For Patients, ‘Seeing’ Plaque Can Boost Good Habits
An easy-to-use tablet and solution duo quickly illustrates crucial areas of plaque buildup—providing an effective communication tool for improving home care
A chairside chat or a simple visual? Which would you prefer? When it comes to explaining the importance of effective oral home care, many hygienists are finding that patients—especially younger populations—respond better to what they can “see.” That’s largely been the experience of Sue Afeltra, RDH, in Naperville, IL, who used Hager’s Quick-Detect Plaque Disclosing Solution & Tablets to show patients areas of plaque buildup and educate them about improved oral home care.
“These tablets helped with communication since patients can easily see the stained areas and distinguish between old and new plaque,” she shared. “Using the tablets facilitated the discussion of different methods patients can use to remove plaque, such as brushing, flossing, or using a water flosser or interdental brush.”
“The tablets are a good visual to educate patients about plaque buildup,” agreed Allison Resnick, RDH, in East Northport, NY. “I believe they are a good educational facilitator that help open up the discussion on home care and the science behind plaque.”
Easy to Apply, Quick to Clean Up
Simple to use and easy to clean up, Quick-Detect Plaque Disclosing Solution & Tablets motivates patients to increase their at-home oral care by using Hager’s 2-color technology to indicate old and new plaque. Patients can quickly see areas that might require extra cleaning like ultrasonic scaling to remove plaque. Hygienists can also educate patients about problem areas that patients tend to miss in their daily home care regimen.
“The information I gained from using the tablets and liquid was that they could easily be integrated into an appointment since they took little time,” Afeltra shared.
Something Old, Something New
Here’s how the tablets work: one tablet is used to spread a disclosing solution on the teeth. Older dental plaque will then turn blue, while newer plaque will turn pink. Both can be easily brushed off with gauze or toothpaste. Quick-Detect is available in 2- and 0.34-oz bottles, and the tablets are packaged in both 50- and 250-tablet boxes.
“I liked using the tablets and liquid,” Afeltra said. “They were easy to use, performed well, accurately stained both old and new plaque, and cleaned up well—the dye wiped off lips and tongue easily with a damp 2x2 gauze.”
Resnick, who prefers to use the tablets on younger patients and teens and patients who don’t have extensive dental work, said most patients were intrigued and interested, although some have had reservations about the color stain washing off.
Effective Home Care Motivator
“I suggest that hygienists give the tablets a try,” Resnick said. “The teens and college students were most interested and open to listening to home care advice. I am hopeful that this was an eye-opening experience—especially for teenagers because they were able to see their plaque buildup and what I did to remove it. I hope that in follow-up appointments, the patients that I used the tablets on will have improved home care.”
“This is an effective tool to help patients understand what they need to do to effectively remove plaque, and it gave me the opportunity to demonstrate how to use a variety of products that aid in plaque removal,” Afeltra shared. “Hygienists who want to aid patients in visualizing areas that require additional attention and then guide them in adjusting their oral hygiene regimen to better eliminate plaque should consider incorporating this product into their practice.”
