Rural residents in the U.S. are less likely to have access to specialized dental health care treatments. One New York based oral surgeon decided early on in his career to travel to provide oral surgery for those in need. The oral surgeon was inspired to practice medicine since a trip he took to South Africa when he was younger. When he was there he saw packed waiting rooms and numerous patients holding their mouths in need of dentistry. When the oral surgeon started practing he had an idea, why shoud he be limited to one office when he moves around and open up a business and spread himself around.
For over eight years the oral surgeon has traveled to parts of Upstate New York and western Connecticut to work out of other dentist’s offices. Using their equipment the oral surgeon is able to do oral surgery such as wisdom teeth extractions and implants. The patients were very thankful to the surgeon. In one case he extracted all four of a patient’s wisdom teeth and also performed a bone graft so he would not have sinus infections or problems breathing. The oral surgeon told the patient not to worry when he found out that he did not have the money to pay for it and that his insurance did not cover it.
Demand for dental care in rural areas of the U.S. is expected to continue to grow. Over 46 million Americans live in an area where there is a dental health shortage. Rural communities have less access to dental care, which can cause higher rates of tooth decay and advanced periodontal disease. The oral surgeon findings this work of helping the underserved communities to be satisifying. The oral surgeon says that a lot of times people don’t show their dental issues such as if their teeth look bad or their smile does not look give. However, the work the oral surgeon performs can change that can give them a whole different smile and they can feel much happier than they did before.
The oral surgeon beleives that only about 1% of dentists in the U.S. travel around to other places and practice out of other offices like he does. He looks at his success not by his own office but by the amount of difference he can make in other people’s lives. He is happy that he is able to make a postive difference in multiple communities on the oral health care of many patients.
Source:
Traveling oral surgeon meets small-town people where they live, The Connecticut Mirror via MSN, https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/traveling-oral-surgeon-meets-small-town-people-where-they-live/ar-AA14R7Bc, December 3, 2022.