The Aspen Group (TAG), a healthcare changer, is pleased to announce a new partnership between two of its dental brands – Aspen Dental and ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers – and the National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasia (NFED).
The two organizations are launching Aspen Group Smile Bridge℠, a groundbreaking program designed to help people with ectodermal dysplasia get the dental care they need at no cost. The program will give those affected by this condition a lifelong, confident, healthy smile.
The design of Smile Bridge was inspired by the work of Aspen Dental owner Dr. Whitney Deitz and lab technician Julie Bostwick, who created a pair of dentures for Weston, a young patient with ectodermal dysplasia.
Weston’s work ultimately earned him a Guinness World Record as the youngest person to wear dentures. Ectodermal dysplasia is a group of genetic disorders that can cause defects in hair, nails, sweat glands, and teeth.
Symptoms vary and may include missing or malformed teeth, malformed teeth, delayed tooth eruption, and more.
“I didn’t know much about ectodermal dysplasia until I met Weston. His mom and I were good friends and neighbors, and our children were the same age.
I quickly learned that ectodermal dysplasia occurs in approximately 1 in 1,000 people in the United States,” Dr. Deitz recalls. “I promised Weston’s mom that he would go to school with perfect teeth.
It’s been amazing to watch Weston thrive, so Aspen Dental and ClearChoice Dental Implant Center are proud to partner with NFED to launch this program to help more children and adults affected by ectodermal dysplasia.”
Due to the diversity of ectodermal dysplasia, many patients require complex and expensive dental treatment throughout their lives. In partnership with NFED, Smile Bridge will match patients ages 2 to 22 with clinicians at Aspen Dental or ClearChoice, based on their geographic location, to provide them with free, comprehensive care.
“We’ve been planning this project for some time, and we’re so pleased to finally see it come to fruition,” said Dr. Sundeep Rawal, Vice President of Implant Support Services at Aspen Dental.
“Aspen Dental clinicians will provide dentures, ongoing maintenance, and early implant placement services to patients from early childhood through early adulthood. ClearChoice clinicians will provide full arch solutions as patients mature—all at no charge.”
“We are thrilled to be working with Smile Bridge on this groundbreaking opportunity to provide vital dental care to members of our community,” said Mary Fitt, Executive Director of the National Ectodermal Dysplasia Foundation.
“These vital services have a huge impact on their health. Thanks to Smile Bridge, we are making a huge difference.”
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