Skills for General Dentists

[milman]

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What can you do as a general dentist(or if you do in addition a residency in general dentistry), if you practice in a rural area? I heard that those dentists sometimes do some of the work that in the cities would be mainly referred out to the specialists like omfs,endo,etc. Discuss please.

 

[psiyung]

I know of this guy down in Brownsville that does class I ortho, implants, etc because there arent any specialists around the area. He's making a fortune

 

[milman]

I know of this guy down in Brownsville that does class I ortho, implants, etc because there arent any specialists around the area. He's making a fortune

but where did he learn to do those procedures if he didn't specialize in those things? why wouldn't dentists in big cities self-refer if they had the same training?

 

[ItsGavinC]

What can you do as a general dentist(or if you do in addition a residency in general dentistry), if you practice in a rural area? I heard that those dentists sometimes do some of the work that in the cities would be mainly referred out to the specialists like omfs,endo,etc. Discuss please.

General dentists can do nearly anything they want. Many refer out the procedures that they don't enjoy, or thoes that would take them so long that they would lose money (as opposed to doing procedures they normally do).

As long as you can maintain the standard of care equal to that of a specialist, then you're fine. Most general dentists find this impossible to do/doing so would take such a long time, that they make life easy for themselves and refer out.

To a predental student the question is usually "what can a general dentists do?". To a dental student or dentist the question becomes "what do I not want to do?". Those items are referred out.

 

[crazy_sherm]

The only skills you'll need to have that dental school won't teach you are people and business skills. You'll get plenty of exposure to every dental procedure you'll need as long as you seek them out.

 

[DrJeff]

General dentists in rural areas tend to do a bit more than general dentists in surburban/urban areas often out of necessity, especially in the areas of oral surgery, endo and some perio. Most of this is out of what are often large geographic distances to the nearest specialist.

On the flip side though, if you do practice in a rural area, your patients are used to traveling some distance to get to many things that suburban/urban folks are used to having within 5 minutes. For example, where I live, the nearest mall is about 30 minutes away, so if I refer a patient to my "local" pedodontist and periodontist when I tell them that it's 30 minutes away, its not a big deal for them. Also when I refer them an hour to the oral surgeon I use for implants, its not a big deal either. Traveling for things if you live in a rural area is just a way of life.

 

[milman]

thank you. DrJeff, what procedures do you do in endo and oral surgery that a city dentist would not do? Do dentists in extremely rural areas like montana even go as far as using general anesthesia for oral surgery cases?

 

[EuroOMFS]

General dentists can do nearly anything they want. Many refer out the procedures that they don't enjoy, or thoes that would take them so long that they would lose money (as opposed to doing procedures they normally do).

Amen!

As an OMS resident I occationally treat patients who come from their general dentist after a failed wisdom tooth operation. They´ve tried for maybe two hours before finally giving up, and they usually don´t charge they patient anything, since they couldn´t finish the procedure.

The thing is, it´s the same small group of dentists all the time, again and again. I´ve never understood why they keep on trying. In two hours they could make four times their fee for a wisdom tooth operation, doing something they´re good at, like prepping for a crown or doing a RCT!

 

[milman]

Amen!

As an OMS resident I occationally treat patients who come from their general dentist after a failed wisdom tooth operation. They´ve tried for maybe two hours before finally giving up, and they usually don´t charge they patient anything, since they couldn´t finish the procedure.

The thing is, it´s the same small group of dentists all the time, again and again. I´ve never understood why they keep on trying. In two hours they could make four times their fee for a wisdom tooth operation, doing something they´re good at, like prepping for a crown or doing a RCT!

Does it mean that the general dentist did not use general anesthesia while you did? Did he also not use the same operational tools/scalpels that oms surgeons use for such operations, or he just didnt have the skills? Could a general dentsit get quick courses in such types of operations if he were really obsessed with them, or you really have to do a 4yr residency to be able to perform?

 

[EuroOMFS]

Does it mean that the general dentist did not use general anesthesia while you did? Did he also not use the same operational tools/scalpels that oms surgeons use for such operations, or he just didnt have the skills? Could a general dentsit get quick courses in such types of operations if he were really obsessed with them, or you really have to do a 4yr residency to be able to perform?

Some of the best "wisdom teeth removers" I know are general dentists. You don´t need a 4 yr residency to be able to remove impacted 3rds. You need knowlegde of anatomy and technique, manual dexterity and practice, practice, practice. These guys obviously lack one of these things.

 

[milman]

Some of the best "wisdom teeth removers" I know are general dentists. You don´t need a 4 yr residency to be able to remove impacted 3rds. You need knowlegde of anatomy and technique, manual dexterity and practice, practice, practice. These guys obviously lack one of these things.

Thank you. Here is someone doing this without residency http://www.mynewsmile.com/wisdom.htm
But it doesn't say anything about anesthesia. My sister once had a wisdom tooth removed and it wasn't under general anesthesia(but it still made her completely paralyzed for the duration of operation), what would a general dentist apply?

 

[HuyetKiem]

Thank you. Here is someone doing this without residency http://www.mynewsmile.com/wisdom.htm
But it doesn't say anything about anesthesia. My sister once had a wisdom tooth removed and it wasn't under general anesthesia(but it still made her completely paralyzed for the duration of operation), what would a general dentist apply?

2 carpules of Septocaine 4% with epi will do the work.😀

 

[HenryH]

Interesting to read about that general dentist who focuses -- it would be inaccurate to use the term "specializes," right? -- on wisdom on teeth removal (referring to the link posted by Milman).

Following this example, then, could a GP could advertise his practice as an orthodontics clinic (he could still fill a cavity every so often, but he'd be known for ortho. work)?