The National Association of Dental Technicians pointed out that half of the dentures and orthodontic braces that are closely related to the public are illegally circulated in Taiwan. They may come from online Taobao consolidation or be brought in through smuggling. This happened in Taiwan as early as 2012, when the mainland imported 4,000 dentures containing radioactive materials. Patients may be exposed to excessive radiation risks if they wear them for a long time. Dentists also remind that when making dentures or braces, it is recommended to be diagnosed by a professional doctor, which is more secure.
Reporter Lin Li: “A person’s appearance must be good-looking. Teeth are very important. To correct braces, make dentures or all-ceramic crowns, you need dental impressions. Look at the whole mountain of dentures. The hidden economic benefits behind it also make illegal dental technicians find ways to save costs.”
As you can imagine, half of these dentures or invisible braces that are closely related to the public may be illegally circulated in Taiwan, and may be brought in from Taobao consolidation or smuggling.
Zhou Quanming, another dental specialist: “There are (illegal) plasticizers out there, and those that have not passed the inspection may have plasticizers, because the quality of the products coming from the mainland has not been inspected, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare does not have permission. So the imported materials we (use) have permission from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.”
When a dental technician makes a model, the dentist usually makes a diagnosis and discusses the price with the patient, determines whether there is any metal allergy, and then decides on the material, which is then handed over to the dental technician for production. Taiwan had an incident in 2012 when 4,000 radioactive dentures were imported from mainland China. Although the measured radioactive substances did not exceed the standard, toxicology experts estimated at the time that if the patient had multiple dentures, wearing them for a long time might cause poor hematopoiesis and increase the risk of cancer in pregnant women and children.
Lin Qingmao, chairman of the National Association of Dental Technicians: “Materials can be purchased very cheaply on Taobao. In terms of personnel, qualified dental technicians currently account for a minority in the entire dental technician market, with only more than 2,000. Currently, there are about 17,000 dentists.”
At present, only about 10% of countries in the world have dental technician laws. The Food and Drug Administration is in charge of medical equipment, and the Department of Dental Surgery is in charge of medical services. However, the National Association of Dental Technicians questioned that the Food and Drug Administration mistakenly quoted and allowed the import of mainland-made invisible braces, and did not require medical personnel to check them. In particular, oral health care is not under the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration. Who is responsible for medical damage?
Lin Qingmao, chairman of the National Federation of Dental Technicians: “If the manufacturer made it himself, there would be no such denture ID card in the future.”
Although the price of dentures in the market is expensive, they are highly comfortable. Full dentures start at RMB 80,000, and a dental implant costs RMB 10,000 to RMB 30,000. One removable tooth is equivalent to three, doubling the price. Orthodontic braces usually start from RMB 100,000 to 200,000. If you are not a dentist or a professional dental technician, there is no one to control it and no place to check. Different manufacturers make the same thing, and ordinary people cannot tell the difference. Where is it made when wearing it in the mouth?
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