Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is a liquid medication that’s applied topically to the teeth with a small brush or a special type of floss. The silver fluoride formula is 38 percent silver fluoride salt, which is made water-soluble by the addition of small amounts of ammonia. The result is a liquid that dentists can easily paint onto teeth in a matter of seconds!
SDF has been used extensively around the world for decades, although it only received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2014. The FDA actually approved SDF for use in the treatment of dentin sensitivity. For dentists to use it as a way to treat cavities means that, as with its predecessor fluoride varnish, dentists using SDF to treat cavities are doing so “off-label.”