Dental decay is a severe condition affecting your natural teeth’ structure and functionality. It occurs when the harmful bacteria in the mouth combine with stuck food particles, producing dangerous acids that cause the enamel to wear out. Dental decay starts slowly and worsens over time. However, it can be treated at its onset. If left untreated, decay can affect a large part of your tooth, rendering it weak, dysfunctional, and difficult to save. You could lose your tooth and other teeth since it spreads to adjacent teeth over time.
Fortunately, dentists have many treatments to prevent and treat dental decay. Dental sealants are popular for preventing decay because they are effective, easy to apply, and suitable for all ages. Dentists use the sealant on the top of your teeth to create a protective barrier against harmful elements that could cause dental decay. Here are various ways in which dental sealants stop tooth decay:
Sealants Form a Protective Barrier
Dentists recommend proper oral hygiene habits to prevent dental decay. These habits include brushing your teeth after every meal or twice every day and flossing. This removes all food particles in the mouth, which could combine with harmful bacteria to affect your teeth and gums. However, the natural teeth, especially the molars and premolars, have grooves that are difficult to reach with regular brushing and flossing. These difficult-to-reach areas are usually perfect breeding grounds for cavity-causing bacteria. Hence, there is a need for more intervention to reduce the natural teeth’s risk of cavities.
Dentists recommend dental sealants to create a protective barrier on the natural teeth against cavity-causing elements. Even as you practice daily oral health habits, you are sure that the hard-to-reach areas are protected and that your teeth are safe from decay for a long time. The protective barrier created by sealants prevents food particles from sticking in the nooks and grooves of the natural teeth. They also keep harmful bacteria away, keeping your enamel intact and safe from damage.
When you consume all kinds of foods, some have sugars and starches that the harmful bacteria in your mouth feed on. When the sugars and starch react with the dangerous bacteria, they create an acid that weakens the enamel over time. Brushing and flossing regularly only reduces a fraction of the acid’s impact on the teeth, leaving your teeth at risk of cavities. Dental sealants are applied to the teeth to create an extra layer of protection between your teeth and what you eat, the leftovers, and the harmful acids oral bacteria produce.
Dental sealants are inexpensive, making them affordable to everyone. They offer extra protection for adults and children. They are also easy to apply through a noninvasive and painless procedure. Once your teeth are coated, you will enjoy the protection for a long time.
They Minimize Deep Grooves on the Teeth
Natural teeth, especially molars and premolars, are not smooth and glossy. They have grooves that make them unique and allow them to perform various functions. For example, the grooves on the back teeth make it easy to chew food. However, you must keep these grooves clean to protect your teeth from cavities and gum disease-causing elements.
The main challenge to keeping your teeth’s grooves clean is that they are hard to reach when brushing and flossing. A regular brush is not designed in a way that it can reach nooks and grooves in the mouth. This leaves some areas of your mouth unclean, even when practicing the best oral hygiene habits. These unclean areas become breeding grounds for harmful bacteria. If some food particles are left in these grooves, they will combine with harmful bacteria to produce a strong and dangerous acid that erodes the enamel, causing dental decay.
Dental sealants minimize dental grooves, making cleaning your teeth and mouth easier with regular brushing and flossing. Regardless of what you eat, you can be assured that nothing will stick in your teeth’ grooves to cause dental and oral issues. The sealed teeth become easy to keep clean. Additionally, you can comfortably clean your teeth without worrying about the nooks and grooves you cannot reach with your brush or dental floss.
However, you must be a perfect candidate for dental sealants for the dentist to recommend this treatment. Your dentist will thoroughly examine your teeth to determine your suitability for sealants. Typically, sealants are recommended for tees and children since their teeth are usually in perfect condition and can benefit from the extra protection. However, adults can also benefit if their teeth are in good condition and free from cavities. If you have an underlying dental or oral problem, your dentist will treat it before coating your teeth with the sealant.
Sealants Provide a Long-Lasting Barrier From Cavity-Causing Elements
Dental decay is a grave condition that affects your teeth and underlying structures. It starts with a minor cavity on the tooth, which progresses with time. Eventually, the harmful bacteria penetrate your tooth’s underlying structures, causing a severe infection that could spread to other parts of your body. The affected tooth becomes weak and painful, necessitating removal. The infection can also spread to adjacent teeth, creating severe problems with your other teeth. A serious case of dental decay could take time and cost a lot of money. If more of your teeth are affected, you could require teeth replacement, which is expensive and painful.
Dental sealants protect you from all these issues and many others. An infection on one tooth can also spread to the gums, resulting in dangerous gum disease. When a dentist recommends dental sealants, they seek to provide you with long-term protection from harmful oral bacteria. Although the application process requires minimal preparation and only takes a few minutes, you can enjoy protection from dental decay for years. Dental sealants can last for up to five years with proper care. This is a long time of enjoying quality protection with minimal worry about cavities.
However, you must continue practicing good oral hygiene to enjoy absolute protection from harmful bacteria. Sealing your teeth does not keep the rest of your mouth safe from harmful bacteria. Failing to brush and floss your teeth as recommended could result in gingivitis and gum disease.
Additionally, harmful bacteria can affect your unsealed teeth since sealing is mainly done on the premolars and molars. You must take precautions to keep your gums, unsealed teeth, and jawbone healthy. This includes regular visits to the dentist to examine your teeth, including the treated teeth. Your dentist must ensure the sealant is working as it should.
Caring for your sealants will protect you from dental decay for a long time. You can do that by keeping your mouth clean. Dentists recommend using fluoride toothpaste, brushing twice, and flossing daily. You must also avoid foods that could damage or weaken your sealants, including sticky and hard foods. If you dislodge your sealants, it leaves your teeth without protection against dental decay. If you suspect your sealants are dislodged, you should visit your dentist immediately. Your dentist will also carefully examine them regularly to ensure they are in good condition. After some time, you will need to replace the sealants since they are only helpful for a particular period.
They Make Cleaning Your Teeth Seamless
Brushing your teeth is paramount in keeping your teeth free from dental decay. Remember that cavities develop when there is inadequate brushing and flossing. Your teeth can still develop cavities even if you brush and floss every day, especially if there are areas in your teeth you cannot reach when cleaning. Effective brushing entails reaching all parts of your teeth and mouth. However, this could be challenging, especially when your teeth have grooves that a regular brush cannot reach. This is a problem you can solve with dental sealants.
Sealing your teeth makes cleaning them very easy. The sealant covers the grooves on your back teeth, which are usually the most difficult to keep clean. The sealed top of the teeth is easy to keep clean since it does not hold food particles. If you maintain good oral health after receiving dental sealants, you are assured of protected teeth for as long as your sealants are in perfect working condition.
Sealants mainly cover the top surface of your teeth. This is the surface you use for chewing food, where most food particles remain stuck after brushing and flossing. Once your teeth are sealed, they are free of leftovers, germs, and plaque, all of which contribute to the development of cavities. Once your back teeth are sealed, brushing and flossing become easier and more effective.
Once your dentist identifies you as a good candidate for sealants, they will prepare you for the application procedure, which is usually straightforward and painless. During your first visit, your dentist will examine your teeth and gums to ensure they are in good condition. Your dentist will then thoroughly clean your teeth and gums to remove any stuck food particles and buildup that could contribute to dental decay after treatment.
The dentist will then dry each tooth completely for the sealant application process. They will use an absorbent material to dry your teeth throughout the procedure. Once the sealant is applied to all the teeth requiring treatment, they will use a special light to cure and harden them.
They Are Suitable for All Ages
Dental sealants are perfect for anyone looking for an effective way to prevent dental decay. Although dentists recommend sealants for teens and children, adults can also benefit, provided their teeth are healthy and in good condition. Children are perfect candidates for sealants because their teeth are strong and healthy. Children also require this protection because they cannot effectively practice good oral hygiene habits. Some children are unable to brush and floss as recommended by dentists. They are also not keen enough to brush difficult-to-reach parts of the mouth.
Additionally, unlike adults, children must be more mindful of what they eat. They consume candies and all sugary foods, which contribute significantly to dental decay. Sealing their back teeth protects their growing teeth from damaging elements that cause cavities. Teenagers are also not very keen on maintaining oral hygiene habits. They consume all kinds of foods without caring about their effects on their teeth. Dental sealants offer the protection children and teenagers need to enjoy strong and healthy teeth in childhood.
However, this does not disqualify adults from having dental sealants. Remember that this is a cavity-preventive solution that works for all ages. If your teeth are in good condition, your dentist can seal them for additional protection against cavities. If you are susceptible to cavities or have been treated for a cavity in the past, you could consider dental sealants to prevent the development of another cavity.
Fortunately, dental sealants are safe for all ages. This explains why many dentists recommend dental sealants as a preventive tool for dental decay. The material used in making dental sealants is a plastic that bonds perfectly to the natural tooth’s surface. Thus, you will have no reason to worry about you or your child going through an invasive procedure during installation. Dental sealants are usually made from medically approved resin. This material resembles the composite or white filling used in restorative procedures. Additionally, sealants are BPA-free, which makes them safe for your health. You will not worry about their effect on your general well-being after installation.
Find a Competent Dentist Near Me
Dental decay affects all people, including children and older people. It is a grave issue that could affect the structure and functionality of teeth. You could lose one or more teeth to dental decay. However, you can prevent it through dental sealants.
At The Lakewood Dentist, we recommend dental sealants for all ages. We know how difficult it can be to keep your teeth utterly safe from cavities. That is why we recommend sealing difficult-to-clean teeth to make them easier to clean and improve your chances of enjoying cavity-free teeth. Contact us at 562-423-1441 if you want to learn more about dental sealants in Lakewood. We will gladly help you understand how they protect your teeth from cavities, the advantages and disadvantages, and the application process.