A number of dental practices have closed in the past few months, with some shutting down due to financial troubles and officials stepping in to close practices in other instances.
Here are five recent dental practice closures, as reported by Becker’s since May 20:
- An orthodontic practice in McAllen, Texas, closed without warning, leaving patients with unfinished treatment. The landlord of the office posted a notice stating that the tenant, Senan Orthodontic Studio, had failed to pay rent, leading to the closure.
- Cuddle Kids Dental in Fort Worth, Texas, remains closed following the arrest of its owner, Chrishelle Hemphill, DDS, who was charged after a 4-year-old patient died during a dental procedure in April. Dr. Hemphill’s license was temporarily suspended July 15 — the same day as her arrest — for at least 30 days. The suspension does not bar her from performing administrative tasks such as referring patients, but prohibits her from delegating any clinical tasks to employees.
- Golden-based Colorado School of Mines abruptly closed its dental clinic as part of a broader 1% staff reduction. The closure came as the university laid off 1% of its staff, which Emilie Rusch, the university’s director of communications, attributed to changing enrollment patterns and complexities in higher education.
- Robert Davis, DMD, is planning to retire at the end of June after more than three decades of service. Dentistry for Children and Teens in East Liverpool, Ohio, led by Dr. Davis, closed June 30.
- In May, city health officials closed a dental practice in Philadelphia and suspended the owner’s license over unsanitary conditions that may have exposed patients to several diseases. The practice reopened in July after the license of Kirti Chopra, DDS, was reinstated.
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