Why Is Accessing Good Dental Care Like Pulling Teeth?

The Science Is There. The Societal Will to Provide and Pay For It—Not So Much

In early January 2018, I began to have a recurring dream. I’m sitting comfortably at the kitchen table surrounded by friends, when one of my teeth falls out. I reach up to my mouth and out come two, three more. Then, I run to the mirror, only to find my mouth full of jagged shards where my teeth used to be.

The location and people I’m sitting beside vary, but the outcome is always the same. My permanent teeth lie cupped in my palm like a handful of trail mix.

Tooth loss …