No Foreign Outsourced Laboratories

The person that “does your hair” requires a state license.  Gary Iocco of Red Wing, Minnesota wants to make sure that the laboratory that “does your teeth” has a license too.

Mr. Iocco testified before th Minnesota Senate committee on a bill that would make dental labs supplying services to Minnesota dentists register with the state. The registration would require the labs to adhere to a strict set of guidelines.

Barbers have to register an abide by heath standards—the same should be required for dental laboratories--"It's a safety issue for patients, dentists and their staffs and dental technicians."

As the law now stands dental work can be outsourced in Minnesota to China or Mexico and other countires that do  not have the safety standards that apply in the USA.

This means those labs may not always use materials that are safe for the patient, Iocco said.

"It's just not good business practice, nor is it right," Iocco said.

He cited a case in Ohio where a dental bridge made in China was later discovered to have a high content of lead, causing the patient health problems.

Iocco supported a bill that requires -- regardless of location -- that provides services to a dentist practicing in Minnesota to register with the Board of Dentistry every two years.

"If someone wants to use a lab that's not in the U.S., that's fine, but it has to tell the dentist that," Iocco said.

The labs would need to divulge the complete material content of the dental piece to the dentist, and that information would be included in the patient's records.

Yellow Springs Dental Care always has and always will use only dental laboratories in the USA that have demonstrated their competence and cleanliness though long-term relationships with us.

Yellow Springs Dental Care NEVER  endangers our patients by outsourcing dental lab work overseas.