If you've tried getting a dentist appointment lately in Florida, you know it could be like pulling teeth.
Some state lawmakers are tackling the problem by creating dental therapists, who require less training but can still tackle some big procedures and many dentists say they could place the patients at risk.
Dr. Kile Sherry operates Reef Dentistry in Cape Coral and understands the big need for dentistry, pointing out that his practice is extremely busy.
He is concerned with HB-21, which creates a position known as a dental therapist, who could cut out teeth and administer anesthesia.
“Those are very invasive procedures. You would like to have done by a dentist in my opinion,” Sherry said.
He and many dentists, including Dr. Billy Truax of Downton Dental in Fort Myers, oppose the bill.
“There's many complications going on with these procedures. These are irreversible surgical procedures,” Traux said.
Joe Ann Hart with The Florida Dental Association argues a dental therapist doesn't gain enough experience.
“What a dental therapist is, is someone right out of high school with three years of dental therapy training that would be authorized to do irreversible surgical procedures,” Hart said.
Some lawmakers, however, argue HB-21 will solve the dental shortage and provide more care in rural areas.
“At the end of the day, a vast majority of these dental therapists end up in the large cities working for very big corporations. It’s just a money-making thing which big corporations are pushing through,” Sherry said.
A total of 65 out of 67 Florida counties have been called dental deserts because of the low numbers of dentists versus the population.
Sherry called the bill a slippery slope.
“We want to see more care happening, but it needs to be good care,” Sherry said.
The shortage is so serious that estimates say another 1,500 dentists would have to move into the state tomorrow to fix the problem.
The bill will have to pass both houses and be signed into law by the governor before dental therapists are a part of the dental landscape in Florida.