As the calendar year comes to an end, the National Association of Dental Laboratories (NADL) is reminding patients to take advantage of any unused dental insurance benefits while making informed decisions about their dental restorations. The association is also encouraging patients to make high-quality dental care a part of their New Year’s resolutions by seeking dentists who partner with dental laboratories that use the best materials, techniques and manufacturing standards.
“With the turn of the year approaching, many patients are looking to make the most of their dental benefits before their insurance plans are reset on January 1. NADL urges patients to be cognizant of the products and processes used to create their dental restorations, now and into the New Year, in order to ensure their health and safety are protected,” said Bennett Napier, CAE, Chief Staff Executive of NADL.
Only 12 states have existing administrative or statutory laws regulating dental laboratories and/or technicians. Patients have the right to know where their restorations are from and the qualifications of the business that made the restoration. NADL’s campaign, “What’s in Your Mouth?”, suggests patients assess the quality of their restorations by asking their dentists these five basic questions:
- “Do you use a Certified Dental Technician for your laboratory work?”
- “Is the laboratory you work with certified and by whom?”
- “Where is your dental laboratory located?”
- “What patient contact materials are in the restorations you are prescribing for the treatment plan?”
- “How does your dental practice ensure that it is not using misbranded or grey market dental materials?”
For more information on the “What’s in Your Mouth?” campaign and dental technician standards, please visit http://whatsinyourmouth.us/.
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.
