about your pain caused me to wince.

My dentist (or the one I had when I was employed) is one of the most gentle dentists I've ever been to see. I have been going to him for over 20 years. I bet I spent over ten thousand dollars over that period for root canals, bridges, etc. He still will not do any work for me without being paid up front. I don't know what the hell to do now. I CANNOT lose anymore teeth.

You should have my PM by now...look into it! Good luck, my dear - and PM me anytime. :hug:

[Blue_Tires]

220. I hope everything works out for you

I used to have a friend in Norfolk that might help; but we lost contact a long time ago...

[Desertrose]

45. Ever try thinking clearly when you are in excruciating pain?

Next to impossible.

[HockeyMom]

68. I guess I have never experienced excruciating pain

and I am being honest. Having had an ectopic pregnancy, breech birth, posterior labor, food poisoning, and all those abscessed teeth and surgery. No, for ME, none of that has been excruciating pain. I have never taken pain meds, in 40 years, other than DURING (not after) surgery for the tubal. Sorry, but I don't know it. As I said in another thread, I must have a very high threshold of pain, which is what doctors have said to me.

I am just saying there had to be other options. Give a hat's off to PUBLIX Supermarkets for their free antibiotics. I got Cipro free from them when I had food poisoning. To say you can NEVER get them free, is simply not true.

[Desertrose]

137. Antibiotics are not candy....

you have to make sure you are taking the right type for the infection you have. Handing out free antibiotics? How can you be sure you're taking the proper course? I can't see myself ever doing that.

You are fortunate to have a high threshold for pain.. Not everyone is so lucky. I have a high tolerance for pain but I've also had some very very painful issues and it clouds judgement- not to mention this guy had brain swelling and a serious fever/infection.

[JanMichael]

59. Gosh, if only YOU had been there to dispense your free advice!

This guy was never TOLD he had other options. It is NOT common sense, or an innate knowledge in the US-

[Shandris]

95. This MAY be true in Cincinnati.

It certainly isn't true in Indiana, where University Hospital in Indianapolis and it's attendant subschool, the IU School of Dentistry and the University Hospital Department of Oral Surgery -- both student/teacher clinics -- have U&C's priced off the surrounding area practice dentists, and furthermore offer no financial aid. The School of Dentistry cuts the U&C pricing in half, and there is some minor discount -- about 15%, based on my calculations -- at the Department of Oral Surgery.

Having my teeth pulled came to over $4000 dollars at your 'free' example, and I'll be making payments on it for almost two years, each payment of which puts me at a net monthly income of negative twenty dollars.

And that was the cheapest in the STATE.

[AlienGirl]

210. Only the very common ones; he may have needed a less common, more expensive antibiotic

I am "colonizd" by MRSA, which every so often acts up and causes a nasty case of cellulitis. At one point, the MRSA became resistant to everything but Cipro. Guess what? Publix doesn't give away Cipro, nor do any of the other places with reduced-price antibiotics have reduce-priced Cipro. And it is expensive!

I no longer have to worry about that, since my MRSA has evolved resistance to Cipro now as well*.

If this man had needed Cipro or something else that is beyond the first-tier of antibiotics, he may have been completely unable to afford it.

Dental schools don't do their work for free; they usually charge about half of the retail cost of the procedure--so about $25 for an extraction.

Tucker



*CSB, I know. Also, the joke is on MRSA because cancer is gonna kill me first.

[tblue37]

49. This happened to a child in New York a few years ago, too. nt

[MineralMan]

50. Perhaps his parents didn't have insurance either.

That happens a lot.

[Fumesucker]

53. I wonder why everyone is assuming the guy even had parents?

By the time I was that age both my parents were passed away.

[MineralMan]

60. Yeah, that's a possibility, too.

There are lots of reasons people don't have health insurance. Lots and lots of reasons. It's a shame on this country is what it is.

[izquierdista]

136. There's really only one reason

Because it would cut into profits of insurance companies.

[smokey nj]

217. I was thinking the same thing, Fumesucker.

I lost both my parents by that age as well.

[workinclasszero]

51. It could only happen in a third world hellhole

America is well on the way in her quest to be the capitalist nirvana.:cry:

[muffin1]

67. ...

:thumbsup:

[COLGATE4]

121. A lot of the so-called 'third world countries' have much better access

to free (pro bono) or very inexpensive medical and dental care for emergencies like this. In this respect WE are truly a third-world country.

[Poll_Blind]

52. No joke- a bad tooth untreated can give you a heart attack.

It is a very serious thing. Tooth/jaw infections are a really big deal and nobody usually thinks they can kill you if left untreated.

PB

[treestar]

54. No one there to tell him to choose the antibiotics?

[necso]

56. My condolences to his family.

Basic healthcare (which includes basic dental care) should be realistically available to all citizens.

...

I know this has been discussed here before, but I think it bears repeating:

That is, some retail chains offer $4 (and larger $10) prescriptions.

And while the daily dosages implied in some of these "30/90 day" prescriptions are rather low; ie, the "30 day" dosage of certain antibiotics I'm looking at (in a current download) would be good (in common dosage) for 10 days (others longer).

I recommend that prescription-writers, patients take this into consideration when considering prescriptions.

In particular:

Amoxicillin (500mg: 30/90), Cephalexin (500mg: 30/90), Ciprofloxacin (500mg: 20/60), Doxycycline Hyclate (100mg: 20/60; of the tetracycline group), Tetracycline (500mg: 60/180), (these $4/$10 prescription lists tend to be much the same) are useful antibiotics (which can be taken in certain combinations/dosages); and these prices put antibiotics in the reach of more people.

Oops, also: SMZ-TMP DS (sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim 800-160mg: 20/60).

(Penicillin VK too.)

[quakerboy]

116. Those can be a good deal. But mind the fine print

I was prescribed a drug on their list, but they wouldn't honor it because of brand names in the way the dr wrote, and would only offer me the $40 version.

[necso]

133. Yeah,

it might be best to write, get, a fairly general (generic) prescription.

I've never used the program myself, but I've wondered about how technical they get.

For example, what if the doctor's written directions were "Take one tablet every eight hours" for that "thirty day" supply of 30 capsules.

[ZombieHorde]

58. Conservative policies are terrible. So obviously bad. nt

[Name removed]

62. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Fumesucker]

64. That's probably not what his prescription was for..

Unless you're really specific and firm with doctors about not having any money they don't think at all about the cost of what they prescribe.

[xmas74]

125. I do that with my doctor.

He knows I'm insured but he also knows that just scraping together the money for a copay is a big deal. He understands that I need the cheapest prescription available that will do the job and that's what he prescribes. He also tells me which pharmacy to fill it at (or someone in billing will do the same) since it's sometimes cheaper to pay the store price instead of the insurance price. (Example: an antibiotic might be $4.00 at Walmart under their pricing policies. The same generic might run $10 under my insurance plan. Though I'm not a fan of Walmart, I will pick it up over there and not use my insurance if the price is cheaper.)

The problem is that others need to do the same with their doctors. If the doctor really understands that the patient doesn't have any money they'll try to find a way around it. (Lower generics, free samples, etc.) Of course, this doesn't work in every case but it's a start.

[Fumesucker]

130. The kid was in his twenties..

I doubt he had the experience to know to tell the doctor to keep it as cheap as humanly possible..

Not that all doctors will listen anyway.

[xmas74]

212. I know.

I remember what that was like in my twenties, afraid to really speak for myself and sometimes embarrassed to admit that I just couldn't afford it. Sometimes being poor makes you feel subhuman, though it shouldn't.

As to doctors, it took some time before I found one that did listen and I have no plans to leave him. I wish more were like him.

[blueamy66]

169. I just wrote about this before seeing your post.

I'm checking out the $4 generics for my guy....I'll go to Wallyworld if I have to.

I get most of my scripts at CVS under BCBS. Even though my lowest co-pay is supposed to be $10, I get 1 for $2 and 1 for $5. Not the same at Walgreen's though. They charge me the $10.

My guy has United....his min. is $10 everywhere.

[xmas74]

213. I always demand the generic from my doctor

and he listens. The office has a list of prices of the most commonly prescribed drugs at each local pharmacy. They know which pharmacy we usually use and they tell us in check out if we can get the prescription cheaper or without our insurance.

(I have BCBS and I've noticed that I can get generics at a local grocery store or at Walmart cheaper than with the insurance. Walmart has no idea that I even have insurance, since I've never mentioned it.)

[blueamy66]

215. Thanks......gonna have my guy do this at his next dr appt

I really do not like Walmart, but hey, what can you do?

[xmas74]

216. I don't like them either

but I live in a smallish town and it's one of the only games. Discount/department type store-it IS the only game in town.

If the doctor's office doesn't know the prices you might want to call them back and tell them how much you spent at Walgreen's, Walmart, etc for common prescriptions. Sometimes that's enough for reception to take notice and begin making a list for their patients.

[blueamy66]

219. Great. Thanks.

Maybe I'll go in with him next time and speak to the doc myself.

[xmas74]

222. It couldn't hurt.

If someone brings up the idea to the doctor s/he might like it and have staff follow up on prices. It's more of a guarantee that the patient will take the medication if the physician knows they can afford it.

[WinkyDink]

75. And you live where?

[dflprincess]

114. I had a infected tooth a few months ago and amoxycillin didn't work

I needed a more expensive antibiotic & a root canal. I as fortunate enough to have dental insurance that covered most the cost, though it wiped out my dental benefits for the rest of year. Forutunately, I had a credit card to cover the second root canal and crown I needed on another tooth a few weeks later. (I will confess, I did not feel all that fortunate about that unitl I read this story.)

You would think the U.S. would be embarassed to be the only western country that allows this to happen.

[SmileyRose]

65. I have never understood why emergency dental care isn't done in an emergency room.

It's idiotic that they can't yank an abscessed tooth in emergency rooms. It's clearly a LIFE SAVING PROCEDURE.

[WinkyDink]

76. Because there are no ER dentists?

\

[SmileyRose]

174. Of course, and IMHO it's stupid they don't have a call list - or something

Either that or they need to give the poor and uninsured an appointment with a nearby dentist who'll yank it for free or take payments.

[malaise]

66. Too sad

What a waste of a life

[steve2470]

71. This is so so very sad and totally unnecessary

I am afraid this will have to happen MANY more times before things improve in this country.

I won't go to the RW rags to hear their version, but I'm sure it's all blamed on him.

[Name removed]

140. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sarcasmo]

73. Had four wisdom teeth pulled in the last two years. $150.00 a tooth and lucky

for me the regular Dentist was able to pull all four of my wisdom teeth. If you have to go to the oral surgeon like the wife did, it runs closer to $500.00 a tooth.

[WinkyDink]

74. Greatest country in the world!

[Hugabear]

77. I have NEVER understood why we treat dentistry as if it's not part of general medicine

You can go to the ER and get treatment for a heart attack, stroke, and any number of general health problems.

But not dental health. Sure, they might give you antibiotics and pain meds, but they won't actually treat the problem in the ER.


Also, many insurance plans do not cover dentistry, dental care requires its own separate insurance. You don't have to get separate insurance for respiratory problems, or for just about any other part of the body. Why do we separate the mouth?

[ifyousayso]

173. Money

So insurance companies can sell you a separate insurance policy and make more money.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

83. I knew a person who died from an infected tooth. The infection went to his brain.

He had had a toothache and went to lay down say it was giving him a headache. He never got back up.

He was extremely hard working and had just started up a new business, so money was tight at the time. He was a great father and loved his children. He left behind four children under 12 and two adult children from previous marriages.

Edit to change "know" to "knew." :(

[polly7]

90. It can happen very easily.

I had a nephew almost die and who was hospitalized on antibiotics and fluids for five days because his dentist was away during one of the worst, coldest snowstorms of the year up here. He lives alone and tried to wait it out the weekend thinking his dentist would be in on Monday as usual ... he wasn't, but hadn't changed his answering machine message letting anyone know. After driving the 30 km in the blizzard to get his tooth pulled and finding the doors locked my nephew was in so much pain he just drove home to where it was warm and puked for three days, too sick to even move. If we hadn't got him to the hospital that night I think he was so dehydrated and full of infection, he'd have died. It happens easily. Dental care is so important.

[muffin1]

91. ...

:hug:

[MadMaddie]

84. There is an argument here over whether he should have gotten the

antibiotics versus the pain meds. People are faulting him for getting the pain meds..

I would like to ask that you think of a couple of things.

1. Everyone here has probably had a toothache that could knock one down....if you are so much pain, your mental state could be altered and all you care about is resolving the pain.
2. If the medical professionals he saw didn't tell him it was critical that he get the antibiotics because the infection was bad, if he didn't know this and (speculation) if he didn't have the education to understand the criticality of his situation plus he is suffering horribly....

It is not your place to second guess this young man.....it is critical for us to understand that he died because of our broken medical system. A system that should have saved his life.

By the way, this medical system was broken long before President Obama came into office...if you want to point the finger somewhere...go back to the 1950's amd 1960's when the Healthcare industry became "For Profit".

[polly7]

109. I agree with you, if someone isn't aware how dangerous the infection

can be, just stopping the pain may be all they can concentrate on. Such a sad story ... that poor guy.

[Liberty Belle]

134. Sad story. For anyone with tooth pain oil of cloves stop the pain, but still get antibiotics please

Had this young man known one could get oil of cloves for a few dollars at any health food store, he might've been able to get the antibiotics and still be alive today.

Of course the real fault lies with the lack of healthcare. I've had a tooth pulled on an emergency basis, albeit for a fractured/shatter tooth. I've also had a root canal that went bad (missed a root, that was infected). Wound up spreading into the sinuses and I had to have sinus surgery too. But here's a little known fact I learned when my son had oral surgery to remove 4 wisdom teeth. One of them was infected, so the surgeon told us that meant our healthcare policy would cover it! (we had no dental insurance)

So don't assume you have no coverage when things are this bad.

[coalition_unwilling]

141. Thank you. If you want to see a perfect case in point of the

'blame the victim' mentality at work, see reply #25. It will blow your mind.

[glowing]

85. I would definitely sue the ER. When someone"s wisdom tooth

is that bad off, extracting the tooth then and there should have been the proper procedure. It should be illegal for any ER to discharge any patient without the knowledge, and written consent that the patient will be able to fill the prescription.... There was no need for this. We send cheap antibiotics to Africa to prevent death. This is crazy that this happening in the USA.

[Capitalocracy]

86. Jesus, I feel like we're in the Plague Years

except it's not bubonic plague this time, it's a plague of fascist capitalism

Whose fault is it when someone dies of an easily treatable condition due to lack of access to care?

[southmost]

88. mission accomplished

republicare = die quickly

that way they can save money all the way to the grave

[SammyWinstonJack]

89. America....Fuck Yeah!

:puke:

[w8liftinglady]

92. I have had too many young patients get super-sick with dental abcesses

Pharyngeal edema leading to tracheostomy and weaning off a ventillator,weeks of IV antibiotics in ICU.

Universal healthcare would be so much cheaper in the long run

[polly7]

113. If you do get universal healthcare, make sure dental is included!

It isn't up here. First Nations People, people on Social Services are covered, and some Provincial programs supplement those not making up to a certain wage for dental treatment, but most of us aren't covered unless through our plans at work or through other private insurance. It gets really expensive, I have a few friends who've been putting off for years dental work they needed.

[HappyMe]

93. Another fool.

Meds that will get rid of the source of the pain -- No

Fun pills --Yes




Okay. :dunce:

[Fumesucker]

97. Yep, being poor is really foolish..

What an idiot, if he was smart he'd have been born to wealthy parents.

[NYC_SKP]

100. A smart chap on this board pointed out to me that the antibiotics might have been more expensive...

Maybe the pain meds were all the poor victim could afford.

:hi:

[joeglow3]

208. Nope. Both were $4 at the local Walgreens

Saw a story where they called to multiple pharmacies in the area and they all had the anti-biotics in their discount meds.

[Tsiyu]

102. Well, there's some good (new) Amurikin compassion talkin'

America the Awesome! Pull yourself up by your bootstraps and MAKE a dentist!

I'm so proud of all the folks who aren't dumping on a dead guy in this thread.


I live in Appalachia, where teenagers' teeth rot out of their faces before they reach adulthood because there are no dentists and no one really cares.
I've had two abcessed teeth here. The first time, I was broke. The ER doc gave me a few antibiotics until I could get the scrip. The Remote Access Medical team pulled the tooth after I waited on bleachers for hours with a hundred other people suffering from horrible toothaches all around me.

The second time, I had a job and was able to go to the dentist, but the night before, my face swelled and I was in so much pain I was ready to cut off my own jaw. I, too, would have chosen the three dollar pain meds initially just because I was in absolute agony. I mean, fun times, those. Oh yeah....

Guess that makes me a fool too.

[muffin1]

107. You have to be fucking kidding.

A FOOL who just wanted to have fun? Un-fucking-real.

"Fun" pills - $3.00
Antibiotics - $27.00

Which would you "choose" if you were fucking poor?

Good-fucking-god.

:puke:

[joeglow3]

209. Antibiotics - $4 at his local Walgreens

I saw a story where they confirmed they had MULTIPLE antibiotics available in their $4 program. People just need to be educated on their choices.

[AlienGirl]

211. Usually only the common antibiotics--Cipro and other less common antibiotics are excluded

[Warren DeMontague]

135. "fun pills"???

Yeah, in fact, he probably got the deadly tooth infection on purpose, just so he could score a buzz. Par-TAY!

:eyes: :sarcasm:



Jesus. Fucking. Christ.

[coalition_unwilling]

142. Wow, for all-out cruelty and insensitivity, I thought reply #25 had won

the prize. Until I read yours. Welcome to my Ignore list, asshole.

[Bonobo]

151. America's real problem = lack of compassion like you display. nt

[undergroundpanther]

152. Happy you

have no desire to have empathy it might make your'beautiful mind' unhappy.

its easy for fortunate happy people to blame the unfortunate for thier suffering isn't it.
you are an asshole.

[frustrated_lefty]

181. Please illuminatehow precisely antibiotics repair

a fucking abscessed tooth? How they prevent re-infection, or do anything for temperature and contact sensitivity when you've got a hole in you tooth deep enough to result in a lethal infection?

The kid was foolish, but I seriously doubt he was simply looking for a "fun" time. The only thing you can think about when a tooth is that severely damaged is making the pain stop.

[chervilant]

182. Gosh...

Go to ignore; go directly to ignore. Do not pass go, do not collect $200...

[unkachuck]

94. another casualty of capitalist for-profit healthcare....n/t

[Blue_Tires]

221. stories like this make healthcare CEOs all orgasmic inside

:puke:

[Enthusiast]

96. One hell of a way to die..........nt

[Rex]

99. A rotten tooth can kill you.

Had a few infected teeth in my time and they made me miserable.

[NorthCarolina]

103. Some additional Info from CBS News

Calls to Willis' family were not immediately returned. University Hospital in Cincinnati, where Willis was admitted, did not comment, citing federal privacy laws.

"People don't realize that dental disease can cause serious illness," said Dr. Irvin Silverstein, a dentist at the University of California at San Diego. "The problems are not just cosmetic. Many people die from dental disease."

Willis' story is not unique. In 2007, 12-year-old Deamonte Driver also died when a tooth infection spread to his brain. The Maryland boy underwent two operations and six weeks of hospital care, totaling $250,000. Doctors said a routine $80 tooth extraction could have saved his life. His family was uninsured and had recently lost its Medicaid benefits, keeping Deamonte from having dental surgery.

"When people are unemployed or don't have insurance, where do they go? What do they do?" Silverstein said. "People end up dying, and these are the most treatable, preventable diseases in the world."

Link: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/insurance-24-year-dies-toothache/story?id=14438171

[muffin1]

112. Jesus. Who ARE we?

:cry:

[man4allcats]

115. This is terrible! The poor man!

If you're ever in such a situation, get on the web and do a local search. It's definitely not guaranteed and maybe this guy tried without success, but it's worth a shot. Google things in your area like "free clinics." You likely won't find any free ones, but you might find some sliding scale ones that can perhaps help. If by chance you're in Houston (Harris County, Texas), go to Gold Card - Harris County Hospital District. I'm using it now because I have no medical insurance. It's not perfect, but it will help with dental as well as other medical problems. Remember, the web is your friend. It might be the only one you've got.

[Tsiyu]

119. If you have the web or access thereto that's a great idea

But I've been internetless for a few months now. Poor is poor.
When you're poor you may not have access to a computer, or a
car or other transportation to get to a computer.

What we need is real health care in this country, not a scam
profitting the middlemen and the pharm co's and the insurance
co's, but a real, honest-to-goddess health care system.

We pay more than any other "modern" nation - often ten times more -
in health care costs, yet we live on average three years less than
Canadians do, and most of us are either uninsured or underinsured,
with no ability to get even primary, basic care.

It's a joke, the system we have. But the rich sure do love it.
(Maybe if we give them another tax break things will get better....)

[man4allcats]

122. You are right on all counts - well, I'm not too sure about giving those rich SOBs

another tax break ;-), but your points are well taken. One other thing I should have mentioned but didn't is that if you are without web access, the public library can often take care of that for you. Again it's not ideal, but at least if you have a library card you can use their public computers for access. It's better than nothing.

"See, the sad thing about a guy like you is in 50 years you're gonna start doin' some thinkin' on your own and you're gonna come up with the fact that there are two certainties in life. One, don't do that. And Two, you dropped a hundred and fifty grand on a fuckin' education you coulda got for a dollar fifty in late charges at the public library." - Good Will Hunting.

[eilen]

196. I've read that many communities are closing public libraries

d/t budget cuts.
http://www.foxcharlotte.com/news/top-stories/88458092.html
http://www.aolnews.com/2010/03/27/shhh-thats-the-sound-of-public-libraries-closing/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/15/philadelphia-libraries-cl_n_287745.html
http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/local_news/new_jersey/camden-closing-library-system-20100806-apx

[man4allcats]

201. Yes, that IS unfortunate. n/t

:-(

[upi402]

117. sucks to be in an evil country that's so rich and chooses this path. n/t

[Xithras]

120. A couple hundred years ago this was a fairly common way to die.

Conservative values...bringing back 1776 bit by bit.

By the way, in addition to the other reasons already cited here, you have to remember that the law didn't require parents to cover their kids, and not all will. I've known more than a few "parents" who booted their kids out the door on their 18th birthday, once their "legal obligation" ended. People tend to forget that there are a lot of amazingly shitty parents in this country.

[coalition_unwilling]

143. 1776? I think you mean 1618 (start of the 30 Years War), or maybe

the 14th Century (time of the Black Death that killed off 33% of the globe from Iceland to India).

[Shining Jack]

123. What a horrible story.

He basically died because he couldn't "afford to live". :(

[coalition_unwilling]

144. Perfect case in point of Repuke health care reform. If you can

pay, you live. If you cannot pay, just die already.

[sam11111]

154. Home - PULL AT home- website w/ howto fm real dentists needed

Many need such
No way around it

PS only way to get greedheads out of healthcare is

Set AVG usa income as max for All in All parts of US healthcare

Sweden had $10 000 as dr pay in 1990

[Le Taz Hot]

158. And I had a dentist recommend using

a mixture of diluted hydrogen peroxide on an infected mouth. At the very least it will keep the infection from spreading.

[Vinca]

160. Even if his parents had been able to afford to keep him on their plan -

assuming they have one - not every plan has dental coverage. This story is horrible. It makes me ashamed to be a citizen of a country that values war over its citizens.

[ooglymoogly]

162. Growing numb from the heartache. This country has reached

the depths only a craven dictatorship could sink....seems to me the hospital is at fault here for not assessing the situation and giving the boy a full course of antibiotics in one injection. We are regressing so fast we cannot see the fullness of the misery brought on by these asinine, dangerous and short sighted policies. The IQ of this country has gone from above room temperature to cold hearted idiocy.

[Doctor_J]

163. For those who don't seem to get it, THIS IS THE ONLY COUNTRY WHERE THIS WOULD HAPPEN

In any other industrialized country this would have been completely paid for, and Mr. Willis would have known about and made use of a local practitioner for free. This case is a disgrace to the entire nation

[OnlinePoker]

190. Not in Canada

Dental is not included as a health care cost.

[Spider Jerusalem]

198. Dental treatment isn't free on the NHS in Britain either

unless one is qualified for free treatment (under 18, in receipt of benefit, etc).

[durablend]

165. Just another sign

Of just how 'useless' we're considered to our overlords. Cost too much to employ (compared to some kid in China), whine about everything (waa I need some place to live, waaa I need to eat, waa waa waa), and don't have money to prop up the facade (BUY BUY BUY!!!!), so they're slowly whittling the "problem" down in whatever way they can.

[coalition_unwilling]

171. "The Capitalists will sell us the rope with which we shall hang them" -- attributed

to V.I. Lenin, ca. 1920.

Awesome synopsis of the current situation, btw. Katrina proves, if any proof were needed, that the ruling class doesn't give a shit about the masses.

[Doctor_J]

178. Yeah? When

do the hangings start? You sound lust like the "Wingers have overplayed their hand" crowd that we've been hearing from for 20 years. Ain't gonna happen

[coalition_unwilling]

179. Yipes -- if you can't appreciate Lenin's dark humor, I'm

at a loss as to what to tell you.

Lenin's point to Zenoviev with his witticism was that capitalists will put the profit motive above anything and everything, even if doing so leads to their own destruction.

[BeliQueen]

166. Less expensive options

Having the tooth pulled would have cost less if he had gone to a university dental school--sometimes less than the cost of a visit to the emergency room--someone should have given him that option.

Most medical professionals will work with you to set up a payment plan.

[lynne]

170. Both Walmart & Target fill certain RX for $5. each -

- and one grocery store in my area actually charges zero for certain antibiotics. Seems to me if he had told the Dr. that he didn't have the money, the Dr. could have prescribed one of the $5. drugs.

I think this poor guy was a victim of being 24 and thinking he was infallible. The Dr. obviously didn't impress upon him the seriousness of his condition and the young man chose the wrong horse in filling the pain med instead of the antibiotic.

Quite sad . . .

[ooglymoogly]

205. Ha! I laugh at this funny joke. Ever tried that

Here is the stock response 9 times out of 10..."Oh that drug is not covered under the $5 policy." Meanwhile they have roped in lots of new suckers.

[ifyousayso]

172. Your lookin at this all wrong

Yur lookin at this all wrong. Whats good is the fedral guverment coodnt forse the man to buy helth insuranse or come between him and his doctors. The guverment wood have ruined that mans helth care! You dont want some guverment burocrat makin your helth care decizyons do you? Thats socializm! Freedom is more important than helth care. Also payin for that mans medicin wood have increesed the fedral defisit.

America is the gratest cuntry in the world! :patriot:

[durablend]

177. And teh deth panelz...dont forgets those!

I'll takes mines in oak, thanksyou!

[ananda]

176. Used to be a person could go to the local barber...

... and get a tooth extracted for nothing or next to nothing.

[Brigid]

214. Umm . . .

wasn't that back in the Middle Ages? I don't think we'd want to go back there. x(

[Riley18]

183. Dental health should be part of all medical Insurance coverage.

[Divine Discontent]

206. it is shocking that dental isn't included as medical coverage. I agree. It's an integral part of

the body, and even when I was working at a very good job, dental was sort of an expensive luxury to use. That's so sad. My teeth are horrible. This could have been me. God willing, it won't be, but there are so many people without dental care, and lacking in any way to receive it. Even the charity organizations are swamped and cannot get to even a decent portion of people desperate for care.

We are quickly becoming a nation of oral diseased serfs!

[Beacool]

191. Sickening, just sickening!!!!

A total disgrace that he died. We are soon becoming a third world nation.

May he rest in peace.

:(

[Stuart G]

197. k & r thanks for posting...nt

[Catherine Vincent]

199. How terrible

Years ago, a co-worker of mine brother died from an infected tooth. :(

[Name removed]

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