Why Dental Sealants Are Important to Prevent Cavities

Does your dentist in Oshawa, ON continue to insist that you need to get dental sealants for your teeth? You are not alone. At Conlin Dentistry, we do this all the time, where we recommend patients of all ages get dental sealants as a preventive measure that will boost their oral health for a long time to come.

What Are Dental Sealants?

They are special types of dental fillings used in preventive dentistry to protect teeth from bacteria that cause infections. Unlike traditional dental fillings, dental sealants are used on teeth before cavities form.

The sealant plastic-like material is painted on the chewing surfaces of teeth, creating a layer of protection. This way, all food residues, plaque, and tartar will go over the sealant material instead of your teeth.

What Does the Application Process Entail?

Your dentist will first clean your tooth to remove any loose debris that caught up in your teeth. Afterward, the dentist will dry your tooth with a cotton swab before applying an acidic solution that roughens the surface of your teeth. The roughening is necessary to promote the adherence of the sealant material when applied. The dentist will then dry your tooth again before painting a thin coat of the sealant material on your tooth. After application, laser light hardens the sealant material, making it one with your tooth.

When Are Tooth Sealants Used?

On many occasions, dentists employ tooth sealants for children’s teeth, particularly in the prime ages when they are highly prone to cavities. However, adults too benefit from tooth sealants. The two main areas where sealants are necessary for dentistry are:

1. Protecting sensitive teeth – sealants for sensitive teeth are more common for adults than children. By protecting the chewing surfaces of teeth, tooth sealants reduce teeth sensitivity.
2. Preventing dental cavities – sealants for cavities work proactively so that they mitigate the risk of bacteria causing an infection on your teeth.

Dental Pits & Fissures Sealant Treatment for Cavities

Dental sealants in Oshawa, ON, are preventive measures for protecting the back teeth more than the front teeth. The reason is that premolars and molars have deep pits and fissures that can easily trap plaque over time, developing into dental cavities. When your dentist in Oshawa, ON recommends getting fissure sealants, the idea is to create a barrier that will prevent plaque and bacteria from directly attaching to the pits and fissures of your teeth. The benefits of this will be:

1. Easy dental cleaning – since you do not need to work extra hard to reach the food residues in the fissures of your molars, it will be easier to clean your teeth after sealants.
2. A decreased risk of getting dental cavities
3. Reducing the need for restorative treatments in the future – instead of planning for procedures like root canal therapy, tooth extractions, or tooth fillings, you can get dental sealants for your back teeth.
4. Strengthening teeth – some types of dental sealants release fluoride on teeth gradually. Fluoride is a natural mineral that helps build strong teeth by promoting remineralization and protecting the enamels thereof. By releasing fluoride in your teeth gradually, sealants offer double protection to your teeth against teeth infections.

Can You Get Sealants for Front Teeth?

Technically, dental sealants work by filling up the fissures of teeth, as is present on back teeth. In contrast, incisors and canines have rather smooth edges, as opposed to deep pits and fissures. It is the reason why dental sealants work better from back teeth instead of the front teeth. Besides, it is easier to keep your front clean and free from plaque build-up than for molars and wisdom teeth.

Do Teeth Sealants Reverse Dental Decay?

Although dental sealants are crucial for preventing the formation of cavities in teeth, they cannot reverse the decay process if it has already begun. It means that if you already have cavities on your teeth, you would benefit more from traditional tooth fillings than you would from dental sealants.

Will You Still Need to Use Fluoride If You Have Dental Sealants?

After your procedure, you have not conquered all your dental health issues. How you care for your mouth after getting dental sealants usually determines whether you get tooth cavities later in life. Besides, sealants only protect the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. It is why you need regular fluoride treatments after getting tooth sealants, which will help protect all the surfaces of your teeth from dental cavities.