How is it like to work in Minnesota with Dental Therapists?

[Tedic]

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Do they affect your practice? Are they mostly in FQHCs?

 

[Cold Front]

Do they affect your practice? Are they mostly in FQHCs?

I have few friends (4-5) in MN who have dental therapists working in their practices. They are all in a heavy Medicaid non-FQHC offices in the twin cities area (Minneapolis/St Paul).

They keep their therapists very busy and some even have additional privileges - and can perform more procedures without a direct supervision. It’s almost like having a dentist just doing the bread and butter procedures.

There are now almost 2 dozen states who have approved some form of dental therapy, and I think Wisconsin is about to approve them for that state in the coming weeks/months. In the long run, most states will have dental therapists - maybe in a decade or so.


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[AONLINE]

I've been following this thread on DentalTown about dental therapy: Dentaltown - Where The Dental Community Lives®. You'll find some good resources from practicing dentists who have some experiences with dental therapists.

 

[Tedic]

Thank you

 

[monkeykey]

I have few friends (4-5) in MN who have dental therapists working in their practices. They are all in a heavy Medicaid non-FQHC offices in the twin cities area (Minneapolis/St Paul).

They keep their therapists very busy and some even have additional privileges - and can perform more procedures without a direct supervision. It’s almost like having a dentist just doing the bread and butter procedures.

There are now almost 2 dozen states who have approved some form of dental therapy, and I thispeadingnk Wisconsin is about to approve them for that state in the coming weeks/months. In the long run, most states will have dental therapists - maybe in a decade or so.


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Do dental therapists in these states bring down earning potential for dentists in these states? Do you see dental therapists spreading to more states in the future? Can they form their own private practices?

 

[Cold Front]

Do dental therapists in these states bring down earning potential for dentists in these states? Do you see dental therapists spreading to more states in the future? Can they form their own private practices?

They cannot open their own practices, yet. There were about 15 or so states that adapted the dental therapist formula within the last 10 years... and eventually, the rest will have some form of dental therapy. The argument that makes a strong case for dental therapists is - young dentists don’t want to work in rural areas (even with loan forgiveness programs), and older dentists can’t be bothered.


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[ElCubanito]

It seems dental therapists are a great solution for the Medicare crowd. There are a lot of underserved areas that need basic procedures done.

 

[pubhealthdent]

Problem is the dental therapists are mostly staying in the urban areas. The original idea was from them to work in underserved (rural) areas to improve access to care but in Minnesota at least this isn't happening. The majority (75% at last I saw) are in the Twin Cities