Sometimes, it’s not the high-speed drill or bright overhead light that makes patients fear the dental chair, it’s (quite literally) having a bad taste in their mouth when they get up to leave.
“There have been so many times when I’ve given patients 3 or 4 different flavors of fluoride varnish to choose from and they give me a scrunched-up face,” said Tina Clarke, RDH, MEd, an author, podcaster, and educator with 2 decades of dental hygiene experience. While she’s used her fair share of fluoride varnish products over the years, she recently landed on Kettenbach’s Profisil, a 5% sodium fluoride varnish gel that’s pleasantly flavored and friendly to the mucosa. In addition to what Clarke calls “very mild” berry and mint flavors, there is an unflavored option.
“I think having a nonflavored option is great for patients,” she said. “It just goes to show that you don’t need to have all those artificial flavors or extra ingredients to make it acceptable.”
Ditch the Stickiness
Profisil comes in single-dose blister packs that contain sufficient varnish to cover all affected teeth of both arches. Its lubricious, nonclumping formula can be applied in any direction, and a prophylactic cleaning is not required prior to use.
“I really like how easy it is to get onto the applicator and apply to the teeth, and how smoothly it brushes on,” said Clarke. “It has a very lubricating feel to it, and it doesn’t get gloppy and gloopy or anything like that. It’s a no-clump, no-fuss situation.”
When she tried Profisil on herself, Clarke appreciated how slick it felt in her mouth—but not in a slimy way. “When I bit down, it didn’t feel like my teeth were sticking together,” she added. “With other fluoride varnishes, when you bite down, it’s almost like you’ve got taffy in your teeth, and they stick together a little bit. There was none of that.”
Worry-Free Formula
With a nonallergenic dimethicone formula, Profisil provides a protective coating to wet or dry tooth surfaces by occluding tubules with calcium fluoride crystals. While it’s suitable for patients of all ages, it’s particularly beneficial for children with primary teeth as it contains no ethyl alcohol or colophony, which reduces the potential for soft-tissue irritation or rosin-based allergies.
“Some fluoride varnishes can go on and burn or sting the tissue a little bit,” said Clarke. “With Profisil, I haven’t experienced any of that.” Clarke added that she treats several patients who are very mouth sensitive and particular about the products being used during their dental care.
“One of them is a child whose parents are very concerned about what ingredients are being given to them, especially when it comes to additives and fillers,” she said. “So, I’m really excited for an opportunity to have a discussion with them about Profisil.”
