As every hygienist knows, children require great preventive care. That’s because childhood risk factors start from day one in the transfer of Streptococcus mutans bacteria from mom to baby. Risk factors spike again during tooth eruption and peak in adolescence when unhealthy snacking, certain medications, and the need for orthodontics encourage decay and white spot lesions.
But risk factors don’t stop at age 18. While the rate of caries has been dramatically decreasing in children, it is increasing in adults. Nearly a third of U.S. adults between the ages of 19 and 64 suffer from untreated caries. Routine application of fluoride varnish is a simple and effective way to prevent caries, yet only 10% of adults receive fluoride treatment.
“Educating and presenting the facts to patients is not enough,” said Donna Brogan, RDH, BS. “We must change our practice protocols to treat every mediumto high-risk patient and charge accordingly. Fortunately, fluoride varnish makes this easy and inexpensive.”
Combating Caries for All
With its Prevention for Life campaign, Centrix aims to break down the barriers that stand in the way of great preventive dentistry for patients of all ages. This prevention intervention starts with clearing up the common misconception that fluoride varnish is just for kids.
Centrix’s FluoroDose has been consistently recognized as a top fluoride varnish based on its exceptional taste, mouth-feel, and handling. For most offices, it costs less than $1 and it takes less than a minute to apply—a $2 total investment.
combat caries for all:
• Patient Self-Assessment Form: Let patients start the
conversation around their needs before they even enter
the treatment room
• Waiting Room/Operatory Signage: Show all patients
why prevention and fluoride varnish is important to the
practice and to them
• Lunch ‘n Learn: Have lunch and earn 2 CE credits
while discussing Prevention for Life
• Online Prevention CE: Learn how important adult
prevention is while earning CE credits
Visit https://www.cariesprevention.com/ to learn more
about Prevention for Life tools from Centrix.
“Charging a nominal fee to adult patients for preventive treatment is not ‘selling dentistry,’” notes Brogan. “It’s ensuring that they get great care at the lowest cost possible.” Since patients are already in the chair when a caries risk is determined, there are no additional chair or infection-prevention costs. So, routinely applying fluoride varnish not only contributes to patient health; it also impacts your overall practice health. According to figures from Centrix:
• Average fee per patient for fluoride varnish = $25
• Subtract cost per application = $1
• Subtract cost per application time = $1/1 min.
• Net profit per application = $23
For a typical practice that sees 8 patients every day, that’s a $110 incremental profit/day or a $27,600 annual increase in practice profitability that can help make room in the budget for more great patient care.
