What is Curodont treatment?
Curodont treatment is a biomimetic treatment. It's a non-invasive way of treating small cavities, and that's how it fits well within our practice at Comfy Dental Studios. The way Curodont works for early caries and small cavities is that it helps stop cavity progression and supports the repair of areas where minerals have been lost.
How does Curodont Repair work?
What patients need to know about Curodont Repair is that it works through capillary action. We prepare the tooth by placing a conditioner-type material on the tooth. We clean the area, isolate it, and make sure it's very dry. Then we apply the treatment.
It works through capillary action to allow the treatment to penetrate the affected enamel and support the replacement of lost minerals. It also helps attract minerals from your own saliva to support repair over time. It's a non-invasive way of treating an early cavity without having to do a filling.
How is Curodont different from traditional fillings?
With traditional fillings, we have to remove tooth structure to access and remove the decayed part of the tooth. With Curodont treatment, we don't have to do that. Instead, we're treating areas where minerals have been lost without removing tooth structure.
What kind of cavities can Curodont treat?
The cavity has to be very small for Curodont to work. Curodont can be used for early cavities that are still within the enamel, which is the outer layer of the tooth. If the decay goes deeper than that, then a traditional filling may be required. We have seen Curodont treatments work well for early lesions within the enamel.
How do you know if a cavity is small enough for Curodont?
The way we determine if a cavity is small enough for Curodont treatment is that we look at the amount of tooth structure loss versus mineral loss. If there's a lot of mineral loss without significant structure loss, Curodont may be a good treatment for that kind of cavity. But if there's a lot of structure loss or the decay is very deep and we can see it either on X-rays or visually in the mouth, then we know that a traditional filling material may be needed to repair that cavity.
What is the Curodont treatment process?
What patients need to know about Curodont treatment is that we clean the tooth and place a conditioner on it. The conditioner helps prepare the enamel surface for the treatment. We then isolate the tooth and make sure it's dry before applying Curodont.
The treatment penetrates the affected enamel to support the replacement of lost minerals. It also works with minerals from your own saliva over time. We typically evaluate the area again within four to six months to see how the repair is progressing.
What happens after Curodont treatment?
After we're done with the treatment, which takes about two minutes, the patient is advised not to eat or drink for about half an hour. After that, we do a follow-up visit within four to six months to evaluate how the area is responding to treatment.
We also advise patients to use a high-mineral toothpaste during the time we're waiting to evaluate the repair so that it can support the remineralization process along with the treatment we've already applied.
Who is Curodont especially good for?
Curodont can be a good treatment option for kids, teenagers, and patients who develop certain white spots after orthodontic treatment. Some white spots can be areas of mineral loss and early tooth decay. In appropriate cases, Curodont can be used non-invasively to support remineralization of those areas.
How long does it take to see results from Curodont?
It can take about four to six months to evaluate the results from Curodont treatment. We may assess the area on X-rays or visually, depending on the location of the lesion. The amount of time can vary from patient to patient.
How does Curodont compare to silver diamine fluoride?
Curodont and silver diamine fluoride can both be used in the management of certain cavities, but they work differently. Silver diamine fluoride is primarily used to help arrest the progression of tooth decay, and it can cause dark staining of the decayed area. Curodont does not cause that type of staining and is designed to support remineralization of early enamel lesions.
Both treatments may also be used in situations where tooth sensitivity is a concern.
Why should patients consider Curodont for small cavities?
What we tell patients is that Curodont can be a more conservative option than doing a filling when the cavity is small enough and appropriate for this type of treatment. It helps preserve your enamel because we don't have to remove tooth structure to place a filling.
My suggestion is that if you have a small cavity, don't wait for it to become bigger and potentially require more invasive treatment. Come in so we can evaluate the cavity and determine whether Curodont is an appropriate option to help preserve your tooth structure without a filling.
Want to learn more? Call Comfy Dental Studios at (310) 499-2048 or email [email protected]. Our team is happy to answer your questions and help schedule your visit.