Please consider there exists enough confusion in the glorious world of Dentistry as we know it today!  I have practiced for over 32 years in the magnificent state of Virginia--and would be horrified to know that our legislators had passed the bill to allow untrained personnel to provide services clearly deemed  for the trained , licensed, and 2-4  year college educated hygienist.  I HAVE WITNESSED UNTRAINED ASSISTANTS ALREADY SCALING IN PREVIOUS PRACTICES, AND HEARD ABOUT THE PRACTICE IN OTHERS.. DO YOU KNOW WHAT CAN HAPPEN IN SOME CASES?  BACTERIAL ENDOCARDITIS.....  WHO WILL MONITOR THE OFFICES TO ENSURE THAT THE DENTAL 1 VERSUS THE DENTAL 2 TYPE  assistants are performing the type 1 supra gingival procedurs?  I have  had VERY  few patients with 3 mm and under  pocket depths, so who will be measuring these pockets before the cleaning is performed?  Are the Dentists truly concerned with patient access to care? (  Or could it be  something else?)   WHETHER THE PROHY IS PERFORMED BY THE ASSISTANT OR THE HYGIENIST, THE PATIENT PAYS THE SAME FEE, SO  I DO NOT SEE HOW THE PATIENT WILL BE SAVING IF ASSISTANTS ARE PERFORMING  DUTIES PREVIOIUSLY PERFORMED BY HYGIENISTS.   Now,  who will be saving???  I check for caries around each margin of every tooth, crown, and restoration during my scaling of each tooth--the dentist then confirms my preliminary findings..  WHO WILL BE CHECKING SO CLOSELY AT THE RECALL APPOINTMENT IF THERE IS NO HYGIENIST INVOLVED ?   I Love working with the 2 dentists where I  have been happily employed the past two and one-half years, but I fear that there are offices out there that would  abuse these changes should they come to fruition.  PLEASE DO NOT MAKE VIRGINIA A LEADER IN POOR HEALTH  CARE!!  JUST SAY NO TO  ASSISTANT SCALING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

iPRESENTLY WORK WITH--BUT LET ME TELL YOU, THERE HAVE BEEN SOME PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES THAT WOULD CURL YOUR HAIR PEOPLE!!!!!!!!            JUST SAY NO TO ASSISTANT SCALING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!