Interior design for the mouth

High Tech dentures created locally for improved aesthetics and confidence.

Local dental craftsman Karl Brown has recently returned from the World Dental Arts Championship in Utah, USA, where he reached the semi-finals of the denture competition, facing stiff opposition from some of the best technicians around the world. The trip also involved attending a three day symposium to learn about some of the most up to date techniques available for dental technology. Karl is a locally operating Clinical Dental Technician (CDT) with over 36 years of denture making experience, and is currently working primarily from a small clinic that was integrated into his long serving manufacturing facility in Peterborough around six years ago. He qualified as a Dental Technician in 1983 after a comprehensive training programme at The Royal Dental Hospital Of London, then continued with further training and was awarded the hospital’s own Diploma in Dental Technology. He then spent time working in a couple of different style commercial environments in the greater London area before continuing his career in Peterborough. He has continued with his dental education through attending lectures, conferences, study clubs, and practical courses ever since completing his initial training, and regularly travels throughout the UK, Europe, and USA to update his knowledge and practical capabilities. He has been investing much of his time in recent years on developing his skills and knowledge in implant technology to meet the demands of this growth area in dentistry. He works here in Peterborough with another registered CDT, Melanie Griggs. She was trained as a Technician under Karl’s guidance after many years of working alongside specialist dentists as a dental surgery assistant. She achieved distinction level in her college studies, and after completing her technical apprenticeship she progressed though several years of further training and qualified asa CDT in 2015. Both clinicians are continually updating their knowledge and skills, and attend all relevant courses to be able to give the best of their ability for their patients, who are now travelling from distances a hundred miles or more away The laboratory has been serving the complex denture requirements of dental practices throughout the UK for over seventeen years, and is now able to help local denture wearers thanks to recent changes in regulation for dentistry whereby suitably trained and qualified CDT’s can treat patients directly. The law states that patients with some of their own natural teeth or implants will to need to have a check-up with a dentist to verify their dental health and suitability for dentures, and then return to the denture clinic for the fabrication of their new smiles after. The General Dental Council (GDC, regulator for dentistry) has a set of professional Standards that will guide all Dental professionals in how to help their patients receive the best possible care, to ensure that options are provided, and to respect patient choices with regard to all aspects of their treatment.

Karl (right) with fellow competitor Dan Elfring MDT, Master Dental Technician from Colorado, and USA Technician of the year 2015.

for the opportunity to receive their handcrafted dentures.