Tooth decay and cavities may only be avoided by a thorough oral hygiene routine that includes routine brushing, flossing, and mouthwash use. Maintaining this regimen will help to preserve your teeth.
Taking preventative steps to maintain the health of your gums and teeth can benefit your mouth greatly, but occasionally you need to go above and beyond to ensure that your pearly whites are in the finest possible shape. Dental sealants can therefore be useful.
Dental sealants stop acids and bacteria from building on your teeth, which could otherwise cause cavities and tooth decay. Placing a thin plastic covering on the chewing surface of your teeth, dental sealants smooth out any pits and fissures on your teeth. They are put to the teeth to stop cavities. Children and teenagers are more prone to have this problem than anyone else.
How might dental sealants improve your oral health, and how can you use them yourself?
- Stops food and plaque deposits from building up.
As was already mentioned, all that a dental sealant is, is a very thin coating applied to the surface of teeth. Among the biggest benefits of this smooth coating is that it helps to protect the enamel on your teeth at all times of the day and night.
Food can become lodged in the many pits and groves on your teeth. These grooves and pits are found on the part of your teeth that you chew with. Sometimes brushing or flossing these areas can be challenging, especially when it comes to your back molars. This may raise your chance of getting cavities.
Dental sealants work to fill in the pits and fissures in your teeth, therefore preventing more serious oral health issues like tooth decay or the need for a root canal. This lessens the chance that food, bacteria, and plaque will become caught in your teeth.
- Sealants for teeth don’t hurt.
Compared to other dental procedures, dental sealants are administered quickly and simply and virtually painlessly. Before starting the treatment, your dentist will clean the surface of your teeth and then use a special brush to apply a liquid resin to the biting surface of your tooth. One can then wash the tooth off after shining a light on the resin.
It is anticipated that neither during nor after the application you would feel any pain or discomfort. This suggests that there will be no downtime and you can carry on with your usual everyday activities.
- Look After Your Teeth
No matter how careful you are about your oral hygiene, you can never get every nook and cranny of your mouth, especially the back. Dental sealants are thus a great option. Dental sealants are more of a safety net that will protect your teeth no matter what happens than a replacement for a bad oral hygiene routine.
Since you usually have to schedule a visit with your dentist to have the cavity filled, getting a cavity can be a really inconvenient event. Use of dental sealants can reduce the chance of cavities and, consequently, reduce the amount of time spent addressing oral health-related problems. Totally avoiding cavities is better than having to deal with them later.
Dental sealants are a good option for those who have large pits on their molars, thin enamel, a diet heavy in refined sugar, and/or orthodontic devices.
- It acts as a prophylactic precaution.
Because tooth decay often begins in childhood, dental sealants are a great option for young children who might not yet have a thorough routine for oral care. Your child will be more resistant to cavities and other oral health issues throughout the years when they are most vulnerable to them if you apply dental sealants to their teeth as soon as their permanent teeth start to emerge.
- It can last up to ten years.
One other major benefit of utilizing dental sealants is that they can last anything from five to ten years. That will make the kids very glad to hear. It is better to reduce the amount of times youngsters are needed to visit the dentist because the great majority of them do not appreciate it. The administration of dental sealants gives you the peace of mind that comes from knowing that their teeth will be protected for a very long time.
Dental sealants are checked for condition and whether any maintenance is needed when you or your child visits the dentist, which should be done at least twice a year. Should dental sealants ever wear out or chip, their integrity could be compromised. All of their lives, this may happen.
- Upkeep and repair are easy.
Our conversation is now moving on to the next level. Should the dental sealant chip or wear out, your dentist can easily fix it. They will only clean up the region and apply more sealant if needed to guarantee that your tooth is sealed and safe from cavities and other oral health problems.
- It might be covered by your dental insurance.
Not to mention, dental sealant application is not only cheap but might also be partially or fully covered by your individual insurance coverage. Talk with your employer if you want to find out what benefits you are qualified for and if the therapy is covered.
Long-term costs of repairing a cavity or, worse, getting a root canal may exceed your initial budget. This holds true even in the case that your coverage is merely limited. Most of the time, by avoiding needless corrective procedures, dental sealants applied early on can save you a great deal of time, money, and difficulties down the road.