Dentists Protecting Turf

It has been argued in an earlier post here that in spite of the failure to ensure coverage for US citizens, the American Dental Association was fundamentally opposed to any initiatives to allow dental therapists without full training to provide routine care. according to this NYT report, it appears that they are losing the argument because Alaska has allowed a number of professionals with capability to provide routine dental care to consult with patients.

As would be expected, the ADA continues to argue against through scare tactics involving allusion to uncontrolled bleeding. While I note that proper care is required, maintain that it is indefensible that a child with cavities has to wait for four years to receive dental care from the therapists whose skills the members of the ADA so disparage. Given the high income that some dentists have and their ability to restrict supply by keeping working for fewer hours, it is clear that the therapists are infusing competition while serving people without access. For as long as the population grows much faster than the ADA will allow training, the therapists must continue to provide basic dental care in the rest of the US too. There's no reason why the dental care should not operate as a market.