Does a dentist have to be employed by a teeth cleaning facility that does no other dental work?

I am looking into a business that would be a mall type store that would offer teeth cleaning but no other dental work. Is it still necessary to have a dentist on staff?

Does a dentist have to be employed by a teeth cleaning facility that does no other dental work?
I'm a dentist.





Very few states allow hygienists to treat patients without some sort of doctor's involvement. I think Colorado is one. In some cases, a hygienist may treat a patient only when a doctor orders it. In some states, hygienists cannot treat patients without a doctor physically on the premises.





Personally, and having had a great deal of interaction with hygienists, I think it is an absolutely horrendous idea to let them do anything other than clean teeth under our direct supervision. Many of the hygienists I have met ranged from mediocre in intellect to downright stupid. On top of that, the training just isn't there.





Hygienists are less trained than nurses, and nurses (i.e. nurses who aren't nurse-practitioners) aren't allowed to administer treatment without a doctor's orders. It make no sense to allow hygienists to work without our supervision.





There's another problem with your business idea: teeth cleaning without some sort of follow-up (i.e. referral to a doctor for treatment of actual health problems) is useless and borderline negligent.
Reply:I disagree with you.Hygienist have more training than a nurse with a two year program.My clinicals are 16hrs a day 4 days a week.I take courses dentists must take to get their degree.Many are very intelligent and do their job very well.In the future,I am continuing to dental school. Report It

Reply:yes
Reply:It depends on which state you are in. In some states their must be a dentist on staff to do a exam after a cleaning. In some states a hygienist may open her own practice and clean teeth and in those states she may even be able to do fillings and refer out for major dental work such as crowns, root canals...etc. Look up the laws for the state in which you live, and they will give you the guidelines. Good Luck with your business !!!