Clinician gaps rarely stay contained. They can shift the schedule, disrupt your team and put patient care on hold. When coverage changes, you need a partner who knows how to move with it.
A clinician gap can quickly ripple through the schedule, the team and the patient experience. The impact can show up as:
Appointments move, waits grow and continuity gets affected.
Uncovered appointments can mean lost utilization and revenue.
Hygienists, assistants and front-desk teams have to work around the gap.
You spend too much time solving the staffing problem instead of running the practice.
Delays and cancellations can affect trust, retention, and confidence in the practice.
We bring dental-specific staffing experience, clinician depth and hands-on support to get the right coverage in place.
A dental practice is not a generic healthcare environment. The workflows, practice models, specialties, licensing requirements, credentialing and clinician expectations all shape what good coverage looks like.
We bring dental staffing experience together with Barton’s locum tenens foundation, clinician relationships and operational depth, so your practice has more context behind the search, and more options when coverage is needed.
The environment, workflow and expectations the clinician is stepping into.
The specialty, experience and capabilities the assignment requires.
The licensing and credentialing details that need to move before the clinician arrives.
Making sure expectations are clear on both sides.
Qualified dental candidates are presented in an average of three days, with general dentistry coverage secured in an average of ten. Licensing and credentialing requirements can affect timing, so we keep the process clear from the start, including what’s moving, what’s pending, and what comes next.
Some gaps are sudden. Some are on the calendar. Either way, your practice still needs the day to work. Barton Associates Dental provides dental coverage for situations like these:
Illness, emergencies or last-minute clinician changes.
Maternity leave, vacations, sabbaticals or extended absences.
Coverage while you search for the right permanent clinician.
Additional clinician capacity when patient volume increases.
Coverage when a clinician’s availability changes or they move on.
Support for group practices and organizations managing coverage across locations.
From the first conversation through the entire assignment, we keep the process clear, coordinated and moving.
Share the role, specialty, location, timing and what matters most to your practice.
We look beyond availability to find a dentist who fits the clinical need, practice environment and assignment.
We coordinate the licensing and credentialing requirements needed to get your dentist ready.
Your team and the dentist know what to expect before the assignment begins, from responsibilities to schedule.
Clear communication and support continue through the assignment, so you know what’s happening and who owns the next step.
From credentialing to clinician readiness to assignment support, we stay close to the details that keep coverage on track.
You know who’s handling the next step and where things stand.
We keep licensing and credentialing requirements moving toward assignment readiness.
We prepare clinicians for the practice, assignment and expectations ahead.
We stay connected through the assignment, not just until the clinician arrives.
What stands out about Barton is how responsive and thorough they are. When I call, they’re on it, quickly sending several well-vetted options I can interview. They take time to understand my needs, the practice, and the patients, tailoring their matches accordingly. That combination of speed, choice, and alignment keeps our coverage seamless.
I had to pick up the process of recruiting locum dentists for our organization and was new to the process. Evan Ray and Matthew Logan have been great at helping guide me through what to expect. I appreciate the service they provide with ensuring all the background logistics are solved for such as lodging, airfare, etc.
It has been absolutely wonderful working along with Savannah Russell. She is an incredibly good & professional member of the Barton family. She helps me when I need her opinion on any issue I might have regarding the office I am working in. I love being a part of the Barton Family.
A locum dentist, also called a locum tenens dentist, is a licensed dentist who provides temporary coverage for a dental practice. Practices use locum dentists to maintain patient access during unexpected absences, planned leave, periods of increased demand, clinician transitions and permanent hiring searches.
The timeline depends on the location, dental specialty, schedule, licensing requirements and availability of qualified dentists. Barton Associates Dental begins by understanding your practice’s clinical and operational needs, then identifies locum tenens dentists whose experience, availability and assignment readiness align with the opening.
Barton Associates Dental provides locum tenens staffing for general dentistry, pediatric dentistry, orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, periodontics, prosthodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and endodontics. Dentist availability depends on the specialty, location, schedule and requirements of the assignment.
A locum tenens dentist must hold the appropriate license and satisfy the credentialing requirements for the state, practice and assignment. Barton Associates Dental helps coordinate required documentation, tracks outstanding steps and communicates progress so both the dentist and practice are prepared for the assignment to begin.
Locum tenens dental assignments can range from short-term coverage to extended or recurring engagements. The assignment length and schedule depend on the practice’s coverage needs, the dentist’s availability and applicable licensing or credentialing requirements.
The cost of locum tenens dentist coverage varies based on the dental specialty, practice location, schedule, assignment length and current market conditions. Barton Associates Dental will review your coverage needs and explain the rates and assignment details before your practice decides to move forward.
