Dental experience with inmates?

[Smilemaker100]

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I already am lined up with this full time associate position but recently was sent a job ad requesting a dentist on a half day basis once a week at a detention center located in my city.

I was just curious to see if anyone has had experience working with inmates, especially if you are a woman. Just out of curiousity, do you present yourself with your actual name or a pseudonym? Also, are these fellows' arms and legs strapped down? I imagine that the guard or sheriff must be present too.

I would never of course contemplate the idea because my mama wouldn't be able to sleep at night (she doesn't get much sleep as it is anyhow 😉 ...God forbid if I ever treat prisoners 😱 LOL! )

 

[tx oms]

I already am lined up with this full time associate position but recently was sent a job ad requesting a dentist on a half day basis once a week at a detention center located in my city.

I was just curious to see if anyone has had experience working with inmates, especially if you are a woman. Just out of curiousity, do you present yourself with your actual name or a pseudonym? Also, are these fellows' arms and legs strapped down? I imagine that the guard or sheriff must be present too.

I would never of course contemplate the idea because my mama wouldn't be able to sleep at night (she doesn't get much sleep as it is anyhow 😉 ...God forbid if I ever treat prisoners 😱 LOL! )

I don't introduce myself.

If the inmates are away from their own prison, their hands and feet are shackled and the shackles are chained to a belt or second chain around their waste. However, at least here, if they are in their own prison they are not shackled unless they are max security.

A guard must be present at all times, though most of the guards are extremely fat 45+ years olds who wouldn't have a chance if they needed to do fight an inmate.

If you're a woman I wouldn't work in the prison. The nurses at the prison I go to tell me inmates exposes themselves to the females regularly. Also, prison dentistry around here is very different from private practice. The guys here only take panos and treat everything with amalgam or a forcep and removable pros.

 

[toofache32]

The guys here only take panos and treat everything with amalgam or a forcep and removable pros.

Damn that's high-tech for a prison. The OMFS residents here take turns going to the county jail to do extractions every Saturday. It's the place that time forgot....no xrays and about 4 instruments to choose from. And Marcaine. No handpieces. They line up about 60 prisoners down the hallway. They're mostly young people without health problems (as far as they know), so I just yell down the hall for anyone to raise their hand if they have a heart murmer, etc. Then I numb the first poor bastard in line right there in front of everybody. About 1/4 of them leave and go back to their cells when they see that, and I get to go home earlier.

They all ask for "good" pain medicine, but the jail here only allows us to give ibuprofen or tylenol.

 

[lnn2]

Tx oms is right. Prison ain't no place for a doll! Those fellows' arms and legs might be strapped down but they can't strap other stuff down!

 

[lnn2]

Then I numb the first poor bastard in line right there in front of everybody. About 1/4 of them leave and go back to their cells when they see that, and I get to go home earlier.

lol! NICE!
I knew you were good for something!

The nurses at the prison I go to tell me inmates exposes themselves to the females regularly.

You can't blame a sexually frustrated guy for trying!

 

[Smilemaker100]

Tx oms is right. Prison ain't no place for a doll! Those fellows' arms and legs might be strapped down but they can't strap other stuff down!

LOL! A doll? oooooooooo Thanks ! 🙂 Other "stuff"? LOL!

 

[omfsres]

lol! NICE!
I knew you were good for something!

You can't blame a sexually frustrated guy for trying!

The prison I go to has tooth picks and plastic spoons. If you can't get a tooth out with that you're lower than a 1 month OMS intern.

 

[Smilemaker100]

lol! NICE!
I knew you were good for something!

You can't blame a sexually frustrated guy for trying!

Well, from what I have heard, the inmates don't only expose themselves in front of women but men too...a little bit of male "bonding" goes on in prisons too. 😱 So if you're a male dentist...it doesn't necessarily mean you are "spared" !

 

[DcS]

don't drop the soap

 

[DrJeff]

I already am lined up with this full time associate position but recently was sent a job ad requesting a dentist on a half day basis once a week at a detention center located in my city.

I was just curious to see if anyone has had experience working with inmates, especially if you are a woman. Just out of curiousity, do you present yourself with your actual name or a pseudonym? Also, are these fellows' arms and legs strapped down? I imagine that the guard or sheriff must be present too.

I would never of course contemplate the idea because my mama wouldn't be able to sleep at night (she doesn't get much sleep as it is anyhow 😉 ...God forbid if I ever treat prisoners 😱 LOL! )

Put it this way, a good chunk of your patient population last year at SF probably should have been in chains and shackles, especially when you were doing emergency/oral surgery rotation! 😉 😱 😀

If you really wanted to do some prison dentistry, then look for a all female prison. Not to be sexist or anything, but you really, really don't as a female want to be working in a male prison, the harassment alone could cause some serious psychological/mental self consciuos issues 😱

 

[OMFSCardsFan]

If you're a woman I wouldn't work in the prison. The nurses at the prison I go to tell me inmates exposes themselves to the females regularly. Also, prison dentistry around here is very different from private practice. The guys here only take panos and treat everything with amalgam or a forcep and removable pros.

A girl that I graduated dental school with went to work in the Michigan prison system. Last that I heard, she was hating it. I would do a lot of investigating before signing on for one of these gigs...

 

[Smilemaker100]

Put it this way, a good chunk of your patient population last year at SF probably should have been in chains and shackles, especially when you were doing emergency/oral surgery rotation! 😉 😱 😀

If you really wanted to do some prison dentistry, then look for a all female prison. Not to be sexist or anything, but you really, really don't as a female want to be working in a male prison, the harassment alone could cause some serious psychological/mental self consciuos issues 😱

LOL! Yes, Dr Jeff, you can definitely say that some of the patients I saw during my residency were quite the caracters. 🙄 Thank goodness they weren't the first patients I had in dental school because that might have discouraged me from pursuing this career . 🙄 It was quite the experience ! I could write quite the entertaining book consisting of a collection of ER stories I experienced. Darn! I miss the ER! 🙁

NO, I do not really want to do some "prison dentistry". It's just that I was sent some ad looking for a dentist to treat inmates and I wanted to see what people had to say, for curiousity's sake. I was actually online last night with my little brother and my mother was around. I asked my brother what mom would think about me treating inmates and it was a resounding "NO! " (No surprise there!) She worries enough about me. I don't need to give her more panic attacks and ulcers by working in a detention center 😉

 

[Smilemaker100]

A friend of mine from dental school was chatting online with me this evening and told me that a collegue of ours who is specializing in endo, has been "practicing" apicoectomies on inmates.

I wonder what else prisoners are subjected to. What kind of "experiments" do doctors/scientists conduct on inmates? Does that still happen? Do they have to sign consent forms?

 

[mailfroggys]

getting interviewed at San Quentin prison next week..any tips? what kind of questions do they ask? thanks!!