Dental Tribune U.S.Edition No.4, 2016

Dental Tribune U.S. Edition | April 2016A4 maintain your implants, crowns or den- tures to keep your whole mouth healthy.” Board certified prosthodontist and ACP President Carl F. Driscoll, DMD, FACP, en- courages patients to maintain their nat- ural teeth by brushing for two minutes twice a day, flossing once a day and eat- ing a healthy diet. Visiting a dentist for regular cleanings and examinations can stop dental disease in its tracks before it becomes a more serious and expensive problem down the road, he said. Plan B: Dentures, implants, ASAP If patients lose their teeth, Felton recom- mends that they visit a prosthodontist to replace their teeth right away. The most common and least expensive tooth- replacement methods are full or partial dentures. Full dentures replace all the teeth by resting on the gums that cover the jawbones. Partial dentures attach to the teeth that are still present and rest on the gums and bone where the teeth are missing, according to the ACP. For patients who need dentures right away, prosthodontists can place “imme- diate dentures,” which are temporary and can take about an hour. These den- tures are for short-term-use only, and should be replaced with high-quality, long-lasting permanent dentures, which can be available in a few days, Vickers said. In addition, prosthodontists can use CAD/CAM technology to create vir- tual digital dentures to replicate existing dentures to streamline the process and are excited about new technology op- tions including 3-D printing of dentures recently approved to go to market. The ACP recommends that patients clean their dentures by hand with a dish washing liquid and a special den- ture brush every day. After rinsing them thoroughly, soak the dentures in a water- based cleaning solution overnight. Prosthodontists are specialized den- tists with advanced training, committed to improving patient outcomes. From implants, crowns, veneers and tooth whitening, to full-mouth reconstruction, prosthodontists specialize in digital den- tistry, CAD/CAM, and cosmetic dentistry solutions. The ACP is the only prosth- odontic specialty organization whose membership is based solely on educa- tion credentials. ACP members must be in or have completed an ADA-accredited advanced education program in prosth- odontics. About the ACP The American College of Prosthodontists is the official sponsoring organization for the specialty of prosthodontics, which is one of the only nine recognized special- ties of the American Dental Association. Founded in 1970, ACP is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to enhancing patient care, advancing the art and sci- ence of prosthodontics, promoting the specialty of prosthodontics to the pub- lic and other dentists and health care professionals, ensuring the quality of prosthodontic education and providing professional services to its members. To learn more, oral health professionals can visit www.prosthodontics.org. The orga- nization also provides a “find your local prosthodontist” search at GoToAPro.org. (Source: American College of Prosthodontists) News Ad “ TEETH, page A2A peer-reviewed research article recently published in The Journal of Prosthodon- tics reports that significant tooth loss (missing more than 12-17 of one’s 32 natural teeth) is associated with a multitude of bad health outcomes, including increased risk of overall diseases that can lead to death. Patients who have lost their teeth are at an increased risk for developing malnutrition or obesity, cardiovascular disease, head and neck cancer and reduced cognitive function. Photo/Amelia Moore, www. dreamstime.com

Dental Tribune U.S.Edition No.4, 2016

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