I think that dentists in favor of this proposal are convinced that allowing assistants to do the so-called “easy prophys” will save them money: but do dentists plan to charge patients less money when an assistant cleans their teeth? And how can a person w/o training as a hygienist perform the duties of a hygienist? Ironically, dentists who use assistants to do “easy prophys” are losing revenue due to undiagnosed periodontal disease, and it is a huge disservice to patients. In the 6 years that I’ve practiced, I’ve done quite a bit of temping, so I’ve worked in many dental offices here in Richmond. I have worked in several offices where dentists have allowed assistants to perform prophys (illegally). In one office I was asked to JUST polish a patient who “didn’t need scaling” since she had no calculus—the assistant was busy, and I had a cancellation. She didn’t have calculus, but I picked up a probe (even though I was told to JUST polish: being a hygienist I can’t do that!) I quickly sunk into very deep, 6-8 PD, even in the anterior sextants. The dentist did not believe me, and had done quite extensive cosmetic work (veneers) on this patient. I think this dentist was truly shocked by the pocketing (which s/he did confirm). This is not an exaggeration, or a made-up story to make my point. When offices don’t have hygienists, or utilize assistants improperly, patients slip through the cracks, and rampant undiagnosed periodontal disease results: not in all the patients, of course, but in those susceptible to the disease. Unfortunately, perhaps some dentists do not appreciate the skills of a licensed hygienist, the extensive training that we do have, and our benefit to their patients and their practice.