Why consider the ARM-ER® approach?

  • Assess and identify the nature of the decay.
  • Redefine the status of the affected lesion and the ongoing effect that the silver fluoride has had on the tooth.
  • Manage the future of the tooth for the individual patient.

Education — good and relevant information is the key to keeping your mouth (and body) in a health state. You probably know already that staying healthy is not a ‘one size fits all’ answer?

Your dental practitioner will help guide you in the course of care which is best suited for each tooth.

Steps after silver fluoride treatment

  1. Tooth after silver fluoride treatment
  2. After black ‘callus’ has been cleaned—remineralised tooth tissue remains
  3. Lining material placed
  4. Tooth is filled with white filling material

2 weeks after application—remineralised, desensitised and only the decay is stained. Gum health is also improved when the silver continues to inhibit plaque formation.

In patients where cleaning is difficult or the mouth is drier, silver fluoride may need to be re-applied every six months. This simple application improves the strength of the tooth and supports the retention of natural teeth in the mouth.

After the caries (decay) is treated with silver fluoride, the affected part goes black if the decay process is stopped. We nickname these ‘Black Diamonds’.

The ARM-ER® Approach to caries and sensitivity management

Minimal invasive treatment is:

  • less discomfort
  • less extractions
  • reduction in need for hospital admissions
  • reduction in emergencies

Steps in the ARM-ER® Approach

  • Assess
  • Redefine
  • Educate and then Review? Repeat? Restore? Rehabilitate & Re-establish

Using silver fluoride to arrest and redefine caries, address sensitivity and then choose the management.

The ARM-ER® approach is effective in the following way:

  • Caries status is detected.
  • Bacterial control is established.
  • The lesion’s status is redefined (active or arrested?).
  • Immediate improvement of oral health status is gained.
  • Remineralisation and desensitisation is achieved as an ongoing effect of the silver fluoride application.

Simple, painless, and safe

  • Offering improved quality of care (with short and long term gains).
  • Can be used for caries status management in patients of all ages.

The procedure:

  1. The affected area is dried.
  2. A very small amount of silver fluoride (a clear and odourless solution) is placed on the affected area for 1-3 minutes and followed by a very small application of stannous fluoride (also clear and odourless). The immediate reaction on active caries is that the area will blacken—‘Black Diamonds’.
  3. A ‘holding’ solution is applied.

The Black Diamond effect!

The treated area of the tooth will turn a blackish colour but only the area of the tooth which was decayed will stain permanently.