More kids are in ERs for tooth pain. Trump cuts and RFK Jr.'s anti-fluoride fight aren't helping.

More Kids Are in ERs for Tooth Pain. Trump Cuts and RFK Jr.’s Anti-Fluoride Fight Aren’t Helping.

Eight-year-old Jonah woke up one May morning with a swollen face and a toothache. He refused the pain medication that his mom, Geneva Reynolds, tried to give him. He didn’t sleep or eat and cried constantly. Within a few days, Reynolds became so desperate that she and her husband had to physically restrain Jonah, dumping pain medication down his throat as he screamed in pain. “It broke our hearts,” said Reynolds, who lived in Georgetown, Kentuck…

More kids are in ERs for tooth pain. Trump cuts and RFK Jr.'s anti-fluoride fight aren't helping.

Dentists, hygienists, and researchers say a shortage of rural dental care professionals and worsening oral hygiene since the COVID-19 pandemic mean more kids are ending up in the emergency room for tooth decay.