Dr. Benjamin Burris would rather give up his orthodontic license than give up his mission to offer low-cost teeth cleanings to patients in need.
After voluntarily giving up his license to practice orthodontics, Dr. Burris, who owns and operates over 20 dental offices in Arkansas, has dropped a federal lawsuit which challenged the state Dental Practices Act, reports Arkansas Online. The Act says dental specialists – like orthodontists – cannot practice routine dentistry in the state of Arkansas.
Dr. Burris sued the state Board of Dental Examiners in May 2014 after it threatened to revoke his dental license and his orthodontic license if he didn't stop offering low-cost teeth cleanings at his Jonesboro office. The Arkansas Dental Practices Act says a dentist who receives a specialty license "must limit his or her practice to the specialty in which he or she is licensed except in an emergency situation." In other words, if Dr. Burris were to remain an orthodontist, he could only practice orthodontics, not general dentistry.
Burris claimed that the board’s refusal to let him offer teeth-cleaning services was unconstitutional and that the services were part of a "mission to expand access to dental care to low-income individuals."
In 2014 Dental Product Shopper talked with Dr. Burris who is one of our DPS evaluators. In a nutshell, Burris told DPS, “Access to care has been my passion for years. This fight is bigger than me and we won’t let petty issues stop us from fighting for what is right for the public. This is a patients’ rights issue at its heart and we won’t forget that or lose focus.”
After Burris gave up his orthodontic license on Friday, his attorney, Matthew Miller, said, "He is qualified as an orthodontist, but he's decided this access to care is important, and he's going to focus on that." Burris will still do all kinds of general dentistry, "braces and everything," said Miller. "Dr. Burris does plan to work for changes in the law. He has been approached by several legislators and has decided to take them up on it." He still has his general dentistry license and plans to continue offering low-cost teeth cleanings to adults and children.
Click here to read the full DPS interview with Dr. Burris (photo on left).