By now you have probably read, watched, or heard of the ABC News story about the man who died from a toothache.

A brief summary, if not: a 24-year-old man had no health insurance, and thus couldn’t afford to get his wisdom teeth out. They became infected, and the infection spread to his brain, eventually killing him.

Tragic to be sure, and while there’s a massive argument to be had about universal health care, this isn’t the place for it.

Here’s a quote about the other part of this discussion that should be read and absorbed well.

“People don’t realize that dental disease can cause serious illness,” said Dr. Irvin Silverstein, a dentist at the University of California at San Diego.”The problems are not just cosmetic. Many people die from dental disease.”

Heart disease and many other problems are linked to problems that find their origins in the mouth – do some reading at the Mayo Clinic’s website.

In short, find a way to get to your dentist!

One thing that strikes me about ABC’s headline: he didn’t technically die from a toothache. That seems a bit sensationalistic. He died from an infection.