Toothaches a headache for FL emergency rooms

Hospital ERs can't fix dental problems, but they are increasingly the medical destination for the state's under-insured, a new study finds. More than 139,000 Floridians with toothaches, oral sores, cavities and related complaints sought out the emergency departments in 2012, a 6.4 percent increase over the previous year, according to the Florida Public Health Institute. The price: about $141 million. "The numbers are alarming," said Dr. Roderick King, executive director of the institute. "It's hard to believe we're spending so much money on dental care in the ER."