DENTAL SEALANTS

Sealants are thin protective coatings that dvances in dentistry are awesome!!are bonded to the chewing surfaces of your teeth; usually the back molars, where food and bacteria pack into the biting surfaces.

Sealants are a thinned down liquid version of the hard white material called composite, like we use for fillings, with a bonding agent mixed in.  That makes them strong and durable.  This painted on liquid fills into the depressions and grooves on the biting surface of teeth, forming a protective shield over the enamel of each treated tooth.  The procedure is quick, with no discomfort associated with it.

First, each tooth is washed and primed with an etching solution for a few seconds.  The sealant material is then painted over all the biting surfaces of the tooth and hardened in place with a curing lightecond.  The sealant material is then painted over all that activates and finalizes the hardening process.  The whole process only takes a few minutes per tooth.

Typically, children six years and older who have catches in the grooves of their teeth should have sealants.  However, not all children need sealants.  Many children have flat, smooth strong enamel that will never develop a cavity.  It is the nooks and crannies in the enamel, that catch bacteria and sugars, that lead to cavities. 

Sealants will protect children’s teeth through the cavity prone years of six-eighteen.  I have even seen sealants last on patients’ teeth well into their thirties.

Furthermore, in our office, we will place sealants in adults when we find a catch in the enamel that our cavity detecting laser (known as the Diagnodent) indicates is not through the enamel.  In the event it does penetrate the enamel, the tooth would need a filling. Advances in dentistry are awesome!!

A fee is charged for each tooth treated with a sealant.   A portion of this fee is usually paid by dental insurance.