Why I Use... Curodont™ Repair Fluoride Plus

Class II composites are among the most dreaded and destructive restorations for both dental practitioners and their patients. Numerous studies indicate that violating the marginal ridge, a common consequence of these procedures, is one of the key contributors to eventual tooth loss. So, having a treatment option to delay caries progression for as long as possible, as well as circumvent the need for composite fillings altogether, is a win-win on both sides of the dental chair.

When I tell my patients about Curodont, an alternative treatment that aims to remineralize the lesion or at least prevent current caries progression over time, their response is overwhelmingly positive. They welcome the idea of potentially avoiding a filling, as well as a future crown or root canal treatment. Our acceptance rate for Curodont application is around 90% to 95%.

From a clinical perspective, no dentist would lament doing fewer Class II composite restorations. In my personal experience using Curodont, the amount of Class II composites that I perform on our office’s regular patients has significantly decreased over the years. If I never did a Class II again, I’d be happy!

Seeing Successful Outcomes

Compared with other treatment options for early-stage caries, Curodont stands out because of its ability to remineralize incipient lesions while maintaining the integrity of the existing tooth structure. With Curodont, we have seen successful treatment outcomes—ranging from caries lesions that are no longer noticeable on radiographs to early caries that remain the same size, which is also fine, as patients can have a small caries throughout their entire lives without experiencing any problems.

Curodont also is particularly effective for those Class V cases where we can access the lesion with ease, and patients don't need to worry about it staining their teeth.

Transforming Patients' Mindsets

As part of our patients’ Curodont treatments, we also apply a topical fluoride to the teeth for 10 minutes, and then pre-scribe a toothpaste with a higher fluoride content. This offers additional support to remineralize the teeth, while using all the materials at our disposal to avoid the need for a composite restoration.

We also emphasize the importance of incorporating better home care routines, which involves improving oral hygiene practices like regular brushing and flossing, as well as maintaining a healthy diet. These lifestyle adjustments can improve the effectiveness of Curodont treatment.

It is rare for us to recommend a second Curodont treatment, as in our practice, a single application is typically sufficient. I would estimate that only 5% of our patients have had Curodont applied more than once. 

Boosting Productivity & Profitability

I think Curodont is a great procedure to fill holes in the hygiene schedule. It’s an excellent service to provide to patients, and our hygienists have really embraced it. That's not really surprising when you consider how the day-to-day hygiene appointment can get very repetitive. Curodont is a new procedure that is interesting but not difficult to apply. The ease of use and simple training my staff needs to start providing the treatment is a huge plus, too.

If one of our hygienists has an opening after finishing up with a patient, they will always ask if them if they'd like to stay and have Curodont applied, granted it's a patient who can truly benefit from it. This creates a bit of productivity that otherwise would not exist. In fact, if my hygienists' schedules were filled with Curodont treatments, they would be absolutely overjoyed.

The indirect profitability of adopting Curodont in the dental practice is simple: Fewer composite restorations on the schedule mean less burnout for dentists and the opportunity to do more profitable and enjoyable procedures, such as crowns, implants, and bridges.

Thinking About Dentistry in New and Exciting Ways

In this new generation of dentistry, we are experiencing such a pendulum shift where the traditional "drill and fi ll" approach to treating caries is being replaced by noninvasive methods of treatment. I see a lot of older patients in my office and have witnessed first-hand the effects of these more invasive procedures 20, 30, and 40 years down the road.

The results since incorporating Curodont in our office have been nothing short of fantastic, and to our present-day patients with incipient lesions, choosing to move forward with a Curodont treatment is truly a no-brainer.