Dental Lab Association Informs Dentists Of Implant Industry Growth Projections And Implications

With the increasing demand for dental implants, the National Association of Dental Laboratories created the “What’s In Your Mouth?” campaign to inform dentists and patients about the health risks related to dental restorations. Dentists bear the responsibility of letting their patients know where their restorations are from and the qualifications of the business that made the restoration.

(PRWEB) - With the increasing demand for dental implants, the National Association of Dental Laboratories (NADL) created the “What’s In Your Mouth?” (WIYM) campaign to inform dentists and patients about the safety issues related to dental restorations. According to the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, the dental implant and prosthetic market in the U.S. is projected to reach $6.4 billion in 2018 with more than 30 million Americans missing all their teeth in one or both jaws requiring implant procedures.

Many patients receiving an implant treatment plan make the assumption that their dentist creates his or her restorations. However, implants and other dental restorations are typically created in dental laboratories, making it difficult for dentists to know how the implant was produced, the condition of the dental lab, what materials were used or where the implant was produced.

As stated in the 2016 NADL Business Survey, 81 percent of respondents’ laboratories were not inspected by government agencies.

“Because it is often the dental technician, not the dentist who will be working to create the crown or bridge that will attach the dental implant, it is crucial for dentists to inform patients about the dental laboratory and dental technician that they work with and about their qualifications,” said NADL Executive Director Bennett Napier, CAE. “A trained and educated dental technician will have a positive impact on a patient’s treatment.”

As the demand for implants continues to rise, dentists can do their part in ensuring that their patients are getting quality restorations by finding out if their state requires minimum dental laboratory standards, finding a Certified Dental Technician to work with, finding a Certified Dental Laboratory and Dental Appliance Manufacturers Audit System (DAMAS) accredited laboratory, staying up-to-date on legislative updates, and informing their patients on receiving quality dental restorations if dentists are working with a CDT and CDL.

“As the dental implant industry grows, we at NADL hope that patient safety will increase as well, and it all starts with dentists’ transparency,” said Napier.

About NADL:
The National Association of Dental Laboratories is the unified voice of the dental laboratory profession supporting dentistry and serving the public interest by promoting high standards. NADL accomplishes this by providing programs, services and networking opportunities to meet the evolving technical, educational, professional and business needs of dental laboratories.