Can MDs fix teeth (work as dentists)

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chury

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I asked some questions about Harvard dental school and their curriculum.

Here are some very confusing replies which I find pretty unbelivable. Like MDs can fix teeth and do root canals if they want(they are licensed to do that), dentist can become anestesiologists without going through med.school, and dentists can prescribe all drugs they want even diuretics, beta-blockers, SSRIs, etc. Any comments?


"A couple of things for your enlightenment here. First off my DEA license lets me prescribe any and all medications that an MD/DO can. Granted in general I only will write for anti-biotics/ pain meds/ occasional sedatives/ and anti histamines, but if I want to write for nitro or a beta blocker I certainly can.

Secondly, as a licensed MD/DO you technically are licensed to preform a root canal and any dental procedure that you feel fit to try. Granted you'll be held up to the same standards by a jury as I can do them at, but you can still do them if you want!


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Posts: 58 | From: Brooklyn, ct | Registered: Dec 2000 | IP: Logged

neeky
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posted January 08, 2002 11:34 AM
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DRJeff,
you are my hero, your posts are always informative and helpful and needless to say reassuring... by the way I am going to UConn next year...and will be learning all my basic sciences!

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"I either like people too much or not at all"
-Sylvia Plath

"She's a myth, a ghost, an extraterrestrial, not a person in the PHONE BOOK"
-high fidelity


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Ineedanassociate
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posted January 08, 2002 01:31 PM
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Dr. Jeff is correct on both points of contention. Here in Vermont the state Dental Practice act does allow physcians to practice dentistry if they wish. Do you know of any Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons without dental school training? Second Anaesthesiaoligists who went to dental school first administer and Rx a whole variety of medications and most of them only went to dental school.
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Posts: 41 | From: Enosburg Falls Vermont | Registered: Aug 2001 | IP: Logged

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Dentistry is recognized (in NY State and I'm sure in most others)as a unique field with its own schools and licensing exams,therefore it cannot be imagined that the license to practice "medicine and surgery" in New York would in any way legally qualify an MD/DO to perform dental extractions or perform root canal under any routine situation.Similarly a dentist who prescribed beta blockers and diuretics in a fashion which is not consistent with usual dental practice would put their license at risk very quickly.
Veterinarians can also prescribe beta blockers,diuretics and everything else so long as it relates to the treatment of animals.MDs and dentists cannot legally prescribe or medically treat animals under most cicumstances.The situation in other states may well be different but the legal risk of doing anything you are not trained for and clearly qualified to do is very great regardless of what diplomas may be are hanging on your wall.
 
I would clarify the above to indicate that otolaryngologists and plastic surgeons may well perform procedures which would ovelap with dentists or oral surgeons.
 
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My uncle is a licensed DDS in New York. I was looking at his DEA license and he can legally prescribe schedule II, III, IV and V drugs. I don't know if dentists can prescribe any medication under the sun, but they aren't as restricted as some may think.
 
I asked some of my professors at my dental school - which is in NY State, and they all told me that MD's can legally perform dental treatments if they wished to do so.
 
Hello. I just would like to know if an MD could prescribe any prescription drugs, even if the prescription drug is not relevant to your practice. For ex, can an orthopaedic prescribe a drug for diarrhea or something? In this particular case, I am pretty sure that this orthopaedic could refer the patient to an Internist, but can this orthopaedic prescribe a drug for diarrhea if he wants to?
What about to his immediate families?

Thanks~
 
Originally posted by Mr. Eastern Medicine:
•Hello. I just would like to know if an MD could prescribe any prescription drugs, even if the prescription drug is not relevant to your practice. For ex, can an orthopaedic prescribe a drug for diarrhea or something? In this particular case, I am pretty sure that this orthopaedic could refer the patient to an Internist, but can this orthopaedic prescribe a drug for diarrhea if he wants to?
What about to his immediate families?

Thanks~•••

A medical doctor is legally able to prescribe anything, regardless of his medical specialty. Thus, there are no laws prohibiting an orthopedic surgeon from prescribing an anti-diarrheal (and as a matter of fact, there shouldn't be, as surgeons manage medical problems, especially in their hospitalized patients). You must be comfortable, however, with the possible effects of the medicines you prescribe (ie, is the orthopedic surgeon comfortable starting a patient on a beta-blocker, seizure med, cholesterol lowering agent? Probably not.). The orthopedist should know when a patient needs referral to another practitioner (ie, a patient with a chance in bowel function) but should also be able to ascertain what general medicine problems he can handle (ie, acute problems like headache, infections, diarrhea/constipation, etc.).

Physicians are also able/allowed to prescribe drugs to their immediate families. The trick is with restricted medications. For example, I might be tempted to prescribe myself some Tylenol #3s or even something stronger to deal with my headaches - but I refrain from doing so. Tylenol #3 is relatively benign, but once you start prescribing yourself narcotics (and the pharmacist fills them) you are opening yourself up for a lot of trouble. Same for family - obviously given my current station, I'm not going around prescribing meds for my family members and I imagine I will be fairly conservative about doing so. Antibiotics for an obvious infection? Probably. Psychotropic, narcotics and cardiac drugs? Most likely not. Anything out of my area of expertise (which does not include general medicine, but rather "specialty" drugs) I would avoid writing for. Remember you are liable for any adverse reactions - so if your auntie has a reaction to the Cipro you've given her for a UTI, you're to blame (at least in her eyes, and probably those of her lawyer). I'd stay away from it, at least dem's my thoughts now.
 
Thannks for your response Kimberli.

Well, if you dont mind, I would like to ask
you another question. Can Family Practice MDs or Internal Medicine MDs prescribe ANY medications legally to any patients without getting into trouble with the DEA? -Because these doctors tend to do a little bit of everything. I mean, these doctors should refer to other specialties in some situations. It seems like there are not specific regulations as who could prescribe what to whom.
What do you think?
Thanks~
 
I'm going to go to Pikeville Osteopathic Med school in Aug. Because the school tries to crank out the most competent general prac. in 4 years, we are required to take dentistry classes because if in a rual community, there might not be a dentist on call at 4 in the morning in the ER. I find this very beneficial because I take a lot of med. mission trips to the 3rd world and many times the docs finish up before the dentists so it'll be nice to be able to hop on over and help the dentists finish up at the end of the day. Later!
 
Hey south, that is so cool! Do you guys learn extractions and stuff or even fillings and root canals? Definately a good idea. Even though I will probably do some specialty I still have this dream of being a solo practioner in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Dental stuff would be helpful.
 
I'm not quite sure of the extent of the training; I'd imagine that extractions will be part of it. There really isn't that much to an extraction, I've done some while on mission trips as an undergrad because the dentists arms were so tired from pulling teeth, that we'd take turns pulling.

I don't start until Aug, so I'm sure I'll find out soon enough.

-Later
 
nyskindr:

I agree with your statement and wish to elaborate on it. Technically yes, an A or B (Physician and Dentist DEA number codes) prescriber can ask for whatever he/she wants. BUT, the DEA Book says that prescribers must remain "within the scope of practice." That means that a pharmacist will fill a dentists' prescription for morphine regularly, but can outright refuse a prescription from the same prescriber writing for Progestasert because it is not within reasonable range of what he is supposed to be doing.

As for medical procedures, technically a internal nedicine doctor can perform neurosurgery, but is held to the applicable standands of neurosurgery. Facing that, it is unrealistic for doctors to deviate from their fields.
 
lord is correct in his first statement. If a DDS Rx's birth control pills he/she is practicing outside the scope or his/her license and can get in trouble for that. Technically a DDS can write the Rx, but they are at risk. Some areas are real grey, i.e. Rx'ing for strep throat or sinus infection, etc. On the other hand. The state dental act of Texas and its rules and regulations prohibit anyone except a DDS from practicing Dentistry, except for physicians in certian situations. A physician can perform I&D on an odontogenic abscess and possibly extract, but an M.D. cannot perform a root canal or a crown, etc. M.D.'s get absolutely no experience using dental handpieces and other dental equipment. Aside from OMS and ENT most M.D.'s don't have a clue about the teeth or the mouth. Most ER docs I come in contact with don't want to suture in the mouth. None know how to extract a tooth. Many can't even give the proper names of the teeth, etc. An M.D. cannot enter into the unlimited practice of Dentistry!!! Only in acute situations can an M.D. perform certain dental procedures.
 
Forgot to mention Dental Anesthesiology. There are about 8 dental Anesthesiology programs in the US where a DDS can receive training in Anesthesiology. A trained Dental Anesthesiologist can administer GA, deep sedation, etc. ALso, commenting on South's statement. Routine extractions are pretty simple, especially when you have a DDS around to bail you out if you get into trouble, but if you break a root tip in a socket, or worse displace a root tip in the maxillary sinus or the submandibular area you will wish you never started the extraction. If there is pneumatinization of the sinus and you get a sinus exposure upon extraction that can complicate things. Like most of surgery (in general) the routine stuff could be taught to a monkey, it is knowing what to do when problems arise or what problems to anticipate that makes us what we are.
 
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