In response to Karen Christiansen’s op-ed (“Local dentists shirking responsibility to county,” Sept. 23), there are about a dozen general dentists in Tooele, not 30. They donate hundreds of thousands of dollars of dentistry each year in their own offices. Several of them have worked in the clinic, which is subsidized through taxes paid by these dentists. They are active in the community, and sponsor many programs including scholarship funds. They donate time, energy and resources to educate school children on proper hygiene through Head Start and in elementary schools. What they cannot do is go into individual homes to make sure that children are using the fuzzy end of the brush. They cannot make sure parents keep appointments. They cannot control children’s diets. They cannot always fix, in a few minutes, years of neglect from the patient or the parent. They also are limited to working on willing patients, ones who will allow the treatment. And sadly, children and adults who are not used to having even a toothbrush in their mouth experience an enormous amount of anxiety when faced with other instruments. In this age of no one taking responsibility for anything, and with regard to the general dental health in the county, I can say that responsibilities are certainly being shirked. What is unclear is at whose feet we can reasonably lay blame.  

James McConnell, DMD

Lake Point