No-Drill Dentistry: Fluoride Treatments Can Prevent Cavities In Adults

If the high-pitched whirr of a dentist's drill as it bores into your molar terrifies you, good news! There could be fewer fillings in your future. A painless way to prevent cavities in adults is gaining traction.

"OK, Alice, we are going to put the fluoride varnish on your teeth," says Marion Manski, director of the Dental Hygiene Program at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. Fluoride varnish is standard practice for children's teeth, but Manski's patient, Alice Clash, is 91 years old. Like many older patients, Clash is taking medications that cause dry mouth, which puts her at high risk for cavities.

So Manski takes a skinny brush and a little pot of yellowish liquid and paints the varnish on Clash's teeth. "We know that saliva helps us wash away bacteria and food in the mouth," Manski says. "The fluoride varnish will help that."

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