I purchased a dental practice in August 2014. This practice has only had only one other owner who built this practice from scratch in 1982. The practice philosophy was practically etched in well-mineralized enamel (forget stone) and the patients are very loyal and wonderful people who are used to the consistency of the former dentist. Here I am, about 30 years younger than the previous dentist and now I want to re-vamp the hygiene department by offering fluoride varnish to all patients, especially all of my at-risk-for-caries patients.
I started with my staff. I blocked an afternoon and reviewed my preventive philosophy with my entire staff. I identified all of the risk factors for caries and reinforced the importance of minimizing (or eliminating) these risk factors. I also discussed strategies for motivating our patients. I thought this is important because I believe that prevention is so important to not only one’s oral, but general health. I wanted my patients to truly capture the caring spirit of these recommendations and not feel that “the new kid” is trying to sell them something. I then demonstrated how to apply varnish and gave them all an opportunity to practice applying it on each other.
With several varnishes on the market, it was important that I select one that gave the greatest benefit to the patient. In my research, I found only one varnish on the market that contains fluoride, calcium, phosphate and casein protein. Why is this important? This combination improves bioavailability and promotes a greater amount of fluoride, calcium and phosphate uptake than the other varnishes out there. Additionally, it comes in two yummy flavors, mint or strawberry, which allows me to give options to my patients. It’s also important that my patients feel the varnish but cannot see the varnish after it is applied to their teeth.
I chose to incorporate MI Varnish by GC America into my practice. My hygienist has not only been recommending and applying varnish on our patients, but she has been following up with our patients about their experiences. She was delighted to discover that so many people have noticed a significant reduction in sensitivity, and we have stopped early caries on many others! She now believes in it and is routinely recommending it to all patients.
For more information on a variety of varnish, visit PattersonDental.com.
