Dentures Need Suction but They Don't Have to Suck

Dentures Need Suction but They Don't Have to SuckEpisode #504 with Dr. Wendy ClarkDentures get lost and broken — and that sucks. But your duplication process doesn't have to! And to convince you that dentures can be fun, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Wendy Clark, an expert prosthodontist from UNC-Chapel Hill, to share what dentists get wrong and the advancements that have been made in the digital space. Digital dentures don't suck! To learn more about why they're great for you and your patients, listen to Episode 504 of The Best Practices Show!Episode Resources:Dr. Clark’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendy.a.clark.9Dr. Clark’s social media: @drwendysworldSubscribe to the Best Practices Show PodcastJoin the To The Top Study ClubSee our Live Events Schedule hereGet the Best Practices Magazine for Free!Write a Review on iTunes<br/>Links Mentioned in This Episode:Carbon: https://www.carbon3d.comMission of Mercy: https://www.amissionofmercy.orgThe Cupcake Technique by Valerie Cooper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl34KCyC5YoMain Takeaways:3D printing is the future.Digital makes dentures predictable.You don't need a scanner to get started.Digitizing is better for you and your patients.Don't underestimate the value of record preservation.Quotes:“You really can't underestimate, in all of your practice, being kind to staff. It takes you to the next level.” (4:58—5:04)“A lot of people don't like dentures, which I've never understood. But I always like to get in the psyche. And I think it’s because they're not very predictable. I tell my students you can do every single step correctly, every single step perfectly, and then it goes through processing, and there's an error. And that insertion appointment, your denture doesn't fit. And in practice, that's no fun. When you're a dental student and it takes you like 18 appointments to make a denture, and then you don't get to insert it at that appointment, it’s the worst sinking feeling.” (6:33—7:04)“How can we make [dentures] more predictable? And digital dentistry is why it’s there, so you can get that predictable fit, support, stability, and retention, that suction. But dentures don't have to suck. They can be fun.” (7:07—7:19)“Digital dentures have gotten such a bad rap . . . The first lecture I did on digital dentures was actually 2013, so I hope I'm starting to learn my stuff. And from that first lecture I did in 2013 to the last lecture I did last week, I always get the question of, ‘I don't have a scanner. I can't do this workflow. How can I do this workflow?’ And the great thing is, you don't have to have a digital scanner. You can jump into the workflow by digitizing your impressions.” (8:52—9:30)“By now, most full-service laboratories will have a benchtop scanner of some sort