July 6, 2008
Jane Liaw
The Sacramento Bee
As a pediatric dentist, Dr. James Musser sees many cautionary tales.
In his 26 years of practice in Sacramento County, Musser has on occasion placed stainless steel crowns on all of a young patient's rotted baby teeth. Sometimes these tiny teeth are so decayed they are unsalvageable, and he must remove them all.
"Parents think they get a free ride on the first set," Musser said. "But baby teeth can decay and abscess, and the child can go through severe pain."
Musser sees some of the most serious cases in the county because he is one of the few pediatric specialists able to administer the general anesthesia that many of the patients referred to him require during treatment.
Tooth decay is children's worst chronic health problem, a "hidden epidemic," according to the Dental Health Foundation's 2006 "California Smile Survey."
And dental health officials say the problem will only get worse with a 10 percent cut to Medi-Cal that took effect statewide Tuesday as part of the state's effort to deal with the state budget deficit.
In Sacramento, Yolo, Amador, El Dorado and Placer counties, about 65 percent of children living in poverty do not have adequate access to dental care, according to the Sacramento District Dental Foundation. Statewide studies have shown that poor access is the result of lack of insurance and a limited number of dentists providing care for uninsured or underinsured patients.
Across California, children have more dental problems than children in most other states, according to the Smile Survey.
Copyright © The Sacramento Bee
Please visit the website to view the article in its entirety.
 |
Richmond dentist says: | 2010-07-16 04:19:39 |
| Good dental care is important especially to children teaching them with good dental habits will make them carry it to adulthood. We at http://www.martinsmiles.com/ believe in good information about good dental care. |
||
|
Childrens says: | 2010-11-11 20:48:01 |
| Healthy teeth are important to your child''s overall health. From the time your child is born, there are things you can do to promote healthy teeth. For babies, you should clean teeth with a soft, clean cloth or baby''s toothbrush. http://mychildrenschoice.com visit this site to avoid childrens problems. | ||
Comments: 2