What Is a Locum Tenens Dentist?

Are you a dentist in the United States looking to try something other than routine work?

Would you like the opportunity to try something new in your field, work in different cities, gain experience, and potentially make more money?

If the answer is yes, then working as a locum tenens dentist might interest you.

In this guide, we’ll explain what locum tenens work is, its pros and cons, and our final verdict on this career option.

What Is a Locum Tenens Dentist?

A locum tenens dentist is a dental professional who temporarily fills in for a regular dentist when they are absent or when a dental practice is short-staffed.

The term “locum tenens” is Latin for “to hold the place of,” indicating that the locum dentist acts as a substitute to ensure continuity of patient care. Working as locum tenens in all aspects of medicine is often common during vacations, maternity leaves, illnesses, or other absences.

But is that good for the dentist who works as a locum? If you’re a dentist, should you consider working as a locum? Or are you better off working with a fixed contract?

The answer is, it depends on your goals. In short, if you prefer routine work, stable income, contract benefits, and potential for growth within the same institution, becoming a locum may not be the best approach for you.

On the other hand, if you need to broaden your expertise, travel, and improve your dental networking and find potential work opportunities, becoming a locum dentist can be a good fit.

That being said, there’s a lot to break down.

Related: 10 Locums Jobs in the Medical Industry

Benefits of Becoming a Locum Tenens Dentist

Here’s why you should consider being a locum dentist:

Experience

Working in different locations can significantly expand your clinical experience in the dental field. Dentists who work in the same location for years may not notice this, but the “types” of patients you get can significantly change according to the demographics of where you work.

Allow us to explain.

In the United States, 3 out of 4 citizens are provided fluoride (within certain limits) in drinking water.

Fluoride is known to provide protective properties to the teeth, so if you work in an area where most patients don’t get such fluoride in drinking water, the cavities and procedures you may end up treating will be more extensive.

Fluoride in drinking water is just one example. Eating habits, different food cultures, high crime rates, varying education levels, all of these factors affect the types of patients and how their teeth present.

Higher Rates

Locum tenens healthcare professionals in most medical specialties typically earn higher hourly rates than their permanently employed colleagues, and dentists are no exception.

The average dentist in the U.S. makes around $96.79 per hour. In comparison, locum dentists can earn up to $111 per hour, representing a potential hourly increase of about $14.21.

Scheduling Flexibility

In addition to the higher income, locum dentists have a fair amount of flexibility in their work schedules, allowing them to choose when and where they work.

This often translates into a much more manageable work-life balance compared to regular dentists. It’s also ideal if you need spare time for CME or pursuing higher education degrees.

However, keep in mind that this flexibility can sometimes be situational. If you end up substituting for a dentist in an already short-staffed establishment, you may have to work overtime instead.

Still, you do receive information about the destination where you could potentially work as a locum, and you have the option to decline, so this is mostly avoidable.

Travelling and Professional Networking

Some dentists thrive in their work by constantly changing their work environment. If you’re among those, then you’ll enjoy the travelling associated with the job.

Plus, since locum dentists’ contracts typically take a few months, getting new contracts in succession allows you to visit different medical establishments more often, which can be a wonderful opportunity for professional networking.

You never know what kind of opportunities await you by expanding your network as a dentist.

However, we have to mention that this one can also be a con for people who prefer a more stable work environment, so this one is more of a subjective advantage.

Reduced Administrative Burden

This one isn’t an advantage per se, but some people find life a lot easier when they don’t have to go through a lot of paperwork.

If you work locums in any field, you’ll have much less paperwork and credentialing hassles because the agencies you deal with often handle licensing, contract negotiations, and billing.

Considerations Before Becoming a Locum Dentist

With the pros out of the way, let’s discuss what could become potential setbacks for dentists considering working locum:

Lack of Job Security

The “instability” aspect is probably the biggest concern with working locums in general. Locum tenens dentists work on temporary locum tenens dentist jobs, or” assignments,” and while some establishments allow you to upgrade to a full-time contract, it’s still not always a given.

In other words, there’s no guaranteed income or long-term employment stability. This uncertainty requires careful financial and scheduling planning to manage potential gaps between assignments.

No Employee Benefits

Remember when we said locum dentists earn more per hour? While this is theoretically true, it doesn’t always mean you’ll earn more compared to a full-time timer.

That’s because your contract as a locum rarely includes any benefits like sign-up bonuses, insurance, and such.

You do, however, get your travel and accommodation expenses, so it kind of balances out in the end.

Variable Workload

As a locum tenens dentist, you have some control over your schedule, but you don’t have control over the workload itself. Locum work can be unpredictable, with fluctuating availability of assignments.

This inconsistency can make it challenging to maintain a steady income and requires flexibility to adapt to varying demand.

Less Control and Potential Restrictions

Locum tenens healthcare employees often get their assignments through agencies, meaning dentists may have less control over the assignments they receive.

In some cases, they may also face contractual obligations limiting independent work and potentially earn less due to agency fees.

Related: The 10 Best Locum Tenens Agencies in the U.S.A. in 2024

Should You Become a Locum Tenens Dentist?

A dentist should work locum tenens if they don’t mind travelling, unstable loads, and assignment-based temporary work. These factors may not be disadvantages for everyone, but they are important considerations for some. If stability matters to you, perhaps working locum isn’t the best career choice.

On the other hand, many dentists can make the most out of the higher rates, networking opportunities, and patient diversity, which, in dentistry, means a lot more hands-on experience.

That being said, if you decide that working locums is for you, you may sign up through agencies like NALTO®. And yes, you can apply if you’re a general dentist.

Related: What Is Locum in the Medical Field?

Final Words

In the end, we can say that working as a locum tenens dentist is highly situational. It can be quite convenient for some dentists, but also a step back for others. But how do you know if locum work is right for you? Wouldn’t it be helpful to have a personalized assessment to guide your decision?

That’s one of the services we provide at Physicians Thrive. If you are a dental care provider or a health professional who’s about to take a pivotal decision in their career, or looking forward to advancing with minimal financial loss, we’d like to hear from you.

Contact us today, and we’ll take care of the rest.