In order to prevent gingivitis, periodontitis, and dental caries, regular oral hygiene visits and proper prophylaxis are required and of significant importance. Unfortunately, any number of challenges can compromise professional tooth cleaning results. These include the concentration of the air-polishing unit power jet, limited rotational ability that makes it difficult to access hard-to-reach molar regions, and cumbersome handling that leads to ergonomic issues.
Fortunately, a wide range of prophylaxis indications can be accommodated quickly and easily with the new PROPHYflex 3 air-polishing unit from KaVo. When the PROPHYflex 3 is used in combination with PROPHYflex powder or PROPHYflexpearls, stains and plaque associated with discoloration from tea and coffee, tobacco, and biofilm can be easily and gently removed in a more focused way. The result is more efficient prevention of gingivitis, periodontitis, and dental caries and overall better oral health for patients.
Further caries reduction and management among patients can also be achieved by using the PROPHYflex 3 to clean fissures prior to applying dental sealants. For patients with fixed orthodontics, PROPHYflex 3 allows tooth surface preparation prior to bonding, and can remove adhesive residue, which result in enhanced treatment outcomes and more satisfied patients.
The PROPHYflex 3 enables fast and predictable prophylaxis results in part because reloading of powder or pearls is accomplished quickly and efficiently. This saves time with each prophylactic session, as well as simplifies the chairside workflow. What’s more, not only does the PROPHYflex 3 enable optimized ergonomics with its comfortable and stress-free handling, but it also provides a more comfortable experience for pain-sensitive patients due to its individually selectable powder volume.
In fact, the cannula of the PROPHYflex 3 is constructed to effectively and efficiently concentrate the powder, and the container holds sufficient powder for professional tooth cleaning. Because the gripping sleeve rotates through 360°, excellent cleaning can be achieved, even in hard-to-access areas. This translates to easier treatment and shorter treatment times.
More importantly, such access helps to improve prophylaxis for planning prosthetic treatment, since healthy teeth can be thoroughly cleaned for perfect prosthodontic shade adaptation for bridges, crowns, inlays, and onlays. This helps to make the shade matching process much less complicated. Similarly, the PROPHYflex 3 can facilitate conservative dentistry when adhesive composite restorations, ceramic inlays, and veneers have been placed, helping to extend the service and lifespan of these restorations.
As part of esthetic dental treatments, the PROPHYflex 3 can be used to clean teeth prior to bleaching to optimize vital tooth bleaching outcomes. This will enable exact determination of the initial natural tooth color/shade, as well as prepare the teeth for optimized bleaching agent effectiveness.
However, when the PROPHYflex Perio Tip is used, dental team members—and their patients—can realize even greater benefits from the PROPHYflex 3 for such indications as removing biofilms in pockets, as well as cleaning implants, exposed dental necks, and otherwise inaccessible areas. In general, the PROPHYflex Perio Tip enables gentle subgingival and supragingival cleaning via a focused jet and stable tip in a convenient narrow shape.
Contributing to workflow efficiency is the PROPHYflex 3’s simply operation. When the foot control of an existing treatment center is pressed, compressed is supplied to the handpiece via the KaVo MULTIflex coupling, which enables flexible use, and flows into the powder container. It mixes uniformly with the powder, and the mixture flows to the exit of the cannula. Simultaneously, the water—which is strictly separated from the air and powder—is fed to the tip, where the water sheath surrounds the powder/air mixture. Two non-return valves prevent the mixture from flowing back into the MULTIflex coupling.
For thorough safety and infection control, dental team members can completely sterilize and thermally disinfect the PROPHYflex 3. A completely sterilizable air-polishing unit, the PROPHYflex 3 allows easy and fast cleaning and refilling for optimum performance and safety, as well as efficient integration into the operatory workflow. As a result, predictable results can be achieved effectively during prophylaxis sessions that are now more comfortably performed.