CRITICAL CONDTION: Dental care access could improve

LAKELAND, FL -- For 19-year-old Chelsea Gray, a trip to the dentist should be old hat. But that's not the case.

"I've probably been to the dentist like three or four times throughout my whole life being because I didn't have easy access to health insurance," she says.

And she says she was 15 the first time she saw a dentist. Today she was one of more than 12,000 patients who dentists see here at the Polk County Dental Clinic in Lakeland.

The majority of those patients are young adults like Chelsea or kids like 4-year-old Noah. Both of their visits are covered by Medicaid. But Polk County Dental Director Dr. Donald Wilhelm says his clinic only scratches the surface of the need.

"Those individuals who have never been to the dentist are not aware of oral health measures and preventative measures to take care of their teeth and we see this when we go into the school systems," Wilhelm says.

Roughly 44% of today's health care plans include dental, according to recent studies. If the health care reform passes, that could change. Insurance plans would then be required to provide every kid with dental coverage.

And that means kids like Chelsea won't have wait 15 years to visit a dentist, a trip she looks forward to.

"I like to go to the dentist. I want nice teeth," Chelsea says.