Maine s 1st dental therapist intends to press for expansion
March 16, 2021
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BANGOR, Maine (AP) The state’s first dental therapist has been licensed. And she hopes she ll have more company in the coming months and years, boosting access to dental care in a rural underserved state.
Dental therapists, likened to a nursing practitioner or physician s assistant, are recognized in 13 state and two territories. Claire Roesler became the first one licensed in Maine on Friday.
Roesler, 26, came from the Midwest to take a job in Bangor knowing that she can play a role as an advocate for expanding the concept. That was a huge draw of coming to Maine. I love advocating for dental therapy. So an opportunity to try something new and to take the movement to the East Coast it’s a humbling opportunity, said Roesler, who works at a clinic in Bangor operated by Penobscot Community Health Care.