Protect Your Teeth Against Decay with Dental Sealants

Although daily brushing and flossing are highly effective for maintaining good oral hygiene and health, sometimes it might not be enough. In addition to good at-home dental hygiene and regular oral checkups and cleanings, more preventive measures like dental sealants are helpful.

How Dental Sealants Protect You from Decay

Sealants are thin white or clear coatings applied on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. They provide an excellent addition to daily brushing and flossing, especially among children and teenagers. Sealants seals cavity-prone areas of your back teeth, keeping your mouth, teeth, and gums healthy.

Your back teeth – the molars and premolars, usually have tiny grooves and fissures that aid in grinding and clenching food. While brushing and flossing can help remove tooth particles trapped in the teeth, they might not be able to clean the grooves and fissures of the back teeth effectively. It leaves your back teeth vulnerable to bacteria and plaque build-up.

Eventually, these harmful deposits attack your teeth and gums, causing cavities, decay, and gum disease. Applying dental sealants on the chewing surfaces of these teeth seals the tiny grooves and fissures. It protects against plaque and bacteria build-up, protecting you from infections like decay and periodontal disease.

Smoothening these surfaces also make brushing easy, further preserving the health of your teeth and gums. Visit our office for dental Sealants in Westwood, MA.

Who Should Get Sealants?

Everyone with depression and grooves in the back teeth can be at risk of developing decay. It means that anyone can get sealants. However, children and teenagers are at a greater risk of developing cavities.

Experts recommend applying dental sealants on your children’s permanent back teeth as soon as they come in. Sealants can also be for baby teeth. It will preserve the health of their teeth through the age of 6 – 14. Adults with healthy teeth can also benefit from dental sealants.

Consult our dentist in Westwood, MA, to determine whether you’re eligible for dental sealants.

How Dental Sealants are Applied

Applying a sealant is easy, quick, painless, and straightforward. It only takes minutes to seal each tooth. The application process entails:

• The dentist thoroughly cleans the teeth to be sealed to remove trapped debris and plaque. It is important to prevent trapping plaque under the sealants, which can cause decay.
• Next, each tooth dries, and absorbent material is placed around it to keep it dry.
• While not always necessary, the dentist can roughen the tooth’s surface with an etching solution. It helps the sealant to bond to the tooth easily. Then, the teeth are rinsed and dried again.
• Next, the sealant material applies to the tooth’s chewing surface. Sometimes a special laser or light is used to harden the sealant. The dentist seals one tooth at a time.

Benefits of Dental Sealants

There are many benefits to using dental sealants, including:

• Sealants are easy, quick, and painless to apply.
• Sealants protect your teeth against cavities and decay for years.
• Sealants are durable. Sealants can protect you against decay for ten years with proper dental care and habits.
• Sealants preserve the health of your teeth, eliminating the need for invasive and expensive treatments like root canals, dental crowns, and dental implants.
• Sealants are clear or white, meaning that they won’t affect the appearance of your smile. They are impossible to notice when eating, talking or laughing.
• Sealants make brushing effortless.
• Sealants are minimally invasive. They don’t require tooth shaving or trimming, or drilling.
• Sealants are reversible. You can remove them whenever you want
• Sealants are safe.

Tips to Care for Your Dental Sealants

• Brush and floss daily.
• Avoid damaging habits like chewing non-food items like nails and pens.
• Avoid hard food items like ice.
• Schedule frequent dental assessments and cleanings. Have your sealants checked for damage regularly?
• Notify your dentist if your sealant gets damaged.
• Avoid abrasive oral products.
• Wear a mouthguard for bruxism.
• Wear a sports guard for sports.

Final Verdict

In general, applying sealants seals the tiny grooves and fissures of the back teeth, providing a protective shield against food particles, bacteria, plaque, and tartar. Sealing these decay-prone areas also makes the tooth’s surface smooth and easy to clean. It helps keep your mouth clean and free from decay, gum disease, and other infections. For more information about dental sealants, contact Westwood Dental Group – Formerly the office of Dr. Donald J. McLellan.