USA - Kim works to lower cost of dentures

Kim works to lower cost of dentures
Finds patient appreciation to be most rewarding part of clinical work
By KEVIN FRYLING
Reporter Staff Writer
A UB dentist specializing in prosthodontics says the best thing about providing patients with attractive and cost-effective dental restoration is the appreciation of those benefiting from his research and practice.
Hyeongil Kim, who joined the dental school faculty as a clinical instructor in 2002, became an assistant professor in the Department of Restorative Dentistry last fall. He previously served as director of UB’s fixed and removable dental laboratories.

“We treat many long-time denture wearers in the postgraduate and pre-doctoral clinics,” says Kim, noting that they often suffer from severe jawbone loss, which leads to loose dentures and sore oral tissues.

“Just a little aesthetic and functional improvement makes a dramatic difference,” he says. “The patient’s satisfaction is the most rewarding part of being a clinician.”

Buffalo is a particularly fascinating city from a prosthodontic perspective because the number of denture-wearers is well above the national average, Kim says, especially people who have worn them for many years.................

Buffalo is fluoridated: NYSCOF