The results of the second (1995) and third (2005) national oral health epidemiological surveys in China show that the incidence of caries (tooth decay) and periodontal disease among Chinese adults is very high, even approaching 100% in some age groups, and the treatment rate is very low. This data is very indicative of how poor the oral health of Chinese people is and how little attention is paid to oral health. During my study in the United States, I talked to many Chinese practicing dentists about the differences between China and the United States and had some feelings. Shan Xiaofeng, Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University Stomatology Hospital Unlike China, 85% of the dentists in the United States are general practitioners. The vast majority of these general dentists practice on their own and have their own regular patient base. On the flip side, almost every American will have his or her own dentist. Americans will start going to the dentist from birth with their first milk tooth, starting with some health promotion for parents, and slowly the dentist will lead some games to teach little ones to brush their teeth and start bi-annual oral exams. If there are no cavities, the child will be invited to join the no cavity club, which is a great honor and a great encouragement for the child. After that, they will have their teeth cleaned twice a year and x-rays taken twice a year. As an adult, regular visits to the dentist and oral exams have become a part of life. It would probably be as hard as not brushing your teeth if you didn’t see a dentist for a year. Because of the oral health education you receive from a young age, you take your oral health very seriously, so you have a lot of trust in your dentist. At the clinic, I saw the saying “Here at ** dentistry, our patients become our family and friends. I think this saying is particularly good, slowly build a friend and family-like relationship between the doctor and the patient, and naturally will not be nervous to see the doctor. At this point, it seems that the story of American dental care has already been told and there is nothing more to say. In fact, the story has just begun. When it comes to dental care, there is always the question of money. As mentioned in a previous article, dental insurance is only about 2,000 dollars a year, which is fine for cleaning and filling teeth, but not enough for more complicated treatments. For the poor, the government’s medicaid is even more harsh, some states do not give coverage for root canal treatment for pulpitis, and can only choose to extract teeth. For the non-poor, not much better. Americans are not like Chinese people like to save money, the old American money will be spent, there is no money left over. Although the salary is paid once every 2 weeks, it is really spent by 2 weeks. If Friday is the bill day, the old American will calculate Wednesday to send out the check also fill in the number of money, in fact, there is no money in the account. When the paycheck is sent out on Thursday, there will be money in the account, and when the bill is sent to the bank on Friday, there will be no problem of no money in the account. The problem is that paychecks are sometimes sent a day late, and the consequences can be imagined as serious. The story of the American dental visit is an inspiring one. The American teacher told me that you don’t go to DIAGNOSIS (diagnose) whether the patient has money, you just go to diagnose the disease, the patient himself will go to figure out how to solve the problem of money, go to borrow money or go to loan, yes loan for dental care! During the visit, I met a white woman in her thirties, who had bad teeth due to drug addiction and was now clean and starting dental treatment. When we met, the upper jaw teeth have been treated to end, do a lot of porcelain crowns, the lower jaw teeth have a lot of cavities pulpitis (inflammation of the nerve), but there is no money to cure, are just doing a simple open, to avoid acute pain. Because the teeth were so bad, the dentist decided to extract all the teeth in the lower jaw in preparation for the dental implants. This patient had a difficult time finding a job because of her unpleasant history and found a delivery job. She told the dentist that her lower jaw teeth hurt a little now, but she could tolerate it. Now that I have found a job, I will work hard and slowly save money to get the teeth in my jaw. I was moved listening to this story! Why do Americans pay so much attention to their teeth? For Americans who like to smile, teeth are a part of the face. A bright smile represents a spiritual outlook and a heartbeat. Love yourself so that you can love life. A mouthful of teeth has a tooth’s own story.