Wyoming State Denturist Association or wysda.org

Re: Dentist closing down denture makers in the UK. Denturist are dealing with the same thing across the U.S., as if the dentist don't have enough work doing preventive, restorative, and cosmetic dentistry. In most cases it takes a month or two for an appointment to see a good dentist. We denturist know it's a turf issue and the few dentist willing to make trouble with the denturist are usually of the less ethically inclined.

The majority of the patients I do dentures for are on fixed incomes and they usually will not go into a dental office because of time, prices or the fact that their edentulous. This gives me the opportunity to do an exam, if I see any tissue that doesn't look healthy I refer that patient out to a dentist, oral surgeon, or physician. A number of these patients buy over the counter self-repair or self-reline kits that are usually not good to use because they don't last or when they come together the bite is wrong and this causes TMJ temporal mandibular joint discomfort and or long term disorders. Most denturist do repairs and relines and charge about half of what the dentist do.

I was shut down by the Wyoming dental board in October 2006 and I've practiced here in Basin, Wyoming since 1992. I'm also a graduate of George Brown's IDEC denturist program. Excellent program and my hat's off to Mr. Mike Vakalis and associates. Let's organize through, the NDA, National Denturist Association http://www.nationaldenturist.com/ and IFD, International Federation of Denturist, http://www.international-denturist.org . Thank you for your consideration. Gary W. Vollan, Wyoming State Denturist Association, http://www.wysda.org/