As a dental hygienist could i own my own practice???

could i own my own practice just cleaning teeth. i was thinking i could just refer my clients to a dentist if they needed anything more serious than a cleaning.i live in a rather rural area and the nearest dentist is 45 mins or more away. i was thinking i could use the fact that it is rural area and call it a kind of dental clinic.

As a dental hygienist could i own my own practice???
Most states licensing would prohibit you from working on your own without a licensed medical professional on site (ie doctor or dentist). Think about how many medical clinics do not have a doctor on staff- none because they could not operate.





Last year in Chicago, a Dental Hygienist administered anesthetic to a patient- and the patient died under the supervision of the Dentist. Immediately the Dentist pointed the finger back to blame the Hygienist- but the ultimate blame laid with the person who was to be supervising the entire situation; the Dentist. Both lost their licenses.





I understand that you would not be preforming services other that cleaning here- but the liability remains. Insurance companies would probably have a hard time providing coverage to an office without a Dentist on staff- if they were to even consider it.





Check with your local and state licensing boards to see exactly what the regulations and laws for your area are.





Good Luck.
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Reply:it sounds like an interesting service - especially considering the rural area. i would check into the legality and liability of this.





curious if you are able to legally assess when someone needs more than a cleaning in your current work?
Reply:In most states a dental hygienist is allowed to perform their duties only under the supervision of a licensed dentist. In some situations and for some procedures this includes direct supervision, meaning the dentist must be available on site, in others it may mean general supervision, meaning the dentist must be available for referral, follow-up and emergencies.





In most situations, under dental insurance a dental prophy visit covers the hygienist performing the cleaning, as well as a dental examination by the dentist and usually bite-wing x-rays. You could not perform the dental examination, nor could you technically order the x-rays so this would not be a complete exam visit IAW insurance standards.





Your idea has merit, but you would probably need to set up an arrangement for a dentist or rotating dentist to come to your clinic either for examinations or just to meet the supervision standards.

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