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MI Paste Line
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CPP/ACP
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Multi-Benefit Products
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Topical Application
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Sealants
Michelle Strange: A Tale of Two Hygienists presents this week’s TIPisode: quick and easy tips to keep you up to date and presented by the experts in the profession. Now, get ready for your unofficial TIPisode.
Sherri Lukes: Hello, everyone. I’m Sherri Lukes, and I’ve been a dental hygienist for 40 years. Yep. That’s a long time [laughing]. I spent most of my career teaching, conducting research at Southern Illinois University. Go Salukis! And, after retiring from academia a few years ago, I am enjoying providing CE courses, consulting, writing, doing clinical mission work.
These are very challenging times, aren’t they? I know you want the very best for your patients to keep them as healthy as possible overall to be able to respond to any attack on the body be it COVID-19 or anything else, right?
So I want to talk to you about a family of products from GC America that have many benefits for your patients. The MI Paste line of products is part of that family I want to discuss. So the original products were MI Paste and MI Paste Plus, which MI Paste Plus simply had the addition of fluoride, and they were for use after brushing. The active ingredient is Recaldent Technology: the combination of casein phosphopeptide, which occur in milk casein, and then amorphous calcium phosphate. Usually the combination referred to as CPP-ACP. It’s a natural protein peptide.
CPP binds to oral surfaces such as teeth, dentin, oral mucousin [sic], biofilm, and then calcium and phosphate ions we know are the building blocks for healthy teeth. So, this combination without going into the specific science on each, it provides many benefits. It has effects on tooth sensitivity, remineralization, has anti-caries effects, dry mouth effects, effects against erosion, lots of uses. So, after brushing, MI Paste and/or MI Paste Plus is applied for patients with perhaps high caries, white spot lesions, sensitivity, and so forth.
Now, the last sibling — which “sibling” is in quotes of course [laughing] — in the family is MI Paste ONE, which is the premier product now in the MI Paste family. The beauty of MI Paste ONE is that it eliminates a step. It’s actually a toothpaste, so it’s all in one. You don’t have to brush first with your toothpaste and then use your MI Paste product. It can replace your regular toothpaste. It contains a mild abrasive for a gentle and efficient cleaning effect, which most assuredly will increase patient compliance. Patients want easy, don’t they? And so the one-step product, definitely a plus for many patients. It also does not have sodium lauryl sulfate, which can be irritating for some patients.
My specialty is oral pathology. I have several CE courses I present on a variety of oral pathologies and systemic conditions that have oral manifestations, and there is some research that some people who are prone to aphthous ulcers, for example, have problems using products with SLS or sodium lauryl sulphate, tend to get them more frequently when they use products with SLS.
Also SLS can be irritating to the tissues of patients undergoing radiation and/or chemotherapy who are experiencing that epithelial breakdown in the oral cavity. So MI Paste ONE can be a good choice for those patients as well.
I also put in my courses that MI Paste may be beneficial to apply topically on the oral ulcers of oral chemotherapy mucositis. There is some research documenting positive effects on salivary conditions of chemotherapy patients and can perhaps lesson some of those mucositis symptoms.
Many patients have white spot lesions, which can be from a number of causes. I talk about enamel hypoplasia and other conditions producing white spot lesions on the teeth. No one likes how they look, and the MI Paste family is the only natural treatment of their kind that results in decreased white spots, which can improve appearance, improve enamel protection going forward, and perhaps relief from pain due to sensitivity, so on and so forth. So it really is a multi-use product.
Now, Recaldent Technology has been added to sealants in the GC family of products. So let’s see. Maybe a “cousin”? [Laughing]. In quotes of course. MI Varnish would be a cousin, right? But, um — so Recaldent Technology. MI Varnish releases bioavailable calcium phosphate fluoride ions into the oral cavity. The peptide combines with and stabilizes fluoride to create the ideal source of ions for building fluorapatite in our enamel. It remains on the teeth longer and contains high levels of fluoride and calcium release in the oral cavity making it a natural and unique choice for your patients that need fluoride application and good uptake of the fluoride.
Xerostomia is a complication of many pathologic conditions that I cover in my oral pathology courses, so I like to include solutions for xerostomia. There are many of them with varying compositions and claims of effectiveness. Because I’m fair and balanced, I typically say in my courses that I like to include several products because what works for one may not work for another patient, right? People are very different. Not everyone responds the same to various solutions. So GC has a dry mouth gel. It has a neutral pH. It provides a protective coating for teeth and oral tissues and can be soothing for those experiencing dry mouth. It can be applied several times during the day.
I do an older adults course, and of course many of our older adults have dentures and oftentimes have difficulty with retention. GC’s Dry Mouth Gel can be used under full dentures as a tissue protectant and lubricant and can replace that cohesive retention effect, which is normally gained from saliva. So, not only can it increase the cohesive retention, it can reduce some of those unpleasant symptoms of dry mouth.
I also really like the GC Tri Plaque ID Gel. And I like to discuss in my courses that, you know, our patients with systemic conditions and oral pathologies need to be as plaque free or biofilm free as possible. It’s really important for them to have impeccable oral hygiene to keep the bacterial load as low as possible in their mouths as their bodies battle some of these other conditions. We know how significant oral bacteria are in the whole oral-systemic link. So, if we really believe that, it’s our job to assist our patients in plaque removal making sure they are staying as plaque free, as bacteria free, as possible. So the Tri Plaque ID Gel is a great way to show them how they’re doing in their home care, where they’re retaining plaque, etcetera.
So I’ve seen a lot of products come and go over my career. The GC family of products have a proven track record for effectiveness supported by research and really embraced [sic] by the dental community. It’s a great company with great products. There are many more than discussed in this TIPisode, so I would encourage you to take a look at their products. Look at the evidence behind them and decide which ones might be best for your patients in these very challenging times.
You know, we in dentistry are more than picker-flickers, driller-fillers. We are health care professionals seeking to keep our patients as healthy as possible orally and otherwise because we know you can’t have total health without good oral health.
So thank you so much for listening, and I hope you enjoy using some of these products.
Michelle Strange: We hope you enjoyed this week’s TIPisode. Be sure to reach out to our guest experts and let them know how helpful their tips were. Follow A Tale of Two Hygienists on Facebook, Instagram, and head over to ataleoftwohygienists.com and subscribe to our newsletter. You can also email us at ataleoftwohygienists@gmail.com, and keep listening for more awesome content from your unofficial dental hygiene podcast.
