‘I’m a 37-year-old with dentures. Teeth should not be rich people bones’

Katelyn Bowden had no dental insurance from age 18. As a result, her oral health deteriorated, along with her mental health, job prospects, and romantic relationships. Today, she is “a 37-year-old with dentures,” as she announced on Twitter. In her series of tweets, she opens up about an issue rarely talked about, the discrepancies in oral health when it comes to those who can’t afford dental insurance. “I was dirt poor for most of my adult life, and worked jobs that didn’t offer dental care (hospitality/serving). Small problems like cavities became BIG problems.”

Teeth should not be “rich people bones”

When Bowden finally got dental insurance, she underwent extensive dental care that was only completed this past January. When she tweeted about her experience, she received over a million views and hundreds of comments from people who had a similar experience. “It was something that I’ve been going through for years and wishing that more people talked about it because it really felt alone to be that self-conscious about smiling,” said Bowden, an artist from Huntsville, Alabama. “I would see the changes in people’s faces. Once they realized that I had bad teeth, their attitude and their opinion of me changed drastically.” [1]

Currently, she has none of her natural teeth and wears full dentures. But before this dental work, people assumed she did drugs, but Bowden states that she had never touched those types of substances. As a child, she had dental insurance and a nice smile. But after she turned 18, her oral health took a turn for the worst.

After graduating high school, she took jobs in the service industry, like bartending, and none of them had dental insurance. So she couldn’t afford regular check-ups and cavity fillings. Bowden says that teeth should not be “rich people bones,” and advocates for affordable dental care for everyone. “I didn’t have Medicaid until after I had my kids. So by the time any dentist was able to look into my mouth, they said, ‘Well, there’s too much work. So we’re just going to pull the ones that are problematic.’” 

https://twitter.com/medus4_cdc/status/1618020779597365249

Read: People Are Getting Jewelry Made From Loved One’s Teeth and I’m So Horrified, I’ll Never Sleep Again

“There is a lot of stigma that comes with having bad teeth.”

Since her cavities had gone untreated, they led to abscesses in her face that put her in the emergency room on several occasions. She endured extended periods of time with toothaches and the inability to chew without feeling pain. But physical pain was only one effect of her declining dental health.

Bowden felt anxiety and shame about her appearance, which led to her isolating herself. A boyfriend broke up with her because he was embarrassed to be seen with her. Additionally, her state closed the doors on many job options. “It was miserable,” Bowden says. “Add to that the mental health toll that it takes on you, where you’re afraid to smile, where people are judging you… there is a lot of stigma that comes with having bad teeth.”

But then she met TC Johnson, the man who became her husband, through Twitter. During their first phone call, she warned him about her oral health and he seemed unbothered. Later, when he proposed, he added that the marriage would bring her onto his dental insurance plan. She could finally receive the dental care she desperately needed. 

So she finally visited her husband’s dentist in 2020. Within the year, she received dentures for her upper teeth. Then she got three implants in her lower jaw to better fit the lower dentures. With a new and full set of teeth, Bowden could enjoy all kinds of food without any pain.

“It’s been a life-changing event,” she says. “I got to eat steak in the past month and it’s fantastic. It felt really good to finally be able to chew a lot of foods that I have been missing. I’ve gained weight, which is great, I needed to.” After sharing her success story online, she received many comments that thanked her for inspiring them to make dentist appointments. 

Many Americans Don’t Have Dental Insurance

Dr. Terri Alani, a dentist in Houston, Texas, comments on Bowden’s case. In her 40 years of experience, she had never had a patient who needed full dentures in their 30s. Most young patients engage in preventative care, like fluoride and sealants. In general, dentists try to maintain people’s natural teeth, but there are cases — like severe bone loss or decay — when that is not possible. “Most of the people I see that are in need of dire dental work are probably in their 50s,” Alani says. “(But) nowadays, because of all the preventive measures, I have patients in their 90s who have all their teeth.”

According to the American Dental Association, one-third of adults in the U.S. don’t have any form of dental coverage. [2] So it’s no surprise that a quarter of adults suffer from untreated tooth decay. [3] Medicaid pays for dental care for children, but adults are only eligible for emergency services, though policies vary depending on the state. A quarter of beneficiaries of Medicare say that their current coverage isn’t enough to maintain their oral health. [4]

And one in four people without dental insurance report that their overall health worsened compared to those with coverage. Many people are unaware of how poor oral health could affect the rest of the body. Dental problems have been suspected to be linked to conditions like cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes. So when people in low-income households are unable to pay for dental work, their overall health can get worse.

“Dental care is the No 1 medical service that Americans skip because of cost,” said Melissa Burroughs, the associate director for the Oral Health Campaign at the non-profit consumer health advocacy organization Families USA. “Oral health is not just a health issue, it’s a social justice and equity issue.” [5]

Keep Reading: Our ‘Turkey teeth’ cost us $4,800 and look lovely but they’ve ruined our lives’