Becoming a dentist is a many-year-long process and not something that someone chooses to do on a whim. It requires dedication to mastering your craft and a commitment to a long road of training and learning.
Once you’ve earned your dentist license, you may think the hard part is over, but working as a dentist brings a whole new set of challenges. You have to deal with patients who more than likely don’t want to be there, you have to keep up with constantly evolving methods and technologies, and you have to make sure you have enough patients to keep your practice afloat.
Dental school was surely stressful, and unfortunately, that’s probably a feeling you need to get used to. The pressure of working as a dentist year after year can lead to anxiety, depression, mistakes, and errors in judgment. Next thing you know, you’re facing a complaint that puts your license and your career in jeopardy.
For dentists working in the greater Lansing, Michigan, area, having to deal with a complaint and potential disciplinary action is serious business. If you find yourself in this sticky situation, you need to quickly secure a legal team that has your best interests at heart and can provide the strongest defense possible.
The Professional License Defense Team at the LLF National Law Firm has years of experience helping dentists navigate the disciplinary process, protecting dentists’ rights, and aiding dentists in getting their careers back on track. We know how to defend dentists in Michigan and nationwide, and we can help safeguard your license. Call us at 888-535-3686 or complete our confidential contact form to learn more.
Practicing Dentistry in the Greater Lansing Area
With a population in excess of half a million people, the greater Lansing area offers plenty of opportunities for dentists across Lansing, East Lansing, and Owosso. Home to Michigan State University and its nearly 50,000 students, the Central Michigan region is a family-friendly and culturally diverse Midwest hub.
But despite the large patient base, life isn’t always rosy for dentists in Greater Lansing. Dental practices in the area suffer from staffing shortages, including hygienists and assistants, and dentists often have to take on administrative duties to fill the gap. Additionally, some of the outlying rural areas have limited access to dental care, which means these people often don’t get timely treatment. When they finally do make it to a dentist, they have more serious dental health issues and require more complex care.
These factors combine to create excessive stress for Lansing area dentists, which leads to burnout, mental health problems, and mistakes. Stressed-out, frazzled dentists can end up making treatment errors, acting inappropriately toward patients and co-workers, and even committing moral or ethical transgressions.
If you’re a dentist in greater Lansing and you’ve let your performance or integrity at work slip, you may soon discover that someone has filed a formal complaint against you. Suddenly, things have gone from bad to worse, and now your license is at risk. If that happens, the Professional License Defense Team at the LLF National Law Firm can help. We can guide you through the disciplinary process, protect your rights, and help you achieve the best possible outcome.
Regardless of whether you work for a small private practice or at one of the area’s major dental health providers, such as Sparrow Health System, McLaren Greater Lansing, the Cedar Dental Group, or Lansing Dental Associates, you need to arm yourself with the best tools to come away from a complaint with minimal consequences. The LLF National Law Firm is your best option to make that happen.
Regulation of Dentistry in the Greater Lansing Region
So, how exactly can you get into trouble as a dentist in the greater Lansing area? In Michigan, the Michigan Board of Dentistry is responsible for issuing dentist licenses and regulating the practice of dentistry in the state. Dentists with Michigan dental licenses must abide by the rules and regulations of the state’s Public Health Code. Any violations of that code or any behaviors that put patient health and safety at risk constitute grounds for a complaint against dentists.
You might think that the Michigan Board of Dentistry’s top priority is to protect the state’s dentists. But that’s not the case. The board makes public health and safety its number-one priority. So, if someone files a complaint against you, don’t be surprised if the Board of Dentistry hangs you out to dry. The board will place more importance on its reputation for ensuring public safety than on your reputation and future as a dentist. But don’t worry, at the LLF National Law Firm, you and your license will be our top priority.
Misconduct for Dentists in Greater Lansing
The specific behaviors that fall into the category of misconduct cover everything from improper care to administrative or billing errors. Here are some examples:
- Misdiagnosing dental health conditions
- Procedural errors, such as extracting the wrong tooth
- Fraudulent billing
- Practicing without a license or with an expired license
- Errors in anesthesia or medication
- Failure to maintain accurate patient records
- Sexual misconduct, such as making inappropriate advances toward patients
- Felony convictions
- Misdemeanor convictions related to your practice
- Substance abuse or practicing while impaired
- Insurance fraud
- Failure to meet continuing education requirements
- Practicing unnecessary procedures
It’s easy to imagine how stress and anxiety in your daily work life could lead to many of these kinds of mistakes, as well as lapses in judgment that cause you to act inappropriately. It’s also not hard to imagine how a scared or nervous patient might misinterpret your behavior or blow a small mistake out of proportion.
Whether you intentionally overstepped your bounds, accidentally slipped up and made a mistake, or have a patient who is making false or exaggerated claims against you, formal complaints can lead to long-term negative consequences. If you’re a Lansing area dentist in this situation, you need to do everything you can to minimize the damage. The LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team should be your first step in damage control. We’re well-versed in dealing with these situations and giving dentists the best defense possible.
Consequences of Disciplinary Action for Dentists in Central Michigan
If the Michigan Board of Dentistry finds you guilty of misconduct, the repercussions can have lasting effects on not only your career but also your personal life and your mental well-being.
Based on the severity and frequency of your violations, the Board of Dentistry can impose one or a combination of the following sanctions:
- A reprimand or formal censure
- Monetary fines
- Restitution to patients
- Mandatory community service
- Probation
- Limitations on your license
- License suspension or revocation
Obviously, some of these penalties can put a quick stop to your right to continue practicing dentistry. But even if you keep your license, you’re not in the clear. Sanctions become part of the public record, available to future employers and patients, and these sanctions can have widespread effects on your work life and your home life. Just imagine:
- Your co-workers think less of you and avoid you at work.
- Your patients don’t trust you and opt for a different dentist.
- You lose your job and can’t find another one when other dental practices learn of your transgressions.
- Your family feels disappointed in you.
- You feel guilt, shame, and embarrassment.
- You struggle to support yourself and your family.
- Your mental health suffers from everything you’re going through.
It’s not a pretty picture, and you clearly want to avoid this dire situation. That’s why it’s so critical that you immediately reach out to the Professional License Defense Team at the LLF National Law Firm as soon as you learn of a complaint against you. Even if you’re already moving through the disciplinary process, it’s not too late. We can still help. We can step in and alleviate the stress of the complaint process. We can work with the Michigan Board of Dentistry on your behalf and make sure you get the most lenient punishment or possibly even avoid sanctions altogether.
The LLF National Law Firm can help you steer clear of the emotional anguish of the disciplinary process and its long-term consequences. We can help you get your career and your life back on track.
The Disciplinary Process for Dentists in Greater Lansing
Just about anyone can file a complaint against you with the Michigan Board of Dentistry. Complaints can come from patients, their families, co-workers, employers, insurers, or anyone who believes you’ve violated the regulations of your license.
Complaints go through the Michigan Bureau of Professional Licensing (BPL). Once the BPL receives a complaint, they can either dismiss it without further action or pursue an investigation and file an administrative complaint against you.
Once you learn of a complaint against you, you have the option to agree to a consent order. A consent order is essentially a plea bargain, and you’ll have to concede to certain infractions and accept whatever sanctions the consent order includes.
You also have the option to request a conference with the BPL to try to negotiate a settlement. If you and the BPL can’t agree on settlement terms, the case will move to a hearing, where an administrative judge will hear both sides and then make a decision.
After the hearing, if you’re dissatisfied with the decision or the sanctions you’re facing, you have the right to file an appeal. Keep in mind that the appeals court won’t simply retry your case. Rather, it will evaluate whether the BPL and Board of Dentistry correctly followed all procedures and protocols and whether the ruling took into consideration all the correct evidence.
It’s in your best interest to have a proven legal team guide you through each of the stages of the disciplinary process. The Professional License Defense Team at the LLF National Law Firm can help you make the best decisions throughout this process, make sure the BPL is correctly following all its protocols, and give you the best defense available.
The LLF National Law Firm is on Your Side
For dentists in the greater Lansing area, facing a complaint and the disciplinary process can feel overwhelming. Managing all the legal aspects of this process is probably not something you learned in dental school. That’s OK. Don’t panic. The Professional License Defense Team at the LLF National Law Firm is here for you.
The LLF National Law Firm has years of experience working with state medical licensing agencies and handling complaints against dentists. We can:
- Communicate with the BPL on your behalf.
- Alleviate the burden of all the paperwork involved in the complaint process.
- Analyze the specifics of the complaint and the real threat to your license.
- Weigh the evidence against you and help you collect the strongest evidence to support your defense.
- Help you determine whether a consent order is in your best interest.
- Negotiate with the BPL for case dismissal or a lenient settlement.
- Represent you at a hearing and help you prepare for questioning from the BPL’s attorneys.
- Assess whether an appeal is feasible and handle the appeal process for you.
- Identify any procedural errors the BPL has made that can lead to dismissal of your case.
- Protect your rights throughout the disciplinary process.
- Give you the best chances for a successful outcome.
Naturally, facing a complaint was never a part of your plan when you decided to become a dentist. But life rarely goes according to plan—especially when you’re dealing with so many challenges that are part of the reality of practicing dentistry in the greater Lansing region. Sometimes, things just get away from you, despite your best intentions.
But just because someone has filed a complaint against you, it doesn’t mean your career as a dentist is over. Whatever the circumstances surrounding the complaint, the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team can help you salvage your career. Whether your infractions were big or small, intentional or inadvertent, we believe you deserve the best possible defense, and we can make sure you get it. Call us at 888-535-3686 or complete our confidential contact form to schedule a consultation and get started.