Why is it hard to schedule a dental appointment?
An ongoing dental hygienist shortage in Virginia is making it difficult for patients to schedule a dentist appointment, sometimes waiting six months or longer to receive oral care.
“This [is] our hygiene hall that used to be bustling," said Pete Appleby, D.D.S., of Virginia Family Dentistry, pointing out two empty cleaning stations they cannot staff currently. "The hygienists here are working harder than they’ve ever worked, but unfortunately we just don’t have the staff to fill the operatories we have.”
One dentist can supervise up to four dental hygienists in Virginia, and hygienists must have a state license to practice. The Virginia Dental Association released an analysis in April showing there are more dentists in the state than hygienists, and the number imbalance impacts patient care and waitlist times.
“We really practice a preventative model, so we want to see our patients regularly, and dental hygienists enable us to do so. Having a shortage of dental hygienists means we have a shortage of appointments to see those patients and that has some serious effects," Dr. Appleby said. “I think I laugh with a lot of my dentist friends; we’re doing more cleanings now than we’ve done in our whole career.”
Read more: WTVR
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