A cavity does not appear overnight. It starts as a soft, chalky patch where the enamel has lost minerals, often visible as a white spot or as a faint shadow on an X-ray. For decades the choices at that stage were to watch it and wait, or to drill and fill. Curodont is a third choice: treat the spot while the surface is still intact, and keep the tooth whole.
How it works
Curodont Repair Fluoride Plus is a liquid painted onto the tooth. It contains a small protein, called a self-assembling peptide, that soaks into the weakened enamel and forms a framework inside it. Minerals from your own saliva, calcium and phosphate, settle onto that framework over the following weeks and the spot re-hardens from within. Fluoride in the formula adds protection at the surface.
In a 2023 review of six clinical trials published in the Journal of the American Dental Association, early decay treated with this peptide was about 1.8 times as likely to stop progressing as untreated decay, and treated spots shrank by about a third on average.
Who it is for
- Early decay between teeth that shows on an X-ray but has not broken through the enamel
- White spots, including the chalky marks that can appear after braces or around aligner attachments
- Children and teens with a first early spot, so their first experience of decay is not a drill
- Adults who have been told a tooth is "one to watch"
- Patients at higher risk of decay from dry mouth, medications or a history of many fillings
Curodont or a filling?
| What we see | What we recommend |
|---|---|
| A white spot or early decay with the enamel surface still intact | Curodont. The tooth is not drilled. |
| A cavity: a hole you or we can feel, or decay into the inner layer of the tooth | A tooth-colored filling. Curodont cannot rebuild a hole. |
| A cracked or heavily filled tooth | A crown. |
This is why regular exams and X-rays matter. Curodont only works on decay found early, and early decay does not hurt.
What the visit is like
- We find the spot
At your exam, Dr. Wolbaum checks every tooth and your X-rays for early decay and tells you which spots qualify. - Clean and prepare
The tooth is cleaned and the surface is conditioned for a few seconds so the liquid can soak in. Nothing is drilled and nothing is numbed. - Apply and wait
Curodont is painted on and left for about five minutes. The whole treatment takes around ten minutes per tooth and can be done at your cleaning visit. - We check it
The spot is rechecked at your next exams and on later X-rays to confirm it has stopped.
What it cannot do. Curodont is not a replacement for fillings and it is not a guarantee. It treats early decay only, results vary, and a spot that keeps progressing despite treatment will still need a filling. Brushing, flossing and fluoride still do most of the work of keeping it from coming back.
Common questions
Does it hurt?
No. There is no drilling and no injection, and you can eat and go back to work or school straight afterward.
Is it safe for children?
Yes for most school-age children and teens, and it is often easiest for them because nothing about it is frightening. For children under six we decide case by case.
Is this the same as fluoride varnish?
No. Fluoride varnish strengthens the outer surface of all your teeth. Curodont is placed on one specific spot of early decay and works beneath the surface, where the minerals have been lost.
Does insurance cover it?
Some dental plans do and many do not yet. We tell you the fee before treating, and it is far less than a filling and crown later. Membership plan patients receive their 10% discount.
How do I know if I have early decay?
You usually cannot tell. It rarely hurts and often shows only on X-rays, which is why we look for it at every exam.