Abstract
Prophylaxis paste treatments are a standard part of biannual dental checkups. Prophylaxis pastes remove stains from teeth by polishing the surface of the enamel. Polishing essentially scratches the surface layer of enamel, thereby technically demineralizing teeth to achieve better aesthetics. The removal of even a thin layer of enamel can expose dentin in places where enamel is already thin, causing the patient to experience hypersensitivity. This study features novel prophylaxis paste formulations that use remineralizing agents in non-aqueous carriers to create a prophylaxis paste that both polishes teeth and potentially remineralizes teeth while occluding dentin tubules. To determine whether these novel formulations were able to potentially treat hypersensitivity, human tooth samples were imaged using a scanning electron microscope at different stages of prophylaxis treatment. Dentsply Nupro Medium prophylaxis paste was used as a comparison to test the effects of the novel formulations to an existing and commonly used product already on the market. The results of this study suggest that the use of remineralizing agents and non-aqueous carriers can potentially treat hypersensitivity by occluding exposed dentin tubules. The results show that the novel formulas occlude dentin tubules with a thin polymeric film or by precipitating minerals inside of the dentin tubules.