In the Fight Against Caries, Timing is Everything

Picture this: In a room of 100 dentists, each is tasked with painting a picture on a single grain of rice. At the end, the rice grains are collected to determine whose masterpiece turns out best. However, due to their extremely small scale, the paintings appear nearly identical.

Next, the dentists are asked to paint another picture, but this time on a standard sheet of paper. As expected, these paintings reveal vastly different results. “The main takeaway here is that when you keep things small, you keep the margin of error to a minimum,” said Justin Rashbaum, DMD. “The same goes for interceptive dentistry. Larger treatments often reflect a wider variation in clinical abilities, but by treating small problems in their infancy, we can ensure more consistent outcomes with less invasive methods.”

Using Curodont Repair Fluoride Plus from vVARDIS on patients presenting with early-stage caries, Dr. Rashbaum appreciates having a tool that helps him stay ahead of visible caries progression.

“My least favorite thing dentists say to patients is, ‘Let’s keep an eye on this’ or ‘Let’s watch this,’ because what they are basically saying is, ‘Let’s wait until this gets worse,’” he said. “We have enough technology available today that can prevent this, and Curodont Repair Fluoride Plus is just that—a treatment protocol to help remineralize areas with decay without needles, drilling, or anesthesia.”

Early Is On Time, On Time Is Late

A unique biomimetic system for anticavity therapy, Curodont Repair Fluoride Plus enables the management of "watch areas" through Guided Enamel Remineralization. With just one application from a dentist or hygienist, the patented, low-viscosity liquid formulation makes it possible for salivary calcium, phosphate, and fluoride ions to diffuse into the white spot, and remineralize and reharden the affected enamel. The product, which does not stain teeth, is suitable on adults and children as an easy, pain-free solution to tackle early caries.

“The way that decay progresses on a tooth is very similar to an iceberg. You can see a lesion on the surface of the tooth, like the tip of the iceberg that you see above the water, but below the surface is where the bulk of the iceberg lies, which is the bigger cause of concern when it comes to cavity prevention because we can’t see it yet,” Dr. Rashbaum explained.

“If a dentist comes into the operatory and sees a patient with a lesion that they have been watching for 3 years and says, ‘Well, it looks the same,’ and on year 4, the patient says, ‘Actually, it is starting to feel sensitive and is bothering me a little bit now,’ the patient will be annoyed and frustrated that nothing interceptive was done to arrest the lesion before. Acting sooner could be the difference between a simple filling and a root canal or extraction in certain cases.”

A clinically proven technology, Curodont Repair Fluoride Plus is suitable for all surfaces, including proximal, and for all patients, including children. It is applied directly to the cleaned surface of an affected site in an application process that takes a matter of minutes, enabling effective preventative therapy for early decay.

A New Weapon for Prevention

To maximize patient outcomes, Curodont Protect is a new anticavity and antisensitivity dental gel that remineralizes and protects enamel from caries. It supports the uptake of calcium and phosphate ions from saliva, increasing their availability for enamel remineralization, and also protects dentinal tubules, helping prevent painful sensitivity.

For use chairside and at home as a topical application on all tooth surfaces—for all patients, including children age 2 and up—Curodont Protect also complements treatment with Curodont Repair Fluoride Plus as an integrated protocol. Designed to be used after application of Curodont Repair Fluoride Plus, Curodont Protect can enhance patient engagement in helping to prevent cavities.

A Winning Formula for Patient and Practice

Beyond the patient benefits of an anticavity treatment and the opportunity to promote oral and overall health, the Curodont system can serve as a growth engine for a dental practice.

“When it comes to tracking a practice’s return on investment, Curodont is the ultimate practice builder,” Dr. Rashbaum said. “I can’t tell you how many patients I’ve had in my office because a friend told them about their dentist who targeted their decay quickly and painlessly without any needles or drilling.”

Dr. Rashbaum concluded, “We don’t really give the concept of interceptive dentistry enough importance. Instead of waiting until a patient begins feeling sensitivity or pain from decay, Curodont offers a means to not let it get to that point. It is a win-win for both the patient and the practitioner.”