Regan
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SCRANTON — A dentist at The Wright Center joined the faculty of the NYU Langone Health’s Dental Medicine Postdoctoral Residency Programs and will begin teaching Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) residents at The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton Practice.
Michael Regan, D.M.D., began seeing patients at the new dental clinic at The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre Practice at 169 N. Pennsylvania Ave., when it opened in August, just weeks after he completed his postdoctoral AEGD residency at The Wright Center for Community Health through the NYU Langone Health program. The well-known program is the world’s largest postdoctoral dental residency program of its kind, training about 400 dental residents annually at partner sites in nearly 30 states.
“I had a great experience while completing my residency at The Wright Center, and I think it gives me a unique insight as I start to teach residents,” Dr. Regan said. “I did an extensive number of complicated dental procedures as a resident, so I’m confident I can help residents navigate those challenges, too.”
The Wright Center, which is the AEGD residency program’s only Pennsylvania site, has hosted two dental residents each academic year since becoming a program partner in 2021. The Commission on Dental Accreditation recently approved an expansion of The Wright Center’s NYU Langone Health Program to three AEGD residents, starting in July 2025. One of those residents will work directly with Dr. Regan at the Wilkes-Barre Practice.
Dr. Regan completed the necessary training through NYU Langone Health, along with approximately 275 hours of additional continuing education, to qualify for the faculty position. He will be joining Caitlin McCarthy, D.M.D., a dentist at The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton Practice, who supervised the residency training of both Dr. Regan and Ryan Rebar, D.M.D., a dentist at The Wright Center for Community Health Mid Valley Practice in Jermyn.
Dr. Regan decided to stay and practice dentistry at The Wright Center after seeing the growing need for dental services in Northeast Pennsylvania during his residency. Since opening on Aug. 6, the Wilkes-Barre dental clinic has handled nearly 1,000 visits as of Oct. 30.
“A majority of our patients so far have been waiting months or years for dental care,” Dr. Regan said. “There’s not a lot of dentists locally who accept Medicaid patients if they’re accepting new patients at all.”
In fiscal year 2024, more than 3,400 unique patients were treated at The Wright Center’s dental clinic in Scranton, and nearly 3,400 unique patients visited the Mid Valley dental clinic. All three clinics offer exams, cleanings, X-rays, fillings, emergency services, oral cancer screenings, and denture care to people of all ages, regardless of their insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay. To make an appointment, visit TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.