February 23, 2010
By Maulid “Mo” Miskell, Program Director
Colorado State Board of Dental Examiners
Deadline to Renew: Feb. 28, 2010
All dentist and dental hygienist licenses expire on Feb. 28, 2010. You must have an active license in order to practice dentistry or dental hygiene in Colorado. It is also the responsibility of all supervising dentists who have licensed personnel operating in their practices to make sure that each licensed employee has an active license.
By now you should have received a yellow renewal postcard in the mail, which was sent to the address that you have on file with the Colorado State Board of Dental Examiners (Board). There is no personal information on this postcard (other than your name, address and license number). This postcard serves as a notice for your license renewal.
There are 4 types of dentist licenses that may be renewed in Colorado:
- Active License – with this license you may practice dentistry in Colorado consistent with state law, as defined in Article 35 of Title 12, Colorado Revised Statutes (C.R.S.) – http://www.dora.state.co.us/dental/Statute.pdf
- Inactive License – you may NOT practice in Colorado with this license type, without exception
- Retired License (limited scope) – with this license you may provide only voluntary dental services on a limited basis to the indigent population and only if no fee is charged
- Academic License (limited scope) – with this license you must be employed at an accredited school or college of dentistry in Colorado and practice only within the course of academic responsibilities (academic dentist licenses are NOT up for renewal this cycle)
Specific requirements for each of these categories, as well as those for dental hygienists and instructions for renewal can be accessed at: http://www.dora.state.co.us/registrations/Renewal/renewalDEN_DH.html.
License renewal is an online process through the Board’s Website. Click here to renew your license: https://www.doradls.state.co.us/.
If you fail to renew your license by the end of this month, you may still take advantage of a 60-day grace period, which will include a $15 late fee. If you do not renew your license by the end of the grace period, your license will be considered expired and you will have to submit a reinstatement application to reactivate your license. Once your license has expired, you may not practice dentistry under any circumstance in Colorado unless you meet one of the exemptions outlined in section 12-35-115, C.R.S.
Also, please note that section 12-35-111, C.R.S. requires every licensee to furnish their new mailing address to the Board within 30 days of changing their business address. This means that you have to maintain your current business address with the Board, regardless of whether it is your preferred mailing address. If your preferred mailing address is your home address, then you must also keep it current in order to receive future mailings from the Board, including your renewal notice.
If you experience technical issues when renewing online, please e-mail regonline@dora.state.co.us. For all other inquiries regarding your renewal, or if you cannot access online services, call 303-894-2984.