I agree, it's a biased description the article. I'm sure that a journalist could write a similar article about Americans and DIY dentistry right now, and we could blame that on what? Capitalism? There are millions fewer Americans with jobs now than pre-2008 financial crisis, and millions fewer still working without benefits, like dental insurance, or for less pay. I shudder to think what kind of discomfort and pain Americans who can't afford to see the dentist are enduring right now.

I keep hearing how dentists are asking patients to come in for check-ups and cleanings every 4 months, instead of the traditional 6-month intervals. My own dentist did that in 2009, but I immediately figured that it was just to boost his revenue because my teeth and gums are fine. He must have been losing other patients or patients were opting for fewer dental procedures, especially low effort, high profit things like teeth whitening.

Anyway, that said, for a complicated thing like dental care, seems that prevention is the most practical thing for people to focus on, if they ever find themselves in a position where visits to the dentist are not really possible. You can find home remedies for alleviating the pain of a cavity, but what else can the average person do about it? You won't be able to remove the cavity and put in a filling. Or fashion dentures or a partial or do a root canal and stick a nicely shaped crown on it. So prevention seems to be key.

I think nutrition plays are far bigger role in dental health than most people realize, although I don't have any definite ideas of what the ideal diet/lifestyle for dental health is, besides what is healthy in general. I think the sorry state of our diet is a prime contributor to the poor teeth of our youth. The number of children with horrible teeth has been increasing for some time, along with lots of other child health issues like obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes.