By Dianne Testa, RDA, RDH, BS, MI Specialist, GC America
Minimal Invasive Dentistry (MID) is a perfect fit with dental hygienists. Our whole focus has been on prevention and that is what MID is all about. Looking for the best fit to this is back to science, chemistry in particular. If we remember that the enamel of the tooth is made up of calcium and phosphate forming the hydroxyapatite, with the fluoride addition forming the Fluorapatite, we have the foundation. Like a good house, you need a good foundation. Today’s population is putting their teeth in more jeopardy then it realizes. To keep up with the caffeinated “buzz,” people saturate their teeth in a very acidic environment, which removes the calcium and phosphate from the teeth. The future appears to be headed for a faster-pace society that will be toothless. The role of the dental hygienist in educating patients about the health risks of energy drinks, soda drinking, and the like, has not filled their mental emotion bucket.
With all of this in mind, we need to shift gears and provide our patients with alternatives to brushing flossing, and nutritional counseling. If we can supersaturate the biofilm in the patient’s mouth, and keep the pH at 7 for extended lengths of time, we have a chance to compete with the “erosion invasion.” MI Paste with RECALDENT (CPP-ACP), (Casein Phosphopeptite/ Amorphous Calcium Phosphate), is the “magic paste.” It allows the mouth to maintain a neutral pH for a lengthy period of time (3 hours). It does this through the RECALDENT technology. This technology keeps the calcium, phosphate, and fluoride ions encompassed in a milk protein (CPP) that stay viable in the mouth for three hours. When the pH drops, the CCP opens, delivering the calcium, phosphate, and fluoride back into the mouth and, therefore, back in to the teeth. It is so simple that it is almost too easy.
Dianne Testa, RDA, RDH, BS, MI
