News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Dental Services will return to the Putnam County Health Department beginning Monday.
The department will offer basic services such as exams, x-rays, cleanings, fillings, and extractions. Putnam County Health Department Director Lisa Bumbalough said the department is offering dental services as dental health is linked to a person’s overall health.
“Dental and medical services really go hand in hand I feel,” Bumbalough said. “We have had this service before in the health department. There are several health departments across the state who offer dental services, so we are just thankful to be able to get back on board and serve the public.”
Putnam County Health Department Dentist Dr. Lauren Minnear said she will focus on prevention over emergency care. Minnear said the lack of visits lead to severe teeth issues.
“Obviously we want our patients to come in if they are ever experiencing a toothache or anything like that,” Minnear said. “We really want to focus on patients visiting regularly, so we want them to come in for their checkups and preventative care cause this can help us identify issues early on so that we can make sure that they don’t get too serious.”
Bumbalough said the department has prepared extensively to ensure a smooth relaunch of the dental services.
“We worked really hard on collaborating together with all the team here to ensure a swift transition into that area,” Bumbalough said. “Our staff is all on board and we got a full team ready and geared up to begin offering those services.”
Bumbalough said the department will stick to offering basic services for now but the sky is the limit and we could see more dental services added in the future.
