OUTLET: Inside Business
November 14, 2014
Michael J. Link, a Newport News dentist, was recently elected president of the 3,500-member Virginia Dental Association. Link is a dentist at the family practice his late father started 60 years ago, where he is joined by his brother-in-law, George Jacobs. Link earned his dental degree in 1985 from MCV School of Dentistry.
This is not Link’s first term as president. He served in 2001-2002. An active member in the Virginia Dental Association for nearly two decades, he started as a delegate. He served as the commonwealth’s liaison to the American Association of Dental Examiners and an examiner for the Southern Regional Testing Agency for dentistry.
Link, who holds four dental fellowships, has volunteered his time with the VDA Foundation’s Mission of Mercy project, Boys & Girls Clubs Smart Smiles program and the Thomas Nelson Community College Dental Hygiene Advisory Committee. He talked about his role, his practice and his volunteer work.
His interest in dentistry
My interest in dentistry came as a young child. I was fascinated with my father’s work when I was in his office. I wanted to know how he made the decision he did. My father was my mentor.
Why dental health matters
Dental health is so important because in order to have a healthy body, a person needs to have a healthy mouth. About 400,000 people are diagnosed with oral cancer a year and about 8,000 die from it. Like any cancer, if it is caught early, it can be cured.
My father diagnosed me with German measles when I was a kid before the test results came back.
Cavity prevention is important and with regular brushing and fluoride, [cavities] can be prevented. This is good for overall health of the body.
I tell my patients even if they cannot brush after a meal, at least rinse the mouth. It is also important to limit soda, which has a lot of sugar and acid that cause cavities.
Getting the message out
It is difficult to try to educate for prevention. That is why I believe in the Virginia Dental Association. They are sending out Internet ads on how a healthy mouth is important. It is a great message. There are people who argue that fluoride in the water is bad. But that is the single best way to ensure good dental health.
Dental health insurance
There are a lot of efforts to get dental covered under health insurance. It used to be, 50 years ago, that when you visited your dentist it was fee-for-service. However, now insurance is needed.
This is an ongoing issue. Insurance does what is best for its industry and bottom line, which is a problem. It needs to be what is good for the patient. The dentist needs to make that call. The insurance should not dictate what the patient needs.
Outreach
I have been involved in Mission of Mercy for 15 years. This is a group of dentists who volunteer in underserved areas. It is for those who do not have a dentist in their area as well as those who cannot afford it.
We went to the Eastern Shore in February and we were in Suffolk serving people who need it. We have been to Emporia as well as Grundy.
Dentists with the VDA donate their services also through the organization. It is overwhelming to arrive early in the morning and see 200 to 300 people lined up who have no access to dental care. It is wonderful to give kids a smile.
For everyone, prevention is key. Prevention costs about $200 a year overall versus dental neglect, which ends up costing about $1,000 a year.
The VDA feels there is a need to give back. We feel that giving our time to the community is part of our duty. Our help goes beyond rural communities. We have given dental services to area Boys and Girls Clubs. The VDA holds itself to a higher standard. It is a very caring organization.
Challenges
When I gave an acceptance speech in September, I said one challenge we are facing is practice ownership. We are seeing an influx of practices managed by corporations. While the practice may be owned by a dentist, the control comes from a corporation. These practices do not always take into account what is best for the patients. The Board of Dentistry is looking into this issue.
The dentists working there many times have no choice because they are paying back student loans. These places pay well. A dentist who is a recent graduate can owe $200,000 to $300,000. While college cost is high, what the VDA would like to do is bring the interest rate down on these loans. Lowering the interest rate is a no-brainer.
Access to dental care is also a challenge. Some areas do not have a dentist in the area. We would like to step up access using a community health coordinator who can help people get the dental care they need, who can help get dental hygienists in an area. There have been pilot programs in different states such as New Mexico.
I would like to see such a program in Virginia where many can benefit.
