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Prophy cups and brushes

Also called: rubber cup, polishing cup, prophy brush, latch-type cup, snap-on cup

Soft rubber cups and tiny bristle brushes that hold paste for polishing.

Prophy cups are small soft rubber cups that hold prophy paste (polishing paste). Prophy brushes are tiny pointed bristle brushes for grooves. Both attach to a prophy angle, either built in or as screw-on, snap-on or latch-type parts.

How to spot it

  • Cup: soft, flexible, about the size of a pencil eraser, often webbed inside.
  • Brush: short stiff bristles in a point or a flat tuft.

What it is used for

  • Polishing stained enamel; brushes clean pits and fissures.
  • Flare the cup slightly at the gumline and keep it moving.

Safety and care

  • Single-use (disposable) item: use it on one patient, then throw it away. Never clean and reuse it.

Related

Sources: US Patent 7,255,559. Disposable dental prophy angle with secure retention mechanism, Boyd LD, Mallonee LF, Wyche CJ. Wilkins' Clinical Practice of the Dental Hygienist, 14th ed. Jones & Bartlett, 2024