The greater Reno, Nevada, metropolitan area is one of the more challenging places to practice dentistry. The difficulties that plague dental practices nationwide—staffing shortages, increasing operational costs, and low insurance reimbursement rates—affect dentists in the greater Reno area, as well.
But dentists in this region along the Nevada-California border face additional challenges that make their jobs more stressful and induce anxiety and mental health issues. Feeling chronic pressure at work can have a negative impact on anyone in any career. But for dentists, the constant difficulties in their work environment can lead to mistakes that put their dental licenses at risk.
If you’re a dentist in the greater Reno area and your demanding work life is leading you to make treatment errors, act inappropriately toward patients, or exhibit lapses in judgment, you may find yourself facing a complaint that jeopardizes your license and your future. In this situation, you need to act quickly to give yourself the best chances of coming through this ordeal with your dental license intact.
For dentists in the Reno metropolitan area facing a complaint, you need a legal team that can protect your rights and defend your license. The Professional License Defense Team at the LLF National Law Firm has years of experience defending dentists in Nevada and defending dentists in California. We can guide you through the disciplinary process and make sure you get a defense that helps you achieve the best possible resolution. Call us at 888-535-3686 or complete our confidential contact form to learn more.
Challenges for Dentists in the Greater Reno Area
In addition to the difficulties in the dental industry nationwide, dentists in the Reno metropolitan area face further hardships that make their jobs more stressful.
While Reno itself is a major city, all around it are smaller towns and rural areas with severe dentist shortages. This puts a huge strain on dental practices in the city to accommodate excessive numbers of patients. In combination with staffing shortages, this places a heavy burden on dentists to not only take on additional patients but also to fill administrative gaps. It’s no wonder that dentists in the area suffer such intense burnout.
At the same time, the area includes a high percentage of elderly people who have a hard time accessing dental care. When these people face delayed care, their dental health issues become more severe, requiring more complex treatment. Combined with the dry desert climate that exacerbates dental health problems, these factors increase the demands on dentists to perform more advanced treatments.
This daily stress at work can make dentists feel emotionally exhausted, dissatisfied with their jobs, and burned out. Next thing you know, you’re being rude to patients, making diagnosis and treatment errors, keeping inadequate patient records, and maybe even engaging in billing or insurance fraud when you’re worried about money.
All these issues make dentists in the greater Reno area more susceptible to complaints of misconduct. Complaints can come from anyone who believes you’re violating the laws regulating your license, including patients, their families, employers, co-workers, and insurers. This holds true whether you work for one of the area’s smaller practices or a major dental provider such as Sala Family Dentistry, Reno Dental Associates, or Aspen Dental.
If you’re facing a complaint, you need to understand that it’s serious business. You need a legal team on your side that knows how to navigate the disciplinary process and protect your license. The Professional License Defense Team at the LLF National Law Firm can make sure you get the defense you need to safeguard your license and get your career back on track.
Practicing Dentistry Across State Lines
The greater Reno metropolitan area, with a population of more than 700,000 people, includes Reno, Carson City, Sparks, and Fallon in Nevada, as well as Gardnerville-Ranchos across the Nevada-California border. In addition, Lake Tahoe in California is close enough that many people commute or visit across state lines.
As a dentist, you have to have a license from the state where you’re providing care. The Nevada State Board of Dental Examiners is responsible for regulating dentistry in Nevada, while the Dental Board of California oversees dentists in California.
While the lion’s share of the Reno metropolitan area sits in Nevada, your practice may have more than one office across state lines. In this case, you’ll need a separate license from each state if you want to practice at both locations. While transferring a dental license from one state to another can be tricky, most states offer some sort of reciprocity that makes it easier to get a license in a second state once you already have a license in your primary state.
Regardless of the state where you practice, you have to abide by the laws and regulations of that state’s dental board. And if someone files a complaint against you, that state’s board will be the one to pursue disciplinary action.
Keep in mind that if you face sanctions in one state, those penalties will affect your ability to get a license in another state. So, for instance, if the Nevada State Board of Dental Examiners suspends your license, you can’t simply get your California license and go work across town instead.
Behaviors That Can Threaten Your License in the Greater Reno Area
While each state has its own code of conduct for dentists, the behaviors that qualify as grounds for a complaint and disciplinary action are pretty similar whether you’re practicing in Nevada or California.
Some of the behaviors that both the Nevada State Board of Dental Examiners and the Dental Board of California consider misconduct include:
- Incompetence, such as performing unnecessary procedures, performing procedures on the wrong tooth, or performing procedures in a way that harms a patient
- Prescription errors, including prescribing incorrect drugs or dosages, or unnecessary medications
- Anesthesia errors, such as failing to sufficiently monitor a patient under anesthesia
- Practicing without a license or employing someone who doesn’t have proper credentials
- Impaired practice, including practicing while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or impairment due to physical or mental disabilities
- Sexual misconduct, such as having a sexual relationship or making inappropriate advances toward a patient
- Billing or insurance fraud, such as billing for procedures you didn’t perform or making false insurance claims
- Criminal convictions, including felony convictions or misdemeanor convictions related to moral turpitude
Clearly, misconduct covers a broad range of behaviors, and it’s not hard to imagine all the ways you can slip up when you’re tired, frustrated, or burned out. No matter what allegations you’re facing, the Professional License Defense Team at the LLF National Law Firm believes you deserve the best possible defense, and we can make sure you get it.
The Disciplinary Process for Dentists in the Reno Metropolitan Area
While the Nevada State Board of Dental Examiners and the Dental Board of California each have their own protocols when they receive a complaint, you’ll have to go through a similar process in either state.
Once the board receives a complaint, they’ll first establish whether it falls under their jurisdiction and whether the accusations constitute violations worthy of disciplinary action. If the complaint meets both of these criteria, the board will open an investigation and notify you of the complaint.
An investigator will then gather evidence and probably interview you, the person making the complaint, and any other people involved. Once the investigation is complete, the board will review the information. At this point, the board may dismiss the case or try to come to some type of settlement agreement with you. A settlement will avoid a hearing, but you’ll have to accept certain penalties and some degree of guilt.
If your case does move to a hearing, both sides will have the chance to present their cases. The board will then make its decision. You’ll still have an opportunity to file an appeal at this point, but you’ll need to present new evidence to support your case.
It’s critical that you have proven legal representation throughout this process. The LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team can communicate and negotiate with the board on your behalf, help you make the smartest decisions throughout the process, and present a strong defense for you at a hearing.
Sanctions Against Dentists in the Greater Reno Area
If the Nevada State Board of Dental Examiners or the Dental Board of California finds you guilty of misconduct, they can impose a range of sanctions. The severity of these penalties will depend largely on the frequency and severity of your violations. Sanctions can include one or more of the following:
- License revocation
- License suspension
- Limitations on your practice
- Probation
- Financial penalties
- Formal reprimand
- Mandatory continuing education or counseling
The effects of these sanctions can carry on well beyond your office hours. Penalties can have lasting negative consequences not only on your career but also on your personal life. Keep in mind that sanctions become part of the public record, available to potential employers and patients. Sanctions can:
- Cause you to lose your job or patients.
- Make it hard for you to find a new job when other dental practices find out about the penalties.
- Make you feel awkward and uncomfortable at work when co-workers start avoiding you.
- Cause you to feel guilt, shame, and embarrassment that follows you home.
- Make it hard for you to support your family.
- Cause tension at home when your family feels angry or disappointed in you.
- Lead you down a path of depression and other mental health issues.
Obviously, you want to do everything you can to avoid this situation. But if you’re facing a complaint—whether from actual misconduct or from false or exaggerated allegations—you can still salvage your license and your future. The LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team can help you survive the stress of the disciplinary process and minimize the damage to your career and your life.
Hit the Jackpot with the Best License Defense for Reno Area Dentists
The life of a dentist in the Reno metropolitan area is no day at the beach. You have so many issues to deal with every day that they can get in the way of providing great care and keeping your practice profitable. At the LLF National Law Firm, we understand how quickly and easily this pressure cooker of a job can cause you to get into trouble that puts your license at risk. We believe that even when you make a mistake, you can still have the life and career you always dreamed of.
If you’re facing disciplinary action from the Nevada State Board of Dental Examiners or the Dental Board of California, the Professional License Defense Team at the LLF National Law Firm can:
- Analyze the allegations and assess the threat they pose to your license.
- Help you prepare your response to an investigator.
- Negotiate with the Nevada State Board of Dental Examiners or the Dental Board of California for case dismissal or a lenient settlement agreement.
- Help you decide whether agreeing to a settlement is in your best interest.
- Represent you at a hearing, including questioning and cross-examining witnesses.
- Help you determine whether you have grounds for an appeal and file the appeal on your behalf.
- Alleviate the stress and burden of the entire disciplinary process.
- Protect your rights and make sure the dental board is following all the correct procedures.
- Give you a strong defense and the best chances for a successful outcome.
Simply doing your job as a dentist is already so demanding and puts so much strain on your mental well-being. If you find yourself facing a complaint and your license is at risk, going through this ordeal is going to be hard on you, no matter what. It’s important for your career, your future, and your mental health that you arm yourself with the best tools available to help you in this situation.
The Professional License Defense Team at the LLF National Law Firm has the experience and the know-how to guide you through the complaint process, protect your rights, and defend your license. We’ll do everything possible to minimize the impact a complaint has on your life, both during the disciplinary process and long into your future. Call us at 888-535-3686 or complete our confidential contact form to schedule a consultation and get started.