Hospitals Receive Financial Rewards From Dentists For Not Treating People With Infected Teeth

Ever try going to a hospital emergency room with an infected and abscessed tooth?

Late at night or on the weekend when dentist offices are all closed?

Unable to eat,sleep,work or even think?

With half your face swollen?

Crying out in mortal agony?

The hospitals will hardly do anything at all for you...

They'll ask you if you've gone to the dentist yet about your tooth problem?

Then they'll automatically suspect that your there just to get a hold of some pain killers...

Then they'll give you a small prescription for some penicillin...

And tell you to take some "useless" asprin...

Then send you out the door...

The hospitals must have some kind of behind the scenes money deals worked out with dentists...

I have suffered many times through the most indescribably agonizing and hellish pain because of my teeth,total and absolute torture,like blow torches constantly blasting flames against my throat,face and head...

Many people have actually died horrible deaths from their infected and abscessed teeth,but that sad and sorry fact is severely hushed up by doctors,dentists and the media...

And yet the hospitals around here in mass. anyways are totally and intentionally unequipped to deal with peoples teeth problems and they purposefully downplay the heath issues involving peoples teeth...

Because the hospitals "will not" infringe upon the dentists big business...

The hospitals dont want to jeopardize the financial kick backs they surely receive from the american dental association for sending infected and abscessed toothed patients away untreated every day of the week,just ruthlessly watch them walking out the door,crying in pain,with a swelled up face...

I have seen that happen to people in hospitals around here and its happened to me more than once...

The average dental plan offered by the vast majority of insurance companies only covers two exams and two cleanings per year and to get partial coverage for anything else,which isnt very much,is big money...Of course...

And its a life threatening reality for most people,a greed driven lie and a very sick joke that insurance companies consider dental work a "cosmetic procedure"...

Nothing stands in the way of money,not even human health,not even human lives...

The one thing I truly wondered is why anything done on teeth is only considered cosmetic treatment. A person I knew here locally had two teeth break after hours on a friday night, the next day the teeth started to abscess and by saturday night the pain had reached migraine level. The local ER absolutely refused to treat it under the notion that "It is not a life threatening emergency." No pain medication, no antibiotic, no help getting emergency dental services, nothing!!! By the time the dentist offices opened up on monday morning, the guy was dead from the then septic infection that had developed.

In my county, and every other state I've lived in over the years, not once have I heard of someone with abscessed teeth being sent away without treatment. Everyone knows that an infection like this can travel into the brain or into the blood and kill you. It is considered a life threatening condition, and antibiotics via IV or script are usually given. However, the hospital does not have to prescribe narcotic pain killers, they can prescribe non narcotics if they choose, as one does not need those to kill the infection.

I know all too well the pain of an infected tooth. I think it's the worst thing I've ever had in my life. I'd rather endure an unmedicated labor and delivery, than go through the pain of a toothache! I myself went to the ER once when I had a tooth cause my jaw to swell up. They didn't blink and eye and immediately checked me over and gave me antibiotics.

If there are hospitals that are sending patients away without at the very least, medication to kill the infection.... I'm shocked because they could face a law suit if something fatal arose from that condition. It's nothing to play with.

Also, there's a local story about how our county clinic did a complete turn around on how they treat patients who are in pain. Used to be you were not a priority and were told to go off to the ER if you needed help. What changed this? A woman who was begging the clinic to take her, had been in pain for over 48 hours. They would not see her, despite her begging. She went home, attempted to pull her own tooth out, contracted a serious infection and died two days later. This is what it took for the clinic to revamp their own guidelines on patient care. Now when you call they say to come in right away. You may have to wait, but you do get in for emergency care.

I urge all people who don't have $$$ for the dentist to seek out their county dental clinic..... it is better than doing nothing at all.

reply to post by Overstuffed


Thats a truly horrible story and i dont doubt it for a second,with my own eyes i have seen people in mortal agony from "teeth" problems turned away by hospitals,i have been turned away by them as well...

reply to post by Overstuffed


That is just crazy. Because there are emergency dentists who will see a person with broken teeth, off hours. My brother busted out his front teeth after a bike accident. He met with the dentist that evening at 9 PM.

If I were the family of that person who was refused treatment in the ER I would be getting me one hell of an attorney.

I've seen people go into the ER for the smallest of things. One night I saw a woman come in and complain of a pain in her index finger that would not go away. She parked her butt in the waiting area, knitted, watched tv, and chatted up the other people waiting. Now that is what I find pretty ridiculous.... when people use the ER for the smallest things. And.... they never sent her away.

If anyone out there happens to be anywhere in Massachusetts while suffering in agony from an infected tooth and there are no dental offices open,dont bother going to any hospital emergency rooms,you'll be wasting your time...

Just keep driving till you cross the state line and leave Massachusetts,then perhaps in Rhode Island, New York State,or New Hampshire you'll be able to find adequate treatment for your teeth in a hospital,but i doubt it...

If those places are too far away then just go home in tears of agony and put crushed ice into your mouth every five minutes all through the night and into the morning till a dentist office near you opens...

Getting drunk to numb the pain only makes the pain worse,believe me,i know,ice is the only temporary escape from the hellish pain...

Once someone drives you there,inside the dental office you'll find a dentist whos well aware that hospitals are intentionally sending sick people his way...

Hospitals where people in severe pain from infected teeth are constantly and purposefully turned away untreated every day of the week,in exchange for financial rewards from the American Dental Association,to ensure that thousands of dentists stay in business...

All hospitals everywhere across america and elsewhere employ and utilize dozens,perhaps even hundreds of professionals placed into their perspective positions,educated with knowledge and trained to use all types of modern tools and equipment to deal with and care for every human ailment that can be imagined...

Except for peoples teeth...Hospitals "will not" touch your teeth...

So for what other reason but to aquire financial rewards from dentists,the american dental association,would hospitals be totally unprepared and absolutely unwilling to treat those who go to them in mortal agony from infected teeth while desperately searching for someone there to help them?

reply to post by blocula


I understand your pain I am not in mass but 5 years ago was pregnant with an abscessed tooth and the ER would not touch it. It took about 12 hours but managed to find an emergency dentist. I think it is sick how they can make you wait during such a situation and being pregnant made me panic more. I think dental care is not what it should be and a major cause of additional health problems for many.

reply to post by Overstuffed
What happened to the people in that hospital who turned this guy away who was in terrible pain from severely broken and infected teeth,who then died from it...Nothing...or very close to nothing i suppose?

If i could have,i would have dragged those responsible,kicking and screaming every step of the way,into court and charged them with Involuntary Manslaughter...

But of course the multi-billion dollar big business that the american health care system is,a warped system that perpetually benefits financially from peoples misery and constantly cashes in mega-bucks from other peoples suffering...

Surely has fortified hospitals,their doctors and other professional staff with adequate multi-million dollar insurance coverages...

And positioned for themselves multiple high powered attorneys,gangsters in pin-striped suits driving bmw's,who'll ensure them safety from proper prosecution and punishment,who'll also make sure that justice for the regular nobody,the average tax paying citizen,is never truly served...

Nothing happened to those docs that turned this guy away with no recourse. No inquest, no review board, nothing!!!

It happens more frequently on other issues too.

Originally posted by Overstuffed
Nothing happened to those docs that turned this guy away with no recourse. No inquest, no review board, nothing!!!

It happens more frequently on other issues too.

People young and old dying from teeth problems happens more than most people realize...

Hospitals and hospital emergency rooms and the professionals who they employ adhere to strict pre-arranged guidelines to display a complete unwillingness and a total inability to care for and treat those people who go to them seeking help while suffering from infected,abcessed and broken teeth every day and night of the week...

People with infected,abcessed and broken teeth are experiencing a serious and life threatening health issue and the hospitals know that and even when those sick people show up when theres nowhere else for them to go,the hospitals will still refuse to even touch their teeth and they will send those sick people away...

All that above is severely down played and purposefully hushed up by hospitals,doctors,dentists and the media...

Which proves to me that theres big money deals on-going behind the scenes between hospitals and dentists,the american dental association...

[color=dodgerblue]I had a horrible abscess one time. Went to the ER... got a shot of penicillin.. and some pain pills.. and went home. When I woke up the next day it was clear that we had merely angered it and it was time to go back. When I went back they put me on IV antibiotics, told me I was pregnant and admitted me to the hospital. I later miscarried and to this day I believe it was from the massive amounts of drugs that they pumped into me.

Another time, similar situation.. I went in and they were complete jerks and sent me away not understanding that it takes time to get into the dentist. I was miserable for weeks until I finally found a dentist that would take me at 7 months pregnant.

I really think it just depends on the doctor..

Originally posted by daryllyn
[color=dodgerblue] When I woke up the next day it was clear that we had merely angered it and it was time to go back. When I went back they put me on IV antibiotics, told me I was pregnant and admitted me to the hospital. I later miscarried and to this day I believe it was from the massive amounts of drugs that they pumped into me.

Thanks for your story,i'm sorry that you had to go through that and i think that if the hospital had not found out that you were pregnant,they would have done next to nothing for you about your teeth and quickly sent you on your way out the door...