Dental Sealants: Everything you Need to Know

If you are looking to protect your teeth from issues like cavities, then your dentist may recommend Dental Sealants.

One of the important things to maintain your overall health is to take good care of your dental and oral health.

Many dentists recommend that as well in order to avoid a number of conditions like cardiovascular disease.

When you avoid taking care of your teeth, the acid and the bacteria in your mouth can lead to cavities.

These can increase your chances of damaging the innermost part of your teeth when you do not get early treatment.

However, there are ways through which you can protect your teeth.

One of them is Dental Sealants.

These are thin, plastic coatings on the chewing surfaces of your teeth, often the back teeth to prevent tooth decay.

The sealants quickly bond into the depressions and grooves of the teeth, thus, forming a protective shield over the enamel of each tooth.

Keep on reading.

Understanding Dental Sealants

If you are wondering whether dental sealants are worth getting, then we will discuss that in this article.

But first, let’s discuss what are dental sealants.

Brushing your teeth is crucial, however, dental sealants can be one of the best ways to prevent cavities in kids.

According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, the benefits of sealants are relatively simple and inexpensive in children.

Sealants are thin coatings that your Arabic female dentist will paint on your teeth to protect them from cavities.

According to a number of dentists, dental sealants are gaining traction.

Moreover, they are safe and effective and they also have been safe and effective for over 40 years.

What does the research suggest?

According to the CDC, dental sealants help to prevent 80% of cavities for two years after application.

They also continue to protect against 50% of cavities for up to four years.

You can retain sealants in the mouth for at least 9 years, according to the CDC.

About 43% of 6 to 11-year-old children have dental sealants.

However, children from low-income households are 20% less likely to have sealants than children from higher-income households.

Furthermore, school-age children without sealants are most likely three times to have cavities than children with sealants.

Thus, you can say that applying sealants in school-based programs, with low-income households can potentially save a huge amount in dental treatment costs, according to CDC.

According to dentists, sealants are the most conservative noninvasive treatment in dentistry.

Dentists need to monitor and maintain sealants during regular care visits to make sure they do not wear away.

It is important to note that they are sensitive to where you get them, thus, practitioners who do not apply them correctly may not have the best success rates.

The Skinny on Sealants

Dentists note that children often report lost school time due to tooth decay, as it can interfere with sleep, eating, and other activities.

Additionally, to prevent cavities, sealants can help make sure that the teeth stay intact.

Moreover, according to dentists, once a tooth is drilled and filled, restored, or extracted, the natural structure is compromised.

Furthermore, there is a lifetime cost associated with maintaining a restored tooth or implant.

However, there are some disadvantages or potential problems with sealants.

These are:

• your doctor may need to reapply them if they fallout, chip, or wear away
• in case of replacements, excess material will need drilling or removal with a scaler

Another important thing that may concern you is the environmental exposure concerns about synthetic estrogen, like bisphenol A, BPA.

Salivary BPA levels from the exposure to BPA  peak after three hours of the procedure and returns to baseline within 24 hours.

The blood serum levels of BPA, however, have not been detected in clinical studies.

Therefore, further studies can help.

Many dentists have never observed an adverse reaction to dental sealants and none have been reported in the literature as well.

If as a parent, you still have concerns about BPA than the risks of tooth decay, then note that treating tooth decay can involve a wealth of dental material that has more chemicals than BPA.

Though alternate materials exist, many dentists are not sure whether they work better than those with BPA.

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Other Issues

Another issue with sealants is that your bite may feel abnormal after the application due to an extra layer on your tooth.

Moreover, according to dentists, they may also wear away over time.

The main issue with dental sealants is the lack of awareness.

In most cases, children do not benefit from prevention because of overregulation and restrictions at all levels on preventive dental care.

Some are insurance barriers like only covering certain teeth for sealants.

There may also be certain rules in your region that allow hygienists to work with dentists to place sealants

Or requiring dental examination while the dentist before prevention is allowed.

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Long Term Benefits of Dental Sealants

When the application of dental sealants is perfect, sealants can last a lifetime.

More often than not, they do not need replacement.

It is important to note that as soon as your child is getting new teeth in with grooves or “pits or fissures” like molars and premolars, get them dental sealants.

According to dentists, this happens at 6, 12, and 18 years of age.

You can get sealants on baby or primary teeth, however, when your child is old enough to tolerate the painless procedure, they should get them.

This includes being able to open their mouth and not move for a few minutes.

Often treating younger teeth is performed only on those who experience an increase in the risk of tooth decay.

Many dentists recommend getting individual advice on when to seal.

You can seal any vulnerable surfaces, however, retention is best in the pits and fissures.

Moreover, as adults, you can also benefit from it.

All people, no matter what their age can benefit from sealants, even adults.

With age, your exposure to decay increases, and the protective quality of the biochemistry of saliva changes with certain medications.

With that, as adults, you are also a candidate for this treatment.

However, you may already have a restoration or an implant then the tooth will not benefit from the application of sealants.

It is important to note that sealants are safe and effective and their benefits outweigh the risks.

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Do you Need to get Sealants on Molars and Premolars?

In most cases, dentists place sealants on the chewing surfaces of the teeth.

This is because these are the areas that often have deep fissures.

Moreover, in some cases, your dentist can also use dental sealants on other permanent teeth, especially if they have grooves or pits to help protect these surfaces.

However, in children, the molars in the primary detention or baby teeth also have grooves.

Thus, they can also benefit from dental sealants.

In such a situation, your dentist or hygenist can recommend dental sealants on chewing surfaces of these primary teeth.

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Application of Dental Sealants

The application of dental sealants takes place as follows:

At first, your dentist will thoroughly clean the tooth surface with a paste and rotating brush.

Then they will wash your teeth with water and dry them.

After this, your dentist will place an acidic solution on the fissured areas of the chewing surface of the teeth for a number of seconds before rinsing them.

This creates small microscopic areas and a fine rougher surface than the surrounding tooth enamel.

The rough surface and microscopic areas enable the dental sealant to attach to the tooth.

After it dries, the dentist will place liquid dental sealant in the tooth and let it harden.

Moreover, your dentist may choose to harden the sealants with light or sometimes use two components of dental sealants that sets without using light.

Once it hardens, it becomes a hard plastic varnish coating and you can chew on your tooth again.

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How long do they last?

It is important to note that dental sealants have been used and proven to be an effective type of preventive dentistry since the 1970s.

Moreover, a number of studies indicate that they are effective to prevent decay on chewing or occlusal surfaces.

Dental sealants can last for a number of years.

If necessary, you can also place a new dental sealant on the tooth.

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Sealant, Fillings, or Crowns?

In order to maintain optimal oral health, good oral care means being preventive and proactive.

Bear in mind that crowns and fillings result from some level of decay and damage that has already occurred to your tooth.

Though there are many factors in the cost of a filling or crown, like how many you need them and the insurance you have, the cost may range from one region to another.

Opting for dental sealants at the professional suggestion of your dentist can make more sense not only for your teeth but also for your budget.

Furthermore, maintaining excellent oral care between dental checkups by brushing twice a day can help to prevent cavities and support the sealant treatment.

To make sure that you are taking good care of your smile, always check your dental professional about options for your teeth and the best aftercare for the sealant treatment.

Learn more about Implant in Dubai here.

Final Thoughts

To prevent your and your child’s teeth from cavities, you can get dental sealants. These are a plastic coating that your dentist will place on the chewing or occlusal surface of the back teeth, i.e. molars and premolars, to help protect them from decay.