dental
sealants / sealing teeth / tooth sealants
Dental
sealants (also known as "tooth
sealants") can play an important role in helping to
prevent some forms of tooth
decay ("cavities"). The placement
of dental sealants involves your dentist bonding a plastic
coating into the grooves of your tooth (the tooth's pits
and fissures). The net result
is a smoother tooth surface, one which is less likely
to trap food and plaque, as well as one which is easier
to effectively clean with a toothbrush.
Read the following pages and discover on
which teeth dental sealants are most commonly applied,
at
what age dental sealants are usually placed, and how
long the sealant can be expected to last. We also outline
the specific
steps involved in placing dental sealants.
What
are dental sealants?
The
term "dental sealant" or "tooth
sealant" refers to a plastic which a dentist bonds into
the grooves of the chewing surface of a tooth as a means of
helping to prevent the formation of tooth decay ("cavities").
Why
are dental sealants placed on teeth?
Tooth
decay is caused by the white film that forms on a person's
teeth, dentist's refer to this film as "plaque". The longer
plaque remains on a tooth's surface the more likely it will
be able to create a cavity. The idea behind brushing teeth
is that the plaque that has accumulated on a tooth's surface
is scrubbed off. Some teeth however, because of their anatomy,
are harder to effectively clean than others.
Some
back teeth, especially molars, are difficult for a person
to clean because the grooves in the chewing part of the
tooth (the tooth's "pits and fissures") are deep and narrow.
Even though the person brushes they can not clean the plaque
off adequately because the bristles of their toothbrush
are literally too large to gain access into the bottom of
the tooth's grooves. Because some plaque is not cleaned
off a cavity can develop.
A dentist can combat this situation by bonding plastic (the
dental sealant) into the grooves of a tooth. The net result
is that the surface of the tooth is somewhat flatter and
smoother. There are no longer any places on the chewing
part of the tooth that the bristles of a toothbrush can't
reach and clean. Since plaque can be removed more easily
and effectively, there is much less chance that decay will
start.
[Another
difficulty related to deep grooves in teeth is that sometimes
the thickness of the enamel at the base of the groove is
less thick than the enamel that encases other portions of
the tooth. This means that not only can deep narrow grooves
make it more likely a person's tooth will develop decay
(because the tooth can't be cleaned effectively) but also
that the cavity which does form has an easier time of penetrating
the enamel layer because it is less thick.]
Dental
Sealant Pages:
- Page
1
What are dental sealants?
Why are dental sealants needed?
- Page
2
At what age should dental sealants be placed?
On which teeth should dental sealants be placed?
How long do dental sealants last?
- Page
3
What are the steps involved when placing dental sealants?
- Page
4
How much do dental sealants cost?
- Page
5
The right questions to ask your dentist about dental sealants.
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