Dentists must be certified to offer state-of-the-art polymer.
Vincenza LoMonaco wanted to stay busy after her children reached their teens, so she volunteered as a teacher’s aide at their high school in suburban New York City. Over time, that role evolved into a full-time job as an attendance secretary. She remained in that position for 21 years.
Vincenza received a smile makeover, and she’s “thrilled” with the results.
“The students must be recorded as present or absent for every class,” explains Vincenza, 83. “My job was to take the attendance of each student at every period of the day that they were in class and record it on a computer. Then, we sent that information to the state.
“At the same time, I was a hairdresser and owned a salon. I did my job as attendance secretary from 7 a.m. until 2:15 p.m. every day, then drove to my salon and worked until about 6 at night. I was a hairdresser for 15 years. I loved both jobs.”
After retiring in 1995, Vincenza moved upstate to Saratoga. For four years, she and her husband were snowbirds, traveling to Florida for the winter. Once their children moved out of the Empire State, the couple relocated to the Palm Coast area.
“We came to Florida with the kids for almost every vacation from 1970 on, so we got to know Palm Coast quite well,” she shares. “When our children moved, we felt that since we weren’t going to be close to them we might as well live in a place we liked. We moved to Florida in 1999, had a house built and have been in Grand Haven ever since.”
Living in Florida hasn’t been all fun and games for Vincenza. About seven years ago, many of her teeth began to fail due to gum disease. She was ultimately forced to have multiple teeth extracted. To replace them, she received upper and lower dentures. Vincenza was unhappy with those dentures, however.
“The dentures I had were so bad that I could hardly eat with them,” Vincenza laments. “I was in terrible pain and could barely chew. For four years, I never ate salad, which I love, because I couldn’t chew it with my dentures, especially the bottom one. It just wouldn’t stay in my mouth properly. The dentures looked terrible as well.”
Exasperated, Vincenza started looking for a dentist to replace her faulty dentures and discovered Huda Aljonaidy, DDS, at Blossom Dental and Facial Aesthetics in Ormond Beach.
“My husband and I went on the computer and looked up all the things Dr. Aljonaidy does,” Vincenza elaborates. “We saw that she offered just what I needed.”
Tested and Certified
Dr. Aljonaidy started her care for Vincenza by creating a new upper denture. Upper dentures typically fit securely because the palate (the roof of the mouth) produces sufficient suction to hold the appliance in place. Lower dentures, on the other hand, generally need support to stay firmly fitted in the mouth.
“The dentures we create are heat-injected so that they fit like a glove,” Dr. Aljonaidy discloses. “That tight fit complements the suction power of the palate and helps to hold upper dentures securely in place.”
For Vincenza’s lower jaw, Dr. Aljonaidy created a removable partial denture. She anchored the partial denture to Vincenza’s remaining natural teeth, which she first crowned. To frame the partial denture, Dr. Aljonaidy used an innovative material called Ultaire™ AKP made by Solvay Dental 360. It is a high-performance polymer that matches the color of the mouth.
“Ultaire AKP is a phenomenal material because it has the flexibility and resilience of human bone,” Dr. Aljonaidy raves. “We’ve come a long way to find a material that mimics our biology. That in itself is a breakthrough.
“When the forces of mastication are delivered to the teeth, Ultaire partials flex and disperse those forces evenly across the mouth. This way, no one area is pressured against another, making chewing and talking comfortable. They’re comfortable because Ultaire partials adapt to the environment.”
Not every dentist and laboratory can use the Ultaire AKP polymer, Dr. Aljonaidy notes.
“To work with this material, dentists must be tested and certified by Solvay Dental 360. We are certified providers for this polymer, which means we know how to handle the material and make it biologically acceptable to the mouth.
“We have worked hard on function and comfort, but most patients like the look of Ultaire partials. The material is attractive, and the teeth are light and clean-looking. Patients love it.”
The Ultaire material used to create Vincenza’s partial is state-of-the-art. So is the technology used to design the appliance.
“We’ve come a long way with computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing, which is now better than handcrafting,” Dr. Aljonaidy contends. “We depend on this technology to make dentures to the exact specifications of the human body. I use CAD/CAM software to design the dentures. It allows me to be creative.”
“Absolutely Beautiful”
Vincenza now has a new full denture on her upper jaw and a new removable partial denture on her lower jaw.
“The dentures are lovely. Dr. Aljonaidy made me a beautiful set of teeth, absolutely beautiful,” Vincenza raves. “My smile doesn’t look anything like it did before — it looks prettier. There isn’t a thing about my new dentures that doesn’t look right. I went in recently for a checkup and told Dr. Aljonaidy how happy I am.
“I have no problems chewing. I don’t even give it a thought. Chewing is automatic now, just like it was when I had all my natural teeth. I can eat anything I want. After four years of not being able to eat salad, I eat salad almost every day. And there’s no pain at all in my mouth. I wear my teeth constantly with no trouble. I’m thrilled with my new teeth.”
The retired hairdresser is also thrilled with her new dentist.
“Dr. Aljonaidy’s knowledge and expertise are extraordinary,” Vincenza exclaims. “She’s a beautiful person from the heart, and she has a wonderful chairside manner. I was never this comfortable with a set of dentures, and I’ve never experienced a dental practice that is run as well as this one.
“Each and every person working at Blossom Dental and Facial Aesthetics knows exactly what’s needed and does it well. I recommend them to anybody that needs a dentist.”
