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See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denturist
Denturists are dental technicians who have expanded their education and experience to become specialized public denture practitioners. The customary providers, Dentists, are middlemen who do not make dentures, but order them from dental laboratories, where skilled dental technicians construct them.
Denturism is the profession disciplined in the skill of constructing removable dentures directly to the consumer. It is a time-honoured specialized profession, separate and distinct from dentistry, although relatively unknown to the South African public. Denturism is the practice of construction, supplying and fitting dentures where both chair-side and dental laboratory work are performed by one and the same person, qualified and authorized for the purpose. Denturists are internationally the only professionals legislated "specifically " to make dentures directly for the patient. Their practice is devoted solely to creating dentures that fit well, function correctly, look attractive and allow denture wearers to maintain a healthy mouth. Internationally the scope of practice for a Denturist includes the fitting, relining, rebasing and repairing of patient-removable prosthetic appliances. These may include full and partial dentures, immediate dentures, over dentures, dentures over implants, gum guards, mouth protectors and similar appliances (with slight variations in this range of appliances from country to country ). Initial provision has been made in South African law for a category of Clinical Dental Technologist.
Dentists is qualified and mandated to provide the whole range of dental services that relates to a patient's oral health. Many patients are under the misunderstanding that dentists make dentures. Dental students only construct two or three dentures while in dental school. Once graduated, dentists facilitate only the clinical procedures to measure, fit and sell dentures as a go-between in a fragmented system that prevents communication of the consumer with the manufacturer.
Dental technicians are expertly trained to manufacture Dentists' patients' dentures on sub-contract, but are restricted from seeing the patient. They make the appliance in isolation from the patient, without ever having the opportunity to assess first-hand the denture wearer's oral dimensions, personal needs & preferences or any direct communication. In addition to their extensive technical training, dental technicians already receives tuition in Anatomy and Physiology and it would be a simple matter to teach them to recognize lesions of the mouth and consequently, to take impressions and supply dentures directly. Allowing denture manufacturers access to clinical training and direct access and communication with the end-user, to practice as Denturists, will provide the public with the freedom of a wider choice of service providers. That will put a stop to all-round frustrations currently often experienced due to the customary clumsy fragmented procedure and will also remove unjustified restrictions that will allow consumers to benefit from allowing market forces to come into play.
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