Local dental clinics work to address need

In the wide expanse of Tennessee, every county is different and unique. They don't always have much in common, but most are alike in at least one way: they don't have enough dental care.Almost the entire state is designated as a dental provider shortage area, according to data from the U.S.Health Resources & Services Administration and the Rural Health Information Hub.This includes the entirety of all of the Northeast Tennessee counties. In Hawkins County, for example, there were about two dentists for every 10,000 people in 2023. It was one of the lowest ratios in the area.But the word "shortage" isn't always accurate, said Michael Meit, director of ETSU's Rural Health Research Center."Sometimes, it's not as much a shortage as it is a maldistribution," he said. "It's not always that we don't have enough providers, it's that the providers aren't necessarily where we need them."Allen Stanton, director of strategic initiatives for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Dentistry, agreed that the shortage is compounded by several factors: not enough dentists overall, fewer dentists in certain areas of the state and limited acceptance of TennCare.State and dental clinics train, expandTennessee has been working to improve oral health since 2021 with the Healthy Smiles Initiative. One of its main goals include increased training in underserved and rural areas.Meit said that regardless of specialty, every healthcare training program should expose their students to rural practice."You will find that some students who would never even consider that find it very gratifying," he said.Kingsport is a hot spot for one focus of this state program. Since it was first announced in October 2022, the Kingsport Dental Clinic of the Appalachian Highlands has built its center, opened and started training students in under three years.The clinic is a collaborative project. UT, Ballad Health, Delta Dental of Tennessee, Eastman Chemical, the City of Kingsport, the Northeast Tennessee Regional Development Hub, ETSU, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and others work together to fund and operate it.Third- and fourth-year dental students from UT started training on rotation in September. Whether they're from rural areas or have no experience, Stanton said studies show that people who train in a rural community are more likely to stay there."The students who go to our rural clinics are usually the most excited when they get back about what happens next" in their career, he said.Stanton said the clinic has applied to open a one-year residency program in Kingsport, with the hope to launch in the summer of 2026. Eventually, it aims to be an all-encompassing training center for full-time students.And most notably, the clinic accepts patients on TennCare, which Stanton said is a huge need."We're a public university and we're trying to do a public service," he said. "If we're not caring for everyone in Tennessee, then we're really not doing our job."Limited insurance limits accessAccording to a search with DentaQuest, the insurance provider that works with TennCare, there are only 12 offices within a 25-mile radius of both Johnson City and Kingsport that accept TennCare Adults.Healing Hands Health, an affordable clinic in Bristol, is one of those. Dr. Sonya Martin, the dental director, said the clinic's affordable model is greatly appreciated by its patients."We are a safety net," Director of Operations Corey Smith added. "We need to catch them. That's why we decided to accept Medicaid."The center only treated uninsured patients originally. But when TennCare expanded dental benefits for adults in 2023, many were left in limbo. Since the clinic aims to give care to people who would otherwise fall through the cracks, they revised their approach."Patients who had Medicaid could not find providers, and that's what motivated us to accept [it]," Martin said.The clinic receives funding from grants, foundations and fundraising to offset the expensive costs of dental practice. And it's still growing with new part-time hygienist roles and student training.It's a big step up from 2022, when its first full-time dentist started. With the quick expansion, Martin said, their dental care has become more focused on comprehensive treatment rather than just emergency services.While the dental care shortage can't be fixed over a handful of years, local clinics continue the push to expand quickly and implement more training for students from across the state. For many dental providers and funders, it's a mission driven by passion."I always have been drawn to taking care of people who just have difficulty finding care," Martin noted. "It's complicated for the patients and for the providers, but it's in me."Find dentists who accept TennCareTo find dental providers who accept TennCare, call DentaQuest at 1-855-418-1622 or visit https://www.dentaquest.com/en/find-a-dentist.