"I see in this community a lot of soft enamel," says Dr. Alberto Taylor, D.D.S. But there's a broader constellation of issues that make dentistry in Humboldt uniquely challenging: insurance policies, a shortage of trained specialists, and other hurdles make it challenging for dentists to put down roots here.
But Dr. Taylor loves Humboldt and has worked in Sunnybrae for the past 15 years. In this episode of Talk Humboldt with Keith and Tom, Dr. Taylor explains the ups and downs of the healthcare landscape that he and other local dentists have found themselves in.
(And yes, he thinks you should floss more.)
_______________Transcript_______________
Jackson:
Hi, I'm Tom Jackson, President of Cal Poly Humboldt. And I'm here again today with my dear friend and colleague, Dr. Keith Flamer, the president of the College of the Redwoods. Good to see you, Keith.
Flamer:
Always a pleasure seeing you, Tom!
Jackson:
We're sitting in the offices of Dr. Alberto Taylor. He's a dentist in Arcata. Welcome, Dr. Taylor.
Taylor:
Thank you.
Jackson:
Can you tell us a little bit about where you're from, some of the alma maters that you have as a dentist, and how long you've been practicing in Humboldt County?
Taylor:
My story is a little bit different. I was born in Mexico, so I came to the United States when I was 24 years old, I went to Minnesota. Finally, in 1991, I got my license and I worked in Ventura County for 15 years. I decided I want to get out of Southern California. One of the big factors was that my kids were small and I wanted them to be in a small community, and I love the outdoors. I'm an avid outdoor person, so I have been here in Humboldt County since 2008. I really like the area. I like the people.
Jackson:
You know, we've talked before, Doc, and one of the things we'd often discuss was insurance. Can you talk a little bit about that from your point of view as a provider?
Taylor:
I have been working with the insurance companies for 30 years. Delta that has not been listening to the providers here in Humboldt County and California here in Humboldt County. There isn’t big pool of employees, and the reimbursement from the insurance is very low compared with the overhead. And that has of being a big issue in Eureka, most of the dentists.
five years ago, dropped Delta. In Arcata, we had to do that because the insurance cut their reimbursements - so they pay us less and they expect us to give the same quality of care.
Flamer:
I heard a couple of problems that you've stated. One is that you don't have enough staff. And what type of staff are we talking about?
Taylor:
We're talking about dental hygienists.
Flamer:
Dental hygienists.
Taylor:
It's very difficult to find dental hygienists.
Flamer:
How do we get get get more folks like yourself, board-certified, board-trained, etc.?
Taylor:
One of the issues that we have is that a lot of people don't like the rural areas because there's no shopping and all that stuff.
Flamer:
I've seen a lot of that, yeah.
Taylor:
The thing, too, is the lack of housing. And the issue with the spouses... It's very hard to convince the spouses to come here. I think it's very difficult for a new graduate to come and buy a practice because of the debt that they have. They went to school for dentistry, kids come out $400,000 in debt.
So they're looking for corporations instead of doing their own business.
Flamer:
Tell me about that, corporation of dentists. What is that?
Taylor:
These corporations and they buy offices and they get dentists to work for them. There's not a single dentist, like I am here.
Jackson:
I'm going to switch gears on a couple of fun questions. One of the things that I think many patients really, really, really hate is being told they have to floss.
Flamer:
I heard that the other day! (Laughter)
Taylor:
One of the things I tell my patients, okay, is that some people have hard enamel and those people, they don't brush, they don’t floss and they don't have any issues. I mean, they have gum issues, but they don't have cavities. But I see in this community a lot of soft enamel. And if you leave food between your teeth at night, especially, you're going to get cavities.
You know why? Because saliva cleans your teeth during the day and we don't produce a lot of saliva at night. So that's a big issue. And, you know, too, is that a lot of people start getting medications. And some medications make your mouth dry. So they suppress the salivary glands. So if you have a dry mouth, you have to floss and brush after each meal.
Otherwise, you don't have the luxury of having saliva in your mouth during the day.
Flamer:
So I promise after this interview, I will do better, at least for two more days.
Jackson:
We're here with Dr. Taylor, a local dentist in Arcata. What are some of the things [that are] good for your teeth and some of the things bad for your mouth and teeth. For example, Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Is that good or bad for you? Teeth whitening, booze, all that…
Taylor:
Mountain Dew is the worst.
Jackson:
Okay. [Laughter]
Taylor:
But Coca-Cola, it doesn't help either.
Flamer:
Okay. So I got to take days when I can. But with those.
Taylor:
Definitely, one of the things that I tell the patients, I say, 'hey, you want to eat candy?' That's fine. You're going to drink Coca-Cola? That's fine. Rinse your mouth after you do that with water. Besides that, there is a lot of sugar, and Coca-Cola is has a lot of acid, and the acid eats the enamel. So rinse your mouth.
Jackson:
I have one final question if you don't mind. And that has to do with the joy of your work. What keeps you doing this? What what's the fun part about being a dentist that brings you in every morning?
Taylor:
One of the things that I that brings me joy, is when a patient comes with pain and I'm able to mitigate that, or when a patient doesn't like to smile and has mental issues because of that, because they got bullied all their lives. And I can change that. That brings me joy. That keeps me going.
Jackson:
Dr. Alberto Taylor, we're in between patients in your offices. So we realize you have other people to see and places to go. But we're certainly appreciative of your willingness to speak with us today.
Flamer:
Thank you. And I learned a lot from you today.
Taylor:
My pleasure.
