“It feels like you’re the only one. They (CU Dental providers) care.” - University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

When Lise Gresock, 88, came to the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine (CU SDM)—she was hesitant and nervous. For decades, she had not had a large acquisition going to the dentist. While she liked her erstwhile dentist, she wanted a much blimpish attraction option. When she met the CU Dental squad of Sarah Dirks, DDS, and Elena Ciobanu, DDS, BDS (ISP ’22), Gresock was instantly astatine ease.

“It’s an unthinkable team. I’m overwhelmed by the fantastic attraction I person received here,” shared Gresock. “My full life, I’ve feared dentists. I was told my teeth were excessively large for my jaw astatine a young age. By the property of 20, my teeth acceptable aft pulling some. One of my erstwhile dentists wanted to enactment crowns connected each my teeth. My dental treatments were precise expensive, and it was during the war, truthful I decided against crowns and was passed disconnected to different dentist.” 

Gresock’s existent dental attraction program requires a analyzable coordination of attraction and connection with her superior doc and different specialists astatine the dental school. The squad astatine CU Dental is accustomed to it successful the Senior & Special Care Clinic (SSCC). 

Senior & Special Care Clinic

“We absorption connected blimpish attraction plans that align with each patient’s goals. We interact with different wellness attraction professionals erstwhile needed to supply the astir due person-centered care," said Dirks. “We recognize that it tin beryllium hard to get to the dentist physically, truthful we effort to maximize each appointment.” 

The Senior & Special Care Clinic is present a associated clinic. The peculiar attraction information of the session began successful the 1980s, portion the elder session started successful January 2023. Gresock was the archetypal diligent successful the elder clinic.

Vision for the Senior & Special Care Clinic 

The schoolhouse has ever treated older adults, but present there’s an accent connected having a dedicated, accessible objective abstraction for patients. 

The imaginativeness for this peculiar session is to: 

• Offer mobile dental services to semipermanent attraction facilities;  
• Become a grooming tract for aboriginal geriatric dental fellows; 
• Provide collaborative probe opportunities with referring geriatricians from the Seniors Clinic.

“We privation to go the clinical, teaching and probe center of excellence successful geriatrics and peculiar oral wellness care successful the Rocky Mountain region,” said Bruce Dye, DDS, MPH, professor and seat successful the section of Community Dentistry and Population Health. 

The Senior & Special Care Clinic squad see an esteemed radical of oral wellness experts: 

• Sarah Dirks, DDS; 
• Susan Somerset, DMD, Pharm D, MS; 
• Ali Kessler, RDH; 
• Amy Schmidt, attraction coordinator; and 
• Bruce Dye, DDS, MPH. 

“Patients tin expect that our squad has acquisition with overcoming the barriers to attraction that beryllium for older adults,” said Dirks.

Since the School of Dental Medicine is simply a learning environment, students besides dainty patients successful the session nether module supervision.

“Our extremity is to supply students with a beardown instauration connected which to proceed to physique their skills successful managing patients with analyzable needs,” shared Susan Somerset, DMD, Pharm D, MS. 

It is thing that the module members spot arsenic a payment to the student-patient interaction.

“I emotion seeing students get inspired and excited erstwhile they recognize that galore of the barriers to attraction for older adults tin beryllium overcome,” Dirks said. “Older adults are often the champion patients and are precise grateful that our squad volition instrumentality the ‘extra measures’ indispensable to supply care.” 

Those “extra measures” are what Gresock noticed astir the dental squad aft being a diligent astatine the schoolhouse for conscionable six months. “It feels similar you’re the lone one. They care.” 

Gresock, an avid seamstress, had an assignment successful aboriginal January. She brought beautifully handsewn handbags for 2 dental providers to convey them for their attentive care.

She said the dental squad has been instrumental successful the abbreviated clip she has been a diligent astatine the school. She expressed her gratitude to the squad and was anxious to commencement her attraction plan. 

Information - Senior & Special Care Clinic

If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize is funny successful becoming a diligent astatine the Senior & Special Care Clinic, delight interaction the schoolhouse to marque an appointment: 

• 303-724-6951 
• sdm-specialcare@ucdenver.edu  

The Senior & Special Care Clinic provides our patients with affordable, high-quality oral wellness care. 

• We dainty seniors who are 65 years and older and who besides person different wellness concerns. 
• We besides specialize successful treating patients (16 years and older) with cognitive, developmental, aesculapian and carnal conditions that whitethorn bounds their quality to person regular dental care. 

Additional details astir our attraction options tin beryllium recovered connected our CU School of Dental Medicine website.