I’ve seen a dentist’s planned leave turn into a scramble for the whole team. A thoughtful locum plan can keep care moving while giving the practice breathing room to make its next decision.
What is dental locum tenens?
“Locum tenens” means temporarily filling in for another professional. A dental locum tenens dentist steps in to provide care while a regular dentist is away or while a practice manages a temporary staffing gap.
For a practice owner, that may mean keeping a booked schedule and familiar care available instead of canceling patients. For patients, it means knowing who will treat them, what to expect, and how their care will continue.
The term can describe a temporary dentist operationally, but payer rules may use a narrower definition. Some dental plans recognize locum arrangements only in specific circumstances, such as a dentist’s illness, disability, or leave. A sabbatical or other planned absence may not qualify under every plan. Before scheduling treatment, confirm applicable state requirements, payer policies, and insurance coverage.
The American Dental Association’s locum tenens guide outlines practical steps for dental practices, including contacting plans, checking coverage, and reporting the treating dentist accurately.
When does a temporary dentist make sense?
A locum can help when the need is temporary, the practice can support safe patient care, and the coverage plan makes financial and administrative sense.
Common situations include:
• Maternity or parental leave: The practice wants to maintain access to care while a dentist is away.
• A sabbatical or extended planned leave: A locum may help preserve appointments, though pay-or-eligibility and contract rules should be checked first.
• An unexpected illness, injury, or other sudden absence: A temporary dentist can help the team respond while the practice works through next steps.
• Coverage during a permanent search: The practice needs time to find a lasting fit instead of rushing into a permanent hire.
• A temporary vacancy across a DSO or multi-site group: Coverage at one location may help maintain access while leaders manage recruitment.
Some dental plans may not allow locum billing for a short vacation or other brief absence. Rules vary, so don’t assume that a temporary assignment automatically qualifies for a payer’s locum provisions.
The choice isn’t just “locum or no locum”
When a chair sits empty, the cost isn’t limited to missed production. Patients may wait longer, established treatment plans can stall, and the front desk may spend the day rescheduling instead of helping patients.
A locum has a cost, too. Consider compensation, onboarding time, any travel or agency expenses, payer requirements, and the team’s capacity to support another clinician. Then compare those expenses with the likely impact of reducing appointments, referring patients elsewhere, or leaving the schedule unfilled.
A hurried permanent hire brings a different risk. If the fit is wrong clinically, culturally, or operationally, the practice may have to restart the search while patients and staff absorb the disruption.
A temporary dentist can create breathing room. But that only works when the practice defines what the locum will do, how long coverage may last, and who will make decisions when the regular dentist returns, or doesn’t.
Quick gut check: A locum is most useful when the practice has a clearly defined temporary need, a workable budget, and enough time to verify licensing, insurance, payer requirements, and patient handoffs.
Weigh the trade-offs before you book the schedule
Locum tenens can help protect continuity, but it doesn’t remove every operational challenge. What a locum may help you do
• Keep some appointments available during an absence.
• Reduce cancellations and avoid sending every patient elsewhere.
• Give the team time to run a thoughtful permanent search.
• Maintain access for patients with ongoing treatment needs.
• Avoid putting the whole coverage burden on an already busy associate or owner. What still needs your attention
• The locum may need payer enrollment or plan-specific approval.
• The dentist must hold the required license for the state and practice within its scope.
• Your professional-liability insurer should confirm coverage for the proposed arrangement.
• The team needs clear instructions for scheduling, chart access, emergencies, and claims. • Patients may need time and reassurance before seeing someone new.
Payer rules can affect reimbursement and patient costs. The ADA notes that plan reporting and credentialing requirements differ. The California Dental Association also advises practices to report the dentist who actually treated the patient and to follow each plan’s instructions. Read its guidance on adding a dentist or using locum tenens before claims go out.
How to onboard a locum without losing the thread
A locum should feel like a prepared teammate, not a stranger being handed a full schedule. Start the setup before the first patient arrives.
1. Write down the coverage plan. Set assignment dates, hours, expected duties, compensation, and the process for extending or ending the arrangement. Get legal and tax advice about the appropriate worker classification.
2. Confirm credentials and insurance. Verify the dentist’s active state license, relevant qualifications, and professional-liability coverage. Ask your insurer to confirm coverage for the person, location, and planned services.
3. Contact dental plans early. Ask each relevant plan what it requires for a locum, including notice, forms, credentialing, time limits, and claims submission. Keep written confirmation with your records.
4. Prepare the clinical handoff. Share relevant medical histories, treatment plans, open cases, preferred referral pathways, and emergency procedures. Provide access only through your practice’s approved systems.
5. Brief the front desk and billing team. Confirm how staff should explain the coverage, what to collect from patients, and how to identify the treating dentist on clinical records and claims. Don’t list the absent dentist as the treating dentist when the locum provided the care.
6. Tell patients what’s changing. A short, calm explanation helps: “Dr. Lee is away, and Dr. Patel is providing care during that time. We’ll make sure your records and treatment plan are available.”
Protect patient continuity, not just the calendar
A full schedule can look reassuring, but continuity takes more than filling appointment slots. Patients should know who will see them and have a chance to ask questions. The locum needs enough context to provide appropriate care and document it clearly. The regular dentist or next treating clinician needs a useful handoff.
Imagine a patient midway through a multi-visit treatment plan. If the team can’t quickly explain what has been completed, what remains, and who is responsible for follow-up, the patient may feel like they have to start over. A shared handoff process helps prevent that moment.
For the practice owner or manager, schedule a short check-in with the locum and team during the assignment. Ask what’s working, where patients are getting confused, and whether any unresolved cases need attention. When coverage ends, close the loop with a clear transition plan.
When you need temporary coverage and a lasting hire
Sometimes the immediate need is a few weeks of coverage. Sometimes that temporary gap reveals a permanent vacancy. You don’t have to solve both problems with one decision.
A locum may help keep care available while you assess the longer-term role, schedule, compensation, and team fit. If the position is permanent, treat it as a real search, not an open-ended temporary assignment by default. That gives your team and candidates a clearer expectation.
RSMC Services specializes in dental recruitment and staffing, including locum tenens support for practices and DSOs. The RSMC team’s dental recruitment approach focuses on understanding the role and matching practices with vetted dental professionals. A staffing partner can help you source candidates, but your practice should still confirm clinical credentials, payer requirements, and cover age before care begins.
Frequently asked questions
What is a locum dentist?
A locum dentist temporarily provides dental care in place of a regular dentist who is absent or during a temporary staffing gap.
When should a dental practice use a locum tenens dentist?
Consider one when the need is temporary, the practice can support the assignment, and the cost and payer requirements make sense.
Can a locum cover maternity leave?
A locum may provide coverage during maternity leave. Contact applicable plans early to confirm their requirements and timelines.
Can I use a locum during a sabbatical?
Possibly, but don’t assume the arrangement qualifies under payer locum policies. Check plan rules, state requirements, and insurance coverage.
Can a locum cover a sudden dentist vacancy?
A temporary dentist may help during the search, but confirm that the arrangement meets applicable payer and state rules.
Does a locum dentist need a state license?
Yes. Verify that the dentist holds the required license for the state where they’ll provide care and will work within its permitted scope.
Will a locum be in network with my dental plans?
Not necessarily. Network status and locum policies vary by plan and sometimes by location. Confirm directly with each plan.
Who should be listed as the treating dentist on a claim?
Follow the payer’s instructions, and report the dentist who actually provided the care. Don’t identify the absent dentist as the treating dentist for services the locum performed.
Should I tell patients that a locum is treating them?
Yes. Explain who will provide care, why the regular dentist is away, and how the patient’s records and treatment plan will be handled.
How can a staffing partner help?
A dental staffing partner can help source and vet candidates and coordinate the search. The practice remains responsible for verifying requirements before the locum starts.
Keep care moving with a plan that fits
A dental locum tenens dentist can help your practice protect patient access during a leave, sudden absence, or permanent search. The best results come from treating coverage as a clinical and operational handoff, not just a name added to the schedule.
If you’re weighing temporary coverage or need help finding a vetted locum dentist, feel free to reach out to the RSMC Team. Call +1 650-447-1527 or email careers@rsmcservices.com to talk through your staffing needs and next steps.