Dental sealants are a safe and effective way to prevent cavities for kids but they can be beneficial for some adults, as well. If your molars that have a lot of pits and crevasses, these can make your molars more cavity-prone, as can bruxism (teeth grinding), which wears down tooth enamel. Dental sealants are a simple, safe aid to help protect your adult teeth from cavities in these situations.
What Are Dental Sealants?
A sealant is a thin, plastic coating applied to the chewing surface of molars, premolars and any deep grooves (also called pits and fissures or crevasses) of teeth. More than 75% of dental decay begins in these deep grooves. Teeth with these conditions are hard to clean and are very susceptible to decay. A sealant protects the tooth by sealing deep grooves, creating a smooth, easy to clean surface.
What Do Sealants Involve?
The first step is a dental checkup that includes x-rays and cleaning. Dentists want to be sure they are placing sealants on healthy teeth. If a tooth has a cavity, the sealant could trap the plaque, leading to more serious decay.
Having dental sealants applied to your teeth is a painless process. Sealants are easily applied by your dentist or dental hygienist and the process takes only a couple of minutes per tooth.
The teeth to be sealed are thoroughly cleaned and then surrounded with cotton to keep the area dry. A special solution is applied to the enamel surface to help the sealant bond to the teeth. The teeth are then rinsed and dried. Sealant material is carefully painted onto the enamel surface to cover the deep grooves or depressions. Depending on the type of sealant used, the material will either harden automatically or with a special curing light. Proper home care, a balanced diet, and regular dental visits will aid in the life of your new sealants.
Please call to schedule your check-up and cleaning at our Carrollwood or Wesley Chapel location so that we may evaluate whether you are a good candidate for adult dental sealants!