Denturists -- nondentists who make dentures -- are flourishing in Kentucky and other states, despite laws against them, according to an article in today's New York Times.
The high cost of dental care, combined with a plague of tobacco and methamphetamine use has left many Kentuckians without teeth, the article reported.
Denturists are allowed to practice independently in Idaho, Maine, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. In Arizona and Colorado, they can practice with at least limited supervision of a licensed dentist, according to the National Denturist Association.
This has left an opening for Glen D. Anderson, of Corbin, Ky, who sells a pair of dentures for $400 that many dentists sell for more than $1,200, the newspaper reported. It quoted Anderson as saying, "Bootleggers exist here for a reason. People need teeth, but they can’t afford to go to dentists for dentures."
