Product Evaluation

Even after 43 years as a hygienist, Donna Grzegorek is still frustrated by prophy angles that “jam, facilitate splatter, inhibit visibility, are ergonomically challenging, or don’t adapt well to tooth surfaces.” As if reading Grzegorek’s mind, Premier designed its new disposable ProFlare articulating prophy angle with a unique latex-free cup that pivots and flares to readily adapt to the contour of each tooth surface. The cup also features outer ridges that reach interproximally along with a host of other features that address every one of her concerns.

“The ProFlare cup lacks nothing,” said Grzegorek, who was one of several hygienists who participated in this product review. “The compact head and neck enhance visibility, and the outer ridges hold the paste with no splatter and flange effectively along all gingival margins,” she noted. “There was no jamming or chatter, and with less extreme wrist movements, I had less hand fatigue,” a benefit she called game changing.

“ProFlare is a perfect addition to the hygiene armamentarium that makes my job much easier, more efficient, and less ergonomically challenging,” shared Grzegorek. “I’m not sure you could ask for anything more!”

Cup Design and Adaptation

“Wow! I’m impressed with the design—the outer edges, the divided sections to hold paste, and a ‘waist’ on the cup for flare action,” said hygienist Pamela Emard, who appreciates the “soft flexible cup that polished at any angle I placed it on the tooth.” For Grzegorek, “the hourglass shape allowed the top of the cup to flex to mirror each tooth’s shape, providing more effective biofilm and stain removal.” Noting that she “loved the flare for subgingival and interproximal margin cleaning,” Linda Kovary Bell said, “I didn’t have to constantly change the handpiece’s angle to cover all tooth surfaces, allowing for better access and quicker polishing.”

“The flexibility and ridges ensure that I’m reaching the unique surfaces of each tooth,” said Susan Sander, who “loved the ease of reaching the distal surfaces of molars.” Cheri Lindstrom was able to address stain on hard-to-reach interproximal spaces with the cup that’s “flexible enough for the edges to flare into those spaces and under gingival margins.” For Mink Lee, “The large cup covers more surface area,” and Malee Wong appreciates that “the smaller, thinner profile allows more visibility during polishing.” Michele Byrd “loved the flaring to access and spread across the tooth.”

Cleaning and Polishing

“I loved using ProFlare,” said Emard. “The flexible cup mastered it! It cleaned at the margins better than any other I’ve used.” Calling ProFlare “a game changer in effective soft supragingival plaque removal and patient comfort,” Sander explained, “The ridges make it nearly impossible to leave soft plaque behind.” Noting that the grooves assisted in removing significant tea and coffee stains, Lindstrom said, “The ability to adapt the flexible cup for interproximal stain removal was clutch.”

“ProFlare removed stain and plaque at the line angle better than other prophy angles,” said Lee. While Lydia Pope usually needs the prophy jet to remove all areas of stain, she said, “Using the ultrasonic and polishing with ProFlare did the job” in patients with heavy staining— all with “little to no splatter.”

Although she “used to dread patients with third molars,” Karen Dong was thrilled that ProFlare “reaches the distal of the third molars with ease.” She was “amazed by its ability to go under the gumline and between teeth” but suggested thinner plastic on the individual packaging to make it easier to open. For Pat Brune, “It made polishing quicker and easier since it covered more of the tooth and had less splatter.”

Clinician and Patient Comfort

“I absolutely loved this angle,” said Kovary Bell, who found she had less fatigue when polishing with ProFlare. Similarly, Sander said the prophy angle’s flexibility was easier on her wrist, and it was “compact enough to comfortably treat my pediatric patients’ smaller mouths.” Wong appreciated the compact head and neck size, “which improved both visibility and ergonomics.”

“Slipping into the sulcus without a whimper from the patient was great,” said Emard, whose patient with 12 crowns was “elated with how soft it felt, especially around the crown margins and up into the sulcus.” Brune said, “Flaring made it easy to polish the whole side of the tooth comfortably, even under the gumline.” Fern Rothstein said, “My patients were very comfortable” because “the cup hugs the tooth and splatter was minimal— better than our expensive angle.”

Overall Satisfaction

There’s little doubt that these hygienists were very impressed with the ProFlare articulating prophy angle. “This cup nails it!” said Emard, who, along with Kovary Bell and Sander, has recommended this Best Product to colleagues. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity to try this product and incorporate it into my patient treatment,”