Can your teeth kill you?
September 4th 2011 20:15
U.S. Man Dies After Tooth Infection Spreads to Brain
A 24-year-old man from Cincinnati died Wednesday from a tooth infection, doctors at the University Hospital in Cincinnati said.
The man, Kyle Willis, nephew of the famous musician Bootsy Collins and father of a 6-year-old girl, died after an infection on his wisdom tooth spread to his brain because he couldn't afford an antibiotic prescribed by the doctors, reported NBC affiliate WLWT.
"The (doctors) gave him antibiotic and pain medication. But he couldn't afford to pay for the antibiotic, so he chose the pain meds, which was not what he needed", Patti Collins, aunt of Kyle told the channel.
The death of the young man shocked his family members and has exposed the reality of many Americans who lack health insurance to cover their dental care.
"What do you mean they're calling the family? (My daughter) said, 'Mom, the infection he had in his tooth has gone to his brain", Collins told WLWT.
About 33 percent of people skip dental care or dental checkups because they can't afford them, according to a study in April from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
In 2003, about 108 million Americans had no dental insurance, according to a report from the U.S. Surgeon General.
Across the country there are several free dental clinics but even if Willis have had access to one of those it couldn't have saved his life because the wait is often months
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Comment by Michael 2
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No one directly involved in the politics of the matter can afford to be truthful about it about it but the facts are these:
When health care is free, more people use it. Even when they don't need it.
This makes the lines longer. Even if you do need it.
So people with acute problems wind up waiting longer. Even if they don't need to.
And in conclusion, if the immune system you were born with can fight what ever ails you longer than your wait in line, then you live. Else you die.
So people with stronger immune systems will survive. People with weaker or weakened immune systems will inevitably die while waiting in line.
Rail against the unfairness of it all if you like, but put your computer mind against the problem and tell me I'd wrong. If you can.
Comment by katyzzz
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We're much better over here in Australia where most of our Doctors are not so greedy as over there.
I think Robin Hood had it right in many ways, and I'm not leftist but I just don't believe in picking on the weak and innocent.
Survival of the fittest is OK up to a point.
But soon the entire population won't be able to look after themselves and the USA is going down the gurgler, you can't sacrifice yourself to help others that way everyone ends up the poorer money wise and health wise.
Never mind, the Chinese will be running the world soon and then there'll be no more arguments.
and I could go on and on and on....but I won't