WTF - Dental assistants giving shots?

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rotay - 19 Jul 2008 01:16 GMT

I went to have a cavity filled today and the dental assistant, the woman
who sits off to the side and hands stuff to the dentist, tried to give me
the novocaine shot. When I protested she got all offended and then the
dentist came in whining about how she (the assistant) was trained and
qualified and how he didn't have the time. WTF? Is that even legal? I
don't want some non-doctor poking needles in my mouth! I told them that,
too, and it just made them even more pissy. Then I pointed out that he
could have just done it himself in the time he stood there jabbering about
how he didn't have time (which didn't help resolve the situation). I wound
up walking out of there without any treatment. Is this a common thing, or
did I just happen to run into one of the (relatively few) screwball
dentists out there? I made a new appointment with a different dentist, so
I hope he "has time" to do things right. What should I do if they don't?
This has me so upset that I'm thinking of writing the state dental board,
but I thought I'd hit Usenet for feedback/opinions on the incident first.

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Steven Bornfeld - 19 Jul 2008 01:33 GMT

> I went to have a cavity filled today and the dental assistant, the woman
> who sits off to the side and hands stuff to the dentist, tried to give me
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> This has me so upset that I'm thinking of writing the state dental board,
> but I thought I'd hit Usenet for feedback/opinions on the incident first.

Laws on these points vary from state to state. Some states allow
expanded duties for dental assistants.
If you are ever hospitalized and insist on only getting injections from
doctors, you may find yourself in a bit of trouble.

Steve

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rotay - 19 Jul 2008 02:59 GMT

>> I went to have a cavity filled today and the dental assistant, the
>> woman who sits off to the side and hands stuff to the dentist, tried
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> Laws on these points vary from state to state. Some states allow
> expanded duties for dental assistants.

Well, legal or not in my area, the dental board is going to hear from
me. I think it's outrageous that such a crucial and delicate step in
the treatment process could be delegated to somebody whose primary
duties are filling out paperwork and cleaning instruments. Hell, some
*dentists* aren't all that good at the anesthesia thing -- I cringe in
horror at the thought of a non-dentist attempting it. Jesus.
Seriously, that idea scares the crap out of me to the point where I
think I might be willing to just let my teeth rot in order to avoid it.
I don't know how the board will react to my whining, but at least
they'll know that such a practice does not sit well with some members of
the public.

> If you are ever hospitalized and insist on only getting injections
> from doctors, you may find yourself in a bit of trouble.

Dental assistants are not the same as nurses. Nurses are basically
mini-doctors (hell some of the more experienced ones actually know more
than the doctors they work with) but dental assistants are more like
supermarket clerks or some sh.t like that. It would be like the
hospital having a filing clerk or a lab tech treat patients (which
doesn't happen).

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Steven Bornfeld - 19 Jul 2008 03:47 GMT

>>> I went to have a cavity filled today and the dental assistant, the
>>> woman who sits off to the side and hands stuff to the dentist, tried
[quoted text clipped - 37 lines]
> hospital having a filing clerk or a lab tech treat patients (which
> doesn't happen).

You may well be right. There are no expanded-duty dental assistants in
New York State where I am. But other states such as Oregon do have
expanded functions. I do NOT see injections as among the permissible
procedures in Oregon. You certainly should look at your state
regulations--this may indeed be a violation.

http://www.oregon.gov/Dentistry/d_assist.shtml

Steve

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Steven Bornfeld - 19 Jul 2008 04:02 GMT

>> Dental assistants are not the same as nurses. Nurses are basically
>> mini-doctors (hell some of the more experienced ones actually know
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> Steve

One more thing--make sure that this was a dental assistant and not a
dental hygienist. In some jurisdictions hygienists are permitted to
inject under "general" supervision of a dentist, which is a pretty low
standard of supervision. Hygienists are generally well-trained and are
good at what they do.

Steve

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