AUSTIN — The state dental board on Wednesday voted to let Texas dentists resume performing elective procedures and providing non-urgent care, starting Friday.

A number of dental hygienists in Florida say the state should not be resuming regular operations this week. ... Tampa Bay Area Dental Hygienists Say It’s Too Soon to Resume Routine Care Services.

Many dental hygienists said that's not possible. "Dentists, veterinarians should also, beginning May 1, be able to be at full steam ahead," said Governor DeWine in his press briefing on April 27.

Jennifer Frame, a dental hygienist at Arthur Dental Group in Bremerton, said her dentist has worked hard to take the proper precautions before reopening, including ordering air filters for each room.

When the licensure bill was first introduced in 2011, Paul Kittle, a pediatric dentist from Leavenworth, told legislators that allowing dental therapists to fill cavities and pull teeth would ...