HOW IS IT USED?

Silver Diamine Fluoride can be used as a preventative measure to reduce the risk of developing tooth decay - also - it is very helpful in treating hyper-sensitivity. But most often it is applied to active decay to stop it from progressing further into the tooth. The antibacterial properties keep the decay from spreading and protects the tooth structure from future damage. SDF helps eliminate the need for more invasive procedures like fillings or crowns and it helps to create a healthy oral environment for our adult teeth. 

Applying SDF to the area of decay is an easy and painless process. This makes for a much more positive and comfortable experience for your child over traditional drilling (surgical) treatments. We simply brush (paint) over the active decay. It is completely painless so there is no need for anesthesia or shots.

The arrival of Silver Diamine Fluoride has made the treatment of childhood tooth decay so much easier, more comfortable, and less invasive for patients. SDF has been an amazing tool in the aim of disease prevention and treatment .

ARE THERE SIDE EFFECTS?

There are very few adverse side effects of Silver Diamine Fluoride. The application does leave behind an indicator that it did its job effectively by depositing a black stain where the decay was living. The stain does remain on the tooth - however - the benefits of SDF far outweigh the minor cosmetic blemish.

IS IT MORE EXPENSIVE?

Silver Diamine Fluoride is much cheaper than a filling or tradional restoration. Also, it protects the tooth from further damage which reduces the risk of needing a more expensive and invasive restorative procedure down the road. SDF is being covered by more and more insurances every year. Parents are also able to use Flex Spending Dollars for the treatment as well.

LITERATURE

To view evidence-based literature on the mechanism, rationale, and benefits of SDF, please click on the following links, courtesy of mmclibrary.org:

1. UCSF Protocol -www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4778976/ 
2. A Community-based Caries Control Program for Pre-school Children Using Topical Fluorides - 18 Month Results 
3. A Randomized Trial on Root Caries Prevention in Elders 
4. A Randomized Clinical Trial on Arresting Dentine Caries in Preschool Children By Topical Fluorides - 18 Month Results 
5. Arresting Dentine Caries with Different Concentration and Periodicity of Silver Diamine Fluoride 
6. Caries Preventitive Efficacy of Silver Diamine Fluoride and ART Sealants in a School-based Daily Fluoride Toothbrushing Program in the Philippines 
7. Clinical Evaluation of Diamine Silver Fluoride-Potassium Iodide as a Dentine Desensitizing Agent - A Pilot Study 
8. Clinical Trials of Silver Diamine Fluoride in Arresting Caries among Children - A Systematic Review 
9. Effectiveness of Silver Diamine Fluoride and Sodium Fluoride Varnish in Arresting Dentin Caries in Chinese Pre-school Children 
10. Effects of Silver Diamine Fluoride on Incipient Caries Lesions in Erupting Permanent First Molars - A Pilot Study 
11. Efficacy of Silver Diamine Fluoride for Arresting Caries Treatment 
12. Efficacy of Silver Diamine Fluoride for Caries Reduction in Primary Teeth and First Permanent Molars of School Children - 36 month Clinical Trial 
13. Paradigm Shift in the Effective Treatment of Caries in School Children at Risk 
14. Pulp Response to High Fluoride Releasing Glass Ionomer, Silver Diamine Fluoride, and Calcium Hydroxide Used for Indirect Pulp Treatment 
15. Randomized Clinical Trial on Arresting Dental Root Caries Through Silver Diamine Fluoride Applications in Community-dwelling Elders 
16. Randomized Clinical Trial on Effectiveness of Silver Diamine Fluoride and Glass Ionomer in Arresting Dentine Caries in Preschool Children 
17. Randomized Trial on Fluorides and Sealants for Fissure Caries Prevention 
18. Remineralizing Efficacy of Silver Diamine Fluoride and Glass Ionomer Type VII For Their Proposed Use and Indirect Pulp Capping Materials 
19. Short Term Serum Pharmacokinetics of Diamine Silver Fluoride After Oral Application 
20. Silver Diamine Fluoride - Pulp Response After Application of a 10% Solution in Dentin 
21. Silver Diamine Fluoride: A Review and Current Applications 
22. Silver Diamine Fluoride and Education to Prevent and Arrest Root Caries Among Community-Dwelling Elders 
23. The Short-term Effects of Diamine Silver Fluoride on Tooth Sensitivity - A Randomized Controlled Trial 

 
 
Glass Ionomer Cement References 

1. Caries-Preventitive Effect of a One-Time Application of Composite Resin and Glass Ionomer Sealants after 5 years 
2. Caries-Preventitive Effect of High-Viscosity Glass Ionomer and Resin-Based Fissure Sealants on Permanent Teeth - A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials 
3. Caries-preventitive Effect of Sealants Producted with Altered Glass-ionomer Materials, After 2 Years 
4. Caries-preventitive Effect of Supervised Toothbrushing and Sealants 
5. Comparison of Caries Prevention With Glass Ionomer and Composite Resin Fissure Sealants 
6. Do Light Cured ART Conventional High-viscosity Glass-ionomer Sealants Perform Better Than Resin-composite Sealants - A 4-year Randomized Clinical Trial 
7. Effect of Fluoridated Sealants on Adjacent Tooth Surfaces - a 30 month Randomized Clinical Trial 
8. Effectiveness of a Glass Ionomer Cement Used as a Pit and Fissure Sealant in Recently Erupted Permanent First Molars 
9. Glass Ionomer ART Sealant and Fluoride-releasing Resin Sealant in Fissure Caries Prevention - Results From a Randomized Clinical Trial