Dental sealants consist of a thin layer of acrylic coating that is designed to prevent acids and harmful bacteria from accessing and causing damage to an individual’s back teeth. Sealants also smooth out the deep grooves and fissures that are commonly found on molars in order to make them easier to clean and maintain. Overall, sealants are a great option for protecting teeth and preventing tooth decay.
About 75 percent of all tooth decay exists within the deep grooves and fissures that are most often found on a person’s back molars. It has been proven that these areas are difficult to reach, even when proper brushing and flossing techniques are used. By smoothing out these areas with dental sealants, the effort required for maintaining one’s molars can be significantly reduced.
Children and teenagers, in particular, can receive major benefits from dental sealants. This is because younger patients are often still developing proper brushing habits, and sealants can go a long way towards protecting their growing teeth. Baby teeth are typically great candidates for dental sealants due to the fact that they usually feature very deep grooves and fissures.
It usually only takes a few minutes per tooth to apply dental sealants. The process starts by thoroughly cleaning any teeth that are designated for sealing and then drying them completely. Next, we use an etching solution to roughen the outer surfaces of these teeth. This will help the sealant coating bond more easily. Acrylic sealant coating is then carefully painted onto the teeth and allowed to fully dry.
If you would like to learn more about dental sealants and how they can be used to protect your teeth, please call us at (561) 264-2264 to schedule an appointment.
