Sarah Avery at the Raleigh News & Observer has a terrific story this morning on ideas from dentists and dental hygienists that could improve access to dental care throughout the state without creating a new government program or spending another tax dollar.

Dentist Steven Slott wants to create a sub-dentist “mid-level worker” and dental hygienist wants to create a “superhygienist,” but the idea in both cases is the same: somebody in the dental field who is trained to do more than clean teeth but less than root canals, like a nurse practitioner.

I hope we can build support for both ideas. Too many people in the state have little access to dental care. Dentists cannot afford to be everywhere. Dental hygienists are not allowed to work on their own. The state needs to ease the restrictions on practice and licensing.

This new model is not a threat to dentists, but an opportunity for those without access to care.