Tooth pain is the number one reason for hospital emergency room visits,
Dental pain can be excruciating. It interrupts sleep, makes people irritable, and interferes with regular attendance and performance at work or school.

Limited access to dental care increases homeless people’s high risk for oral pathologies, often resulting in loss of function, self-esteem and well-being. Health Care for the Homeless projects are endeavoring to fill the gaps in dental services for this vulnerable, hard-to reach population through public/ private partnerships.

People with rotten or missing teeth look unhealthy, uneducated, unintelligent, and unreliable to
employers. They often have trouble eating and avoid social interactions, exacerbating the isolation of homelessness.

SELF-ESTEEM Eliminating dental disease in homeless persons often involves getting rid of their infected teeth, but promoting oral health and well-being involves much more than eliminating disease.  Medical providers should consider the effects of dental problems on how people present to others. When you fix someone’s smile, you enhance their self-esteem.

Poor oral health complicates other heath challenges.
Diabetes and HIV/AIDS are among the chronic conditions frequently seen in homeless patients that exacerbate oral disease. People with diabetes don’t heal well and are three times more likely to have periodontal disease than persons with normal blood sugar levels.

New Teeth can mean a New Life
When asked what would most improve his life, a homeless patient answered, ‘Dentures.’ Getting dentures ramatically improved his self-confidence and his attitude toward his health. He has since cut down on smoking, communicates easily with others, and can eat nuts, the food he missed most when he didn’t have teeth.