23 Oct Importance of Sealants
Sealants are an important component of preventative dentistry and can help to reduce future costs of dental procedures. When it comes to molars, brushing and flossing can only get so far due to the crevices that can be hard to reach. Bacteria can settle in these and create holes or cavities in your teeth. Sealants are an added protection that help to fight against bacteria that cause multiple oral health concerns. Prescott Dentistry (located in Prescott, Arizona) is able to provide excellent preventative dentistry services as well as cosmetic dentistry services for the best oral health and beautiful smile.
What Are Sealants?
Sealants are a powerful tool to help prevent multiple oral health issues, but what are they? Essentially, a sealant is a type of raincoat for your teeth. It is a protective coating that is bonded to the back of your molars to help fill in the holes or crevices that bacteria like to fester in. Dental sealants are manufactured with a dental material or a type of plastic to decrease the potential for tooth decay, as well as to prevent cavities from forming. Cavities are formed by a tooth-dissolving acid that is created when the bacteria in your mouth come into contact with leftover food particles. The thin coating of a sealant helps stop food particles and bacteria from sitting in your teeth and creating the damaging acid.
Sealant Application
Getting sealants put on your teeth is a fairly quick and painless process. In order to have the most effective bond for the sealant, a clean, dry area needs to be created to apply an acidic gel to the teeth. The gel will be rinsed off and then the sealant will be applied. This will then be hardened to the teeth with a dental curing light. Creating a good surface for bonding will help improve the lasting quality of your sealant.
Sealant Benefits
With great oral health maintenance, a sealant can provide added protection for several years before needing to be reapplied. Even those who are extremely diligent about keeping their teeth clean should consider sealants if their dentist notices that they have deep molar crevices. In the long run, this can save you the time, money and pain of coming in for fillings.
Dental sealants are a great option for additional protection for your teeth from tooth decay and cavities. Contact us today at Prescott Dentistry to learn more about dental sealants and if they would be beneficial to your specific needs.
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (11/1/2017) Artis Pupins (Flickr)