As chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, I recently held a hearing about the dental care crisis in the United States. Ahead of that hearing, I asked Americans from across the country to share their experiences with dental care in our country.
Nearly one out of every five seniors in America have lost all of their natural teeth and, many of them cannot afford dentures. Among older Americans, 70% have some sort of periodontal disease, which can lead to rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular disease. The dental crisis does not just impact seniors. More than 40% of children in America have tooth decay by the time they reach kindergarten – primarily because their parents could either not afford or could not find a dentist on time.