Dentist Knoxville TN

Amongst healthcare professionals it’s common for people to go where the needs are greatest. The practice, called locum tenens doctors or nurses, refers to instances where a professional works on a temporary basis when the need is there and moves on to another location when the workload has dropped. This is becoming more common now among dentists. One dentist, Dr. Herbert Earnshaw, has found the practice of locum tenens very fulfilling and has used it to replace his regular practice.

Like Dr. Earnshaw, a growing number of dentists are finding opportunities to take their act on the road by working temporary assignments in a variety of settings. The trend is being driven by a national shortage of dentists and mirrors a similar development in medicine, where tens of thousands of MDs work as locum tenens each year. In the field of medicine, private practices, hospitals, community health centers, correctional facilities, military facilities, and other providers are using locum tenens physicians to maintain services when permanent physicians can’t be found. This often takes place in federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) where the ratio of practitioners to the population falls below the standards set by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

There are over 6,000 HPSAs in the U.S. today where the number of primary care physicians falls below HRSA standards. At over 4,000, the number of dental HPSAs is not far behind. Companies like Staff Care, which for years specialized in the placement of locum tenens physicians, are being asked to find temporary dentists to fill openings around the country.  

Dr. Earnshaw, for example, worked as a locum tenens in a private practice, substituting for a doctor who was recovering from hip replacement surgery. He also worked temporary assignments at community health centers and correctional facilities that are chronically short of permanent dentists. Other dentists, such as Dr. Alton Walker of Rockport, TX, filled in for dentists who were deployed overseas by the military. He also substituted for a dentist who had to temporarily quit working due to injuries from a car accident.

Many people who go to the dentist harbor deep fears about the visit. These fears can come from childhood experiences that have negatively affected the individual. It can be hard to overcome these fears, even as an adult. Because of this, a lot of dentists have used nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, in the past to help put patients at ease. But a growing trend has many recommending patients use oral sedatives as an alternative. The sedation isn’t meant to take the place of anesthetic such as Novocain. One benefit of using the pill is the reduced cost. Most dental insurance does not cover sedation. But a sedative pill costs only a few dollars. Dr. Konig from Houston Texas writes:

Dr. Konig said, “This has been wonderful for patients who value their smiles and are just too fearful or uncomfortable to complete treatment without sedation, It is also nice for the patient not to have to be completely out and have a quick recovery from the sedation.”

Typically, a nervous patient will take a sedative the night before to reduce anxiety and aid with sleeping. Before leaving for an appointment, the patient takes another sedative and is driven to the dentist’s office by someone else. Upon arriving at the office, the patient may take an additional dose depending on the patient’s level of sedation.

Sedation works to calm a patient, but it is not an anesthetic. Local anesthetics like Novocain are used to control discomfort during the procedure.

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