Carlton Horbelt DDS

Every dental practitioner wants to feel completely confident that any crown or bridge being seated will remain firmly in place. If an appliance comes loose or completely dislodged, it is a great inconvenience for the patient, the patient’s caregivers, and the dental office. In some cases, such an occurrence can even become a threat to the person’s health and well-being. This is especially true when treating patients with developmental disabilities.

A few years ago, while I was attending an annual meeting of the Southern Association of Institutional Dentists, I heard about a new restorative material which had shown itself to be very useful in the provision of dental care to persons with developmental disabilities. That product was called GC Fuji IX GP, and after using it very successfully for several years, I was pleased to find out that GC America has recently updated and significantly improved this excellent restorative material.

One of the most challenging dental procedures to attempt on a person with developmental disabilities is the taking of impressions. This is true for any reasons which involve the person’s ability to comply and tolerate with many of the steps involved in the entire process. Some of these steps include having to try in several trays due to the variety of sizes available, the unpleasant odor associated with applying tray adhesive, placement of the filled tray in the patient’s mouth, and overflow of the impression material while you are waiting for it to fully set-up.