CHICAGO, May 22, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Chicago Tribune and Bloomberg Business report that the recruiting firm, ZipRecruiter, found Chicago's most in-demand job in the most in-demand industry, healthcare, was a Prosthodontist, a dental specialty in restoring and replacing teeth. What's a Prosthodontist?
Many people don't know what a prosthodontist is or does. The American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) is shedding light on these highly skilled dental specialists who help patients restore or replace missing, broken, chipped or severely worn teeth with dental implants, crowns, veneers or dentures.
"As a local Chicago board certified prosthodontist practicing in Oak Park, Illinois, I know that more than 115 million Americans are missing one or more teeth," said Dr. Anne Fabricius, a private practice prosthodontist based in Oak Park, Illinois.
Adds ACP past president Dr. Stephen Campbell, who is head of the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Director, Implant and Innovations Center at the University at Illinois of Chicago School of Dentistry,
"The statistics are staggering. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) NHANES study, 36 million Americans are missing all of their teeth in one or both jaws and 24 million have no teeth. As we age (65 and older), it goes up -- people missing 9 teeth, so it's tough to chew food and impacts nutrition."
"If you had a heart problem you'd go to a cardiologist, not your general practitioner. It's the same thing as going to a prosthodontist. I needed specialized care, and I wouldn't have trusted this care with anyone other than a prosthodontist," said patient Diana Kimbro of Newport Beach, Calif.
A prosthodontist has three-to-four years of advanced residency training in solving oral health issues and digital dentistry at an ADA-accredited institution to learn surgical skills necessary to place dental implants, use digital technologies to diagnose, replace and restore missing teeth with exquisite, stronger naturally beautiful implants, crowns, bridges, veneers, or dentures as well as treating oral health issues.
"We are not your everyday dentists. Prosthodontists are smile specialists who are committed to improving patient outcomes and solving oral health issues via cosmetic dentistry procedures or advanced dentistry needs such as saving a natural tooth, replacing several missing teeth, or fixing broken, chipped or cracked teeth in one appointment," ACP President Dr. Frank J. Tuminelli said.
Adds Chicago maxillofacial prosthodontist whose practice is based at Northwestern Memorial Hospital Dr. Mark C. Hutten, "From fixing smiles damaged by bulimia, restoring full jaws, or helping head and neck cancer patients be able to eat, speak and smile long after the battle with cancer has been won, a prosthodontist is here to help."
Prosthodontists help improve patients' oral health, provide options for replacing missing or fixing damaged teeth, and ensure that replacements look natural and function correctly. Patients might also seek a prosthodontist to restore teeth affected by disease such as bulimia or damage due to methamphetamine use.
This year, the ACP successfully got "prosthodontist" added to spell check as another step toward raising awareness of the specialty.
Prosthodontists are specialized dentists, one of the nine ADA recognized dental specialties, with advanced training in oral health issues, who are committed to improving patient outcomes. From implants, crowns, veneers and tooth whitening, to full-mouth reconstruction, prosthodontists specialize in digital dentistry and CAD/CAM solutions.
The ACP is the only prosthodontic specialty organization whose membership is based solely on education credentials. ACP members must be in or have completed an ADA-accredited advanced education program in prosthodontics.
About the ACP
The American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) is the official sponsoring organization for the specialty of prosthodontics, which is one of only nine recognized specialties of the American Dental Association. Founded in 1970, ACP is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to enhancing patient care, advancing the art and science of prosthodontics, promoting the specialty of prosthodontics to the public and other dentists and healthcare professionals, ensuring the quality of prosthodontic education and providing professional services to its membership. For more information and find your local prosthodontist, visit GoToAPro.org
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