How Can Dental Sealants Help Prevent Cavities?

Anyone who has children or teens in the home should understand the importance of taking preventative action to preserve the integrity of teeth. One of the best ways to protect teeth is with the use of dental sealants. Although sealants are especially helpful for youngsters, adults can also benefit from their application.

What are Dental Sealants?

A sealant is a coating placed on the portion of teeth that is used to chew food. It is made of a thin plastic so the patient is not aware of its presence after it is applied. Sealants are placed on the back teeth (molars and premolars) as they are responsible for the majority of chewing.

The Purpose of Sealants

Though it is true that regular brushing and flossing will remove bits of food and plaque from teeth, these activities do not reach all those tight spaces of the teeth in the back of the mouth.These areas are extremely vulnerable without the application of dental sealants. Individuals who have sealant placed on their teeth will experience significantly less tooth decay. Individuals who have sealants placed on their teeth will experience significantly less tooth decay. Sealants functions as a protective shield over each tooth's enamel. This is accomplished as the sealants rapidly bond to the unique grooves and depressions of each tooth. Reach out to our office to apply this vitally important protection to your teeth or the teeth of your children.

When Should Sealant be Applied?

Most patients who receive sealant are children, teens or young adults. The logic behind the early application of sealants is that there is a greater chance of decay occurring in the grooves and depressions of molars and premolars when individuals are especially young. The sealants will serve to safeguard the youngster's precious teeth from age 6 to 14 when cavities are most likely to occur. In an ideal world, children will receive sealants on their premolars and permanent molars within days or weeks of those teeth coming in. Dental sealants can even be applied to baby teeth. If a little one's baby teeth have rather deep grooves and/or depressions, sealants will help prevent decay so these precious teeth are not lost too early. However, it is important to note that a substantial number of adults swear by sealant as well. Adults who lack significant decay and/or fillings in their molar teeth are especially likely to benefit from sealants.

Dental Sealants at Great Lakes Dental

If you want to proactively fight tooth decay, reach out to Great Lakes Dental for more information on dental sealants. We rely on cutting-edge technology to make dental treatment as efficient as possible. This means you'll feel less pain and be in and out of the office faster than you expect. Reach out to us today at 440-255-3111 to learn more about sealants and our other dental services.