PerfectPearl Prophy Paste

Formulated as the perfect companion to PerfectPearl disposable prophy angles, the paste is available in 2 flavors and comes in unit-dose cups.

Ease of Use

Of the 14 dentists and hygienists who evaluated PerfectPearl, 10 rated ease of use as excellent, 2 rated it as very good, and 2 rated it as good. One of 2 evaluators who said there was too much product in the tub explained that “the cup was comfortable and easy to hold but I threw away more [paste] than I used.” A New York dentist commented on the dimensions of the paste container, noting that “every other brand I’ve used has a standard little bowl that’s too small for the prophy cup to scoop out the paste. PerfectPearl is a bit wider so that solved the problem. I was actually waiting for some company to come along and help us.”

Three dentists and 6 hygienists cited the paste’s consistency as the feature they liked most. One said it had “a nice feel, especially when used with the polishing cup,” another described it as “creamy but still effective on stains,” a third called it “easy to scoop on the prophy cup,” and a fourth said it was “soft enough that I didn’t have to mix it with my finger before I dipped my cup into it.”

Ease of rinsing was rated as excellent by 3 evaluators, as very good by 6, and as good to fair by 5. One evaluator called it “easy to rinse” and 1 of 4 evaluators who reported difficulties with rinsing said it “requires a moderate amount of rinsing to clear the interproximal areas.” A few of the evaluators found splatter to be an issue. Other evaluators’ comments included: “very little splatter” and “it didn’t splatter.”

Patient Reaction

PerfectPearl is available in mint and bubble gum flavors, and it is formulated to feel less gritty than other prophy pastes. Patient reaction to taste and texture was rated as excellent by 2 evaluators, as very good by 8, as good by 2, as fair by 1, and as poor by 1. One evaluator, who said his pediatric patients didn’t like the mint flavor, switched to bubble gum and said it “beats the competition.” Another evaluator said, “patients enjoyed it as not too minty,” and a third evaluator said, “patients loved it.”

Stain Removal and Polishing

PerfectPearl’s perlite particles start out coarse and quickly break down into smaller particles during cleaning, resulting in less abrasion to the dentin and enamel while producing a high-luster enamel polish.

When asked about PerfectPearl’s ability to remove stain, 4 evaluators rated it as excellent, 6 rated it as very good, 2 rated it as good, and 2 rated it as fair. When asked about polishing effectiveness, 3 evaluators rated it as excellent, 7 rated it as very good, and 4 rated it as good.

One of the 2 hygienists who commented on the amount of product required for stain removal said, “It was a great product but I had to apply a lot to remove stain.” One of the dentist evaluators cited ease of stain removal as the feature he liked best about the paste, and another evaluator cited both stain removal and polishing effectiveness as his favorite features.

Three hygienists made positive remarks about polishing effectiveness; 1 “liked that the abrasiveness lowered as you polished” and another said it “polishes well but doesn’t feel gritty.” Relative safety with nonenamel surfaces was rated as excellent by 6 evaluators, as very good by 4, as good by 3, and as fair by 1. A Michigan dentist said it “seems gentle on composites and porcelain restorations, yet effective enough to remove difficult stain.”

Overall Satisfaction

Ten evaluators said they would definitely or probably recommend PerfectPearl to colleagues. Overall satisfaction was rated as excellent by 2 evaluators, as very good by 9, and as good to fair by 3. One dentist noted that it “really does remove stains and polishes just like they say it does.”