I love dental conventions. There! I said it. But I truly do! Why you may ask? Well, of course for the continuing education courses but most of all to roam the floor of the convention hall. All the latest and greatest in dental technology is out there! The only thing I can compare it to would be a car fanatic in an auditorium full of the shiniest, newest sports cars. Or a kid on the grand opening of a toy shop. Or a woman in a shoe store with everyone begging for her to try on the latest designers shoes. Okay okay. I can compare it to a few things. But it really is a lot of fun for us nerdy dentists. Now the downside is along with shiny, new objects there are always those representatives trying to sell us “stuff” that we don’t need. Trust me..there is plenty of dental junk out there people are constantly trying to get dentists to buy.

Recently I attended the American Dental Association meeting in DC. From the moment I got off the escalator I had people throwing me samples of this and that. That good little voice in my head kept saying, “Don’t buy it until you read the studies and know it’s a good purchase”. Then that other, slightly louder, more aggressive voice would interrupt the good voice and say, “Keep quiet! Let her buy it!!”.

I came across a booth with two very nice ladies who were holding a tube of toothpaste. I almost walked right by until I saw a before and after picture displayed next to the toothpaste. It is a picture I could take numerous times throughout the day. It’s an image of a child’s mouth full of plaque and tartar. Of course, after the cleaning the teeth are nice and plaque-free but I just know it’s only a matter of days before the bad habits begin again and in 6 months it’s the same situation at the next cleaning. We all know that as plaque levels rise, so do cavities. Parents are always surprised by the amount of plaque that comes off their kid’s mouth because they swear they can hear them brushing. I always reassure them that they may be brushing, but just not the right way. Kids are SO much busier these days then from what I can remember. Exams, Sports, After-school activities, Kumon, Mathnasium, etc. have taken over their lives. They are busy and stressed out! The last thing they are thinking about is did I get all of that plaque off of my teeth. That’s why I am so excited to introduce Plaque HD to my practice.

Plaque HD is honestly pretty cool. It’s a toothpaste that dyes plaque green or pink depending on the flavor you choose. If you have kids who do a quick 10 second brush, well they aren’t going to want to go to school with green teeth. It’s also a great product for kids in braces who miss buidup around the brackets. I just read the Wall Street Journal posted an article specifically about Plaque HD stating it removes four times as much plaque as regular toothpaste. That’s pretty incredible.

If interested in trying out a tube, just stop by the office or ask for it at your next cleaning. The instructions are simple and hopefully will lead to better checkups in the future!