As a professional in dentistry bringing urgently needed affordable care to kids and families, I’m always looking for new ways of working smartly, to get more care to more members of our community. That’s why I’d like to see public officials in Washington state authorize dental therapists.

Dental therapists provide important and needed routine and preventive care to people who otherwise can’t get it. They work as part of a team in the same way that nurse practitioners or physician assistants work with doctors as part of a medical team. Their job is to provide preventive and routine care, either inside a dentist’s office or in schools, nursing homes, and community clinics: places where too many of our neighbors are needlessly suffering for lack of a dental visit.

I know that dental care is expensive. Here in Washington state, even families with insurance can have a hard time getting it, as Ashley T. discovered at the tender age of 7 (https://www.momsrising.org/blog/authorize-dental-therapy-more-kids-shouldn%E2%80%99t-go-through-what-i-suffered). Cost is a barrier; but so is the statewide lack of dental professionals. In Washington state, where I live, 34 of the state’s 39 counties don’t have enough dental professionals to serve local residents.

In partnership with dentists, my organization, Operation Healthy Family, provides oral health care to those who have been going without. Dental professionals all across the country want to help build healthy families and make a difference in the lives of their patients. Why? Because good oral health matters at every age, and lack of care has lifelong consequences.

Most oral health problems are 100 percent preventable. With proper education, good flossing and brushing, and timely visits to a qualified professional, we can decrease the days a child stays home because of dental pain. Yet children of color and kids in low-income families have the highest rates of dental decay and the fewest experiences with a dental professional, according to the 2010 Smile Survey by the state Department of Health (http://www.doh.wa.gov/DataandStatisticalReports/DiseasesandChronicConditions/OralHealth). Every child in Washington should grow up free of preventable decay. 

I’ve seen firsthand how dental therapists can help. Authorized in Maine, Vermont, Minnesota and Alaska, and treating Native American tribal communities in Washington and Oregon, these professionals are on the job already across the country. I recently returned from a trip to Alaska, where I saw dental therapists at work meeting the needs of local patients at community clinics. What I saw there gave me hope that we can overcome the barriers to care in Washington. I saw qualified dental therapists—authorized to work there for more than 10 years—doing quality work.

Good communication is a hallmark of great care. I observed one situation where a dental therapist prepared to pull a tooth under tricky, complicated conditions. I and other experts who were watching believed it would turn into a surgical procedure. It didn’t; the dental therapist extracted the tooth  with no problem. Communication was the key: I saw in Alaska that dental therapists are not only competent with care, but expert communicators with their supervising dentist and other members of the dental team. 

Washington is a forerunner in connecting patients with the oral health care they need for lifelong health. The Swinomish Tribe in northwest Washington (http://www.childrensalliance.org/no-kidding-blog/historic-step-tribes-kids-communities) are out front. I’d love to see dental therapists authorized to work for kids and families all across our state and nation.