Dental Sealants: Procedure and After-Care Instructions

Cleaning every part of your mouth and all teeth is a challenge; even adults fail to negotiate to leave dental plaque and food debris on their molars. Dental sealants are slimy coatings painted to the chewing surfaces of the molars to prevent your mouth bacteria from penetrating the tooth enamel to create cavities.

After smearing the sealants on the molars, they offer additional protection from tooth decay. The premolars and molars are primary targets of dental sealants because they have rough grooves and fissures making it convenient for food particles to remain trapped and attract bacteria to feed on them and deposit acids. In addition, dental sealants, when painted on the molars, help create a smoother chewing surface making it easier to clean and free from cavity-causing bacteria.

Why Might You Need Dental Sealants?

Dental sealants are a standard addition to oral care. The sealants function as a preventive measure to help avoid the following:

Dental sealants prevent the need for expensive and invasive procedures like dental fillings and crowns.

In addition, sealants help control dental plaque formation on the teeth and help avoid issues like periodontal disease and dental pulp infections housing the blood vessels, connective tissue, and nerves to cause immense pain to require painful treatments from dentists.

The sealants prevent tooth removal procedures necessary to deal with extensive damage.

Dental sealants in Garrettsville, OH, are recommended for young permanent molars making children and adolescents ideal candidates for an application. Children with baby teeth can also have these bonds on their teeth to protect their sockets from being taken by permanent teeth. Adults can also benefit from a sealant application so long as they do not have restorations on their teeth. Adults can consult the Garrettsville dentist to inquire about dental sealants near them if they have a history of dental cavities, teeth with deep grooves and fissures, and eroded enamel.

The Dental Sealant Procedure

Preparing for the sealant procedure includes a consultation with the dentist near you with your oral health examined using x-rays to detect existing cavities. Sealants covering existing holes might create excessive damage. Therefore children with extreme decay must receive treatment before getting the sealants.

The dental sealant process is straightforward and painless. The dentist near you completes the procedure in a few minutes, covering each molar and painting the tooth-colored material over it. Sealants are applied only on fully erupted teeth. The process for the application includes the following:

• The targeted teeth are thoroughly cleaned by the dentist and sealed.
• Each tooth is dried using absorbent material or cotton.
• The dentist applies an etching solution to the chewing surfaces to rough them to ensure the sealant adheres to them.
• The targeted tooth is again cleaned and dried.
• Finally, the dental bonding material is painted on the tooth, where it dries instantly.

Occasionally dentists also use a curing light to harden the material faster.

Dental Sealant After-Care

Dental sealants do not need special attention and enable you to eat and drink without complications after receiving them on your molars. The sealants protect against 80 percent of cavities for the initial two years after application, and the protection remains ongoing against 50 percent of holes for another four. After that, the sealants stay on the teeth for nine years but need evaluation during routine checkups every six months because they are prone to chipping and cracking. Cracks on bonds and severe decay occur without warning. However, dentists can replace sealants if they notice any chipping or wearing.

Some tips you can adopt to care for your dental sealants include the following:

• Brush your teeth twice daily with fluoride toothpaste.
• Floss teeth at least once without exceptions.
• Include fruits and vegetables in your diet.
• Refrain from having hard Candy and sticky foods that can damage the sealants.
• Use antiseptic mouthwash to rinse your mouth.
• Do not neglect six-monthly dental visits for oral prophylaxis.

Dental sealants are effective and have proven themselves as a reliable therapy against tooth decay forming in the mouth. Although brushing and flossing clean help teeth, the tools don’t reach some areas leaving specks of plaque on and between the teeth to cause tooth decay and significant problems. A visit to the providers like Garrettsville dental group to get a protective barrier on the teeth enables you to clean your molars effectively and have an affordable mechanism to prevent expensive treatments from dentists.