Dental sealants are a liquid plastic-like substance that is painted onto your molars and premolars because those teeth are so vulnerable — with all their grooves, pits and crevices — to provide a shield against acids, plaque, tartar and bacteria in your mouth that cause tooth decay and cavities. Here are a handful of reasons to consider asking your dentist about the availability of dental sealants near you.
Sealants are much less expensive than fillings
If acids, plaque, tartar and bacteria are allowed to collect in the grooves, pits and crevices of your mouth, they’ll gradually produce decay that will produce a cavity that will have to be, unless you’d rather face the later need for a root canal or extraction, filled. Dental sealants aren’t free, to be sure. But they’re a lot less expensive, quicker and less invasive than any of the alternatives: fillings, root canals or extractions.
Getting sealants is simple and quick
Here’s the process of getting dental sealants in Davie to protect your teeth. The entire process takes just minutes for each tooth.
● Your dentist in Davie will carefully clean the teeth to be sealed to avoid trapping any food particles, bacteria, sugar, plaque or tartar between the sealant and the teeth enamel
● Your dentist will dry each tooth to be sealed carefully in anticipation of the third step
● The surface of the teeth will be etched with an acid solution to help the sealant grip the surface of the teeth
● Your teeth will be rinsed and dried again thoroughly to allow the sealant to get a good grip and to form a protective coat onto your teeth
● Your dentist will use a small brush to coat a layer of sealant onto the targeted teeth. The sealant will harden and cure quickly as it dries.
Sealants protect kids’ teeth, too
One study has found that 40% of children between the age of five and 10 are likely to suffer from tooth decay in a given 24-month period. Just six percent — no, that’s not a typo! — of children in that age group who have had their teeth sealed with dental sealants by your dentist in Davie will experience tooth decay in sealed teeth over the same period. After all, the sealant forms a physical shield against the ingredients that produce tooth decay and create cavities.
A dentist near you and their hygienist will inspect all of your teeth — and all of your kids’ teeth — at every dental checkup. The hygienist will look carefully at the sealant layer to make sure there are no chips, cracks or naked biting surfaces in those vulnerable molars and premolars. If any enamel is left exposed, your dentist will re-apply sealants using the same steps listed above to renew and maintain your protection against cavities.
Getting dental sealants from a dentist in Davie is not a substitute for careful and consistent daily dental hygiene habits of brushing, flossing and using mouthwash. Neither are sealants a substitute for seeing your dentist at regular checkups twice a year and having your teeth professionally cleaned at least annually. What are they, then? Sealants are an extra layer — quite literally, an extra layer — of protection against tooth decay and cavities in your most vulnerable teeth.
To find out about the availability of dental sealants near you, make an appointment with a dentist in Davie and ask if you’re a good candidate for sealants and how they can help ensure you good oral health.