Business brisk for oral, facial surgery
By Amy Olson
WESTON -- Marshfield Clinic's oral and facial surgery patients are likely to have shorter wait times for procedures in the Wausau area because of a new Oral and Facial Cosmetic Surgery Center in Weston.
Marshfield Clinic decided to open the center to meet patients' needs for oral surgery, dental implants, facial reconstruction and even elective cosmetic procedures, said Bobbi Martens, assistant manager for patient care at Marshfield Clinic.
"It's been tremendously busy" compared to expectations since opening in June at 4107 Barbican Ave., Martens said.
The clinic wanted to provide services closer to Wausau's growing southern communities, said Dr. Patrick Kline, a Marshfield Clinic oral and facial cosmetic surgeon who practices in Wausau and Weston. More space was needed, too, to house a growing staff of doctors.
Opening the clinic has helped reduce patients' waiting times for elective procedures by three to four weeks, Kline said.
Oral surgery is among the procedures with the highest demand, Martens said.
"Towns this size typically have many more oral surgeons," she said.
The need to have teeth extracted is high, especially among people who've lacked dental care since childhood, Martens said.
Demand is growing for other procedures, including jaw surgeries and dental implants, as well as elective cosmetic procedures, she added.