The "Hygiene Message in a Bottle Mailbag" is a new monthly feature of the e-newsletter, Pearls for Your Practice: The Product Navigator. Each month, Colleen Olson, RDH, the editorial director for the Hygiene Product Navigator,will answer reader-submitted questions to help you navigate your dental hygiene product decisions (and more!). This month, she replies to a question about Biotene, a system of products for dry mouth relief that wasn't included in her recent article about xerostomia products.
QUESTION: Jamie from Washington, DC, wrote: I noticed that you didn't include Biotene in your xerostomia products article. What's up with that?
ANSWER:
When I selected the topic for the xerostomia products article, I was inundated with product samples, so I had to narrow it down to avoid having an overwhelming list. Biotene is a fantastic product and was actually one of the only dry mouth products I was aware of before I began research for that article.
I particularly like Biotene because it's available to patients in stores. Another cool thing about Biotene is that it encompasses an entire system of products. It's not just a rinse, a spray, a gel, or a fluoridated toothpaste. It's all four of those things.
Since it's a total system, Biotene is a good choice for patients with any level of xerostomia. Patients with mild, daytime dryness may prefer to keep the discreet mouth spray or gel handy throughout the day. Other patients who have more severe xerostomia might be better suited to use the entire system: rinsing in the morning and at night, using the spray or gel as needed throughout the day and night, and using the toothpaste for brushing. It's beneficial that we have so many great products available for our xerostomia patients, and the Biotene products for dry mouth are an excellent recommendation!
Editor's Note:Do you have a question for Colleen? Is there a product you'd like to see her review? Or would you like to submit your own hygiene product "Pearl"? Send an email to [email protected]. You might just see it in the Hygiene Product Navigator! If you're not a Product Navigator subscriber, click here to sign up.
Colleen M. Olson, RDH, is an editorial director for the e-newsletter, Pearls for Your Practice: The Product Navigator. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas A&M University in 2008 and worked in sales for five years. She graduated from the Blinn College Dental Hygiene program in 2013. She is currently a full-time hygienist in private practice in San Antonio, Texas. Colleen enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband, Zach, and their dogs, a Great Dane named Shiner and a shepherd mix named Duddley.
