Denturist loses court appeal
JOAN BARRON Star-Tribune capital bureau | Posted: Saturday, August 18, 2007 12:00 am
CHEYENNE - A denture maker who was forced to quit practicing lost his Wyoming Supreme Court appeal to the Friday.
The state's high court ruled that Basin denturist Gary Vollan's practice violates Wyoming law against practicing dentistry without a license.
The decision upholds an order issued in October by Big Horn District Judge Steven Cranfill, who granted the Wyoming Board of Dental Examiners' request to stop Vollan's work.
Vollan could not be reached for comment Friday. He has been gathering signatures on petitions to get the denturist issue on the 2008 general election ballot.
His attorney, Keith Goody of Jackson, pointed out that denturists are licensed in Washington, Oregon and Canada. He tried to convince the court that what Vollan does is not a "healing" profession" as defined in a previous supreme court ruling.
"Gary just fits dentures," Goody said. "He performs a valuable service, particularly with the shortage of dentists in Wyoming."
He said Vollan practiced denturism for years "and nobody cared." But then the dentists decided to take action, he added.
Vollan, the single father of 10 children, had practiced in Basin since 1992.
"We're just stuck," Goody added. "The Legislature needs to do something about it."
Last winter, Rep. Lorraine Quarberg, R-Thermopolis, sponsored a bill to license denturists under the Wyoming Dental Examiners Board. The bill would let Vollan go back to work.
The bill died in the House Corporations Committee on a 2-7 vote two in February. Quarberg said Friday she'll try again in 2008, this time making a better effort to work with the dentists.
"Sometimes these things have to come back more than once."
She said she became convinced last winter that the dentists don't want the responsibility of regulating the denturists. For that reason, Quarberg said, she will rewrite the bill to allow the denturists to have their own licensing board, with one dentist as a member.
"I feel really strongly about it, that it is a service and profession that can be licensed separately from the dentists," Quarberg continued. "The more I know about the profession, it's a real art form. It takes patience. I think there's a need for denturists."
Capital reporter Joan Barron can be reached at (307) 632-1244 or at joan.barron@casperstartribune.net.