Dental Sealants 101: What They Are and How They Protect Your Teeth

The back teeth and the molars are challenging to clean, especially for young children. The problems children encounter when cleaning their teeth allow dental plaque to form on their back teeth, making them prone to cavities.

Dental sealants help prevent tooth decay and damage by creating a protective barrier over the molars, making them easier to clean for children. The tooth-colored protective layer fills the deep pits and grooves of the premolars and molars, helping keep out dental plaque and debris and ensuring better oral health.

What Are Dental Sealants?

Dental sealants are a thin coating of plastic applied over the chewing surfaces of the molars. The sealants help keep out food particles, bacteria, and dental plaque responsible for tooth decay.

Dental sealants remain barely distinguishable on the teeth because of their clear appearance. Therefore, your child will not experience discomfort during and after getting dental sealants on their teeth but will benefit from better dental health without the concerns of tooth decay or cavities.

When Are Sealants Best Placed on Teeth?

Sealants are best placed on the molars after they have entirely erupted. As children are prone to cavities, it is crucial to protect their back teeth with sealants soon as the permanent molars erupt. In addition, the protection will safeguard children’s teeth during their formative years between six and 14, when their molars are most prone to cavities.

What Is the Success Rate of Sealants?

Dental sealants are merely a protective barrier for teeth and are not a remedy against tooth decay. When applied by a skilled dentist near you with experience in managing children, dental sealants help protect teeth against 80 percent of cavities for two years after the application. The protection remains ongoing against 50 percent of holes for another four years. The sealants themselves stay on the teeth for approximately nine years.

Dental sealants are prone to chipping and cracking, making dental visits essential after every six months, besides restricting children from using their teeth for purposes other than chewing and biting. In addition, regular dental exams enable the dentist nearby to examine your child’s teeth and the sealants to reapply if chipped or cracked. However, if cared for appropriately, dental sealants help protect the molars against tooth decay for the duration mentioned above.

How Are Sealants Placed On Children’s Back Teeth?

The dentist providing dental sealants in Mesquite to children initially cleans the targeted tooth and dries it with absorbent material. Next, they apply an etching solution to the tooth before rinsing it after 15 seconds. The etching solution helps the sealant adhere to the tooth enamel.

The tooth is again cleaned and dried before painting the sealant on the chewing surface. Finally, the sealant is hardened using ultraviolet light, and the dentist completes the procedure in under 30 minutes. However, they also advise children to maintain proper dental hygiene by brushing their teeth twice daily and flossing once without exceptions to prevent food particles and dental plaque from remaining trapped on their teeth.

What to Avoid After Getting Dental Sealants?

After getting dental sealants in 75149, children can continue their everyday activities but must refrain from scalding or freezing foods for approximately 30 minutes after the process. After that, they can have the nutrition they prefer and maintain appropriate dental hygiene to ensure they don’t develop cavities in areas where the sealant is damaged.

Dental sealants are durable and will not come off the teeth for quite some time, and the dentist will reapply them if damaged. However, you are responsible for ensuring your child cares for their teeth as recommended by the Mesquite dentist and take them for exams and cleanings every six months to protect their teeth with the sealants on them from tooth decay.

Children without dental sealants from low-income households often report lost school time because of pain from cavities. In addition, they need frequent appointments for dental therapies to fill holes and perform root canals and other procedures. Although dental sealants are affordable, many children from low-income households still need to get them on their molars because of the lack of information about them. Dental sealants are covered by dental insurance making the treatments more affordable besides some discount plans that complement the low prices. However, insufficient information about what dental sealants are and how they protect your teeth is a prime reason why sealant application has not gained traction among many people.

If you want to protect your child’s molars from dental cavities and your wallet from unnecessary financial expenditure Mesquite Dental Solutions provides dental sealants to children and adults with unrestored teeth. Contact the dental practice today to protect your child’s teeth, providing them with an additional protective barrier against tooth decay.