Comprehensive Family Dentistry: Dental Sealants
Sealants are Important!
Sealants are strongly recommended. As a part of your preventative program with family dentistry, they can be indispensable. While brushing and flossing regularly and properly helps to remove most plaque, some of your teeth’s grooves, especially those of your premolars and molars, are too deep for the bristles of your toothbrush to reach. These deeps grooves are the most likely to incur tooth decay. Sealants prevent such tooth decay by filling in and blocking such deep grooves. The resulting surface is easily accessible by tooth brush
What exactly are sealants and how are they applied?
A dental sealant is a plastic that is painted on and bonded to your teeth. The process is surprisingly easy. Near the end of your checkup, your dentist will dry your tooth and the surrounding area. Afterwards, an acid solution will be applied to the selected teeth in order to roughen their surface, making the bonding process easier. Then, the sealant will be painted onto your teeth and harden quickly. Sealants typically last up to 10 years with proper care. During each visit your sealants will be checked for stability, however, as chips or other occurrences may cause additional wear.
Who should get sealants?
Again, family dentistry strongly recommends everyone gets sealants, as they prevent the most common cause for tooth decay. However, since children ages 6-14 are prime candidates for tooth decay, it is most recommended for them.
Short Answer
To have the best chance at preventing tooth decay in the most common areas — your premolars and molars — it is highly recommended you get sealants. This plastic coating seals off deep grooves from plaque and tartar, saving those impossible to reach spots from decay.
