AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Senate on Wednesday night killed a bill that would allow a new type of dental provider, a dental hygiene therapist, to open up shop in the state and address a shortage of access to dental care in Maine, according to the Bangor Daily News.

The Senate first opposed the bill in a 14-21 vote before killing it. The Maine House had given initial approval to the measure just a day earlier in a 95-45 vote.

The bill’s defeat marks a major victory for Maine dentists, who heavily lobbied against it. The bill, LD 1230, was sponsored by House Speaker Mark Eves, D-North Berwick, and was co-sponsored by more than 40 lawmakers from both parties.

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