That gritty feeling is exactly what my son complained about too, actually. He kept rubbing his tongue on his teeth and asking if he could brush it off. Did your dentist say how long it should last? I’m always worried he’ll just refuse it next time…
That gritty texture drove my daughter nuts after her varnish, too. She kept asking if she could “just rinse it off now.” Our dentist said it’s supposed to wear off in a few hours, but honestly, it lingered till bedtime for us. I get the worry about refusal—my kid was pretty adamant about not wanting it again. I’m still on the fence if the benefit outweighs the hassle, especially since she brushes well. Maybe it’s different if your kid’s at higher risk for cavities, but I wish there was a less annoying option…
That gritty feeling is seriously the worst.
That line made me laugh because my son said almost the exact same thing, and he’s usually pretty chill about dental stuff. He complained the whole car ride home and then refused to eat anything but yogurt for hours because “it feels weird.” I get what you mean about weighing the hassle versus benefit, especially when your kid already brushes well. We ended up skipping it at our last visit since his risk was low, and honestly, it made the appointment way less stressful for everyone.“She kept asking if she could ‘just rinse it off now.’”
I’m curious—has anyone been offered a different kind of fluoride treatment, or is this varnish just standard everywhere now? Wondering if there’s something less annoying out there or if we’re all stuck with this gritty mess...
We had the same gritty varnish at our last cleaning, and my daughter hated it—kept making faces and asking if it was “supposed to taste like that.” I asked the hygienist if there was a different option, but apparently the old foam trays aren’t used much anymore (she said something about them not working as well and being more of a mess). Honestly, if your kid’s risk is low and you’re paying out of pocket, I totally get skipping it. We’ve got good insurance, so I just go with whatever they recommend, but I’d probably rethink it if we had to pay full price every time.
That gritty varnish is the worst—my son always complains about the texture and weird aftertaste, too. I totally get where you’re coming from about questioning whether it’s worth it, especially if your kid isn’t high-risk for cavities. We’re in a similar boat: insurance covers it, so I usually just go with the flow, but if I had to pay out of pocket every time, I’d probably think twice.
I asked our dentist about alternatives, and she basically said the same thing—those foam trays aren’t as effective and can be pretty messy, especially for younger kids. One thing she did mention, though, is that some offices have flavored varnishes that are a bit less gross. Not sure if that’s an option everywhere, but maybe worth asking about?
I’ve read mixed things about how necessary the varnish is for kids with low cavity risk, especially if you’re already using fluoride toothpaste at home. We decided to keep doing it mostly for peace of mind, but the cost would definitely change my mind. Dental stuff is never straightforward...
