Dental sealants : Modern era of dentistry
Dentistry has opened many doors to new and advanced techniques which provide the best and most effective treatment to the patient as opposed to the conventional procedures.
Sealing of a tooth is a very common practice which is an integral part of any treatment plan.
Such practices are carried out by Dental sealants which help in preventing further dental ailments like caries and tooth decay.
If you don’t know what dental sealants are, let us familiarize you with its general terms.
First of all, let us understand what is sealing off a tooth?
Sealing of a tooth is an effective and preventive measure done for both adults and children as required. It ultimately helps in the prevention of caries in the tooth with a high risk of decay due to tortuous pits and fissures present on its occlusal surface.
why sealing of a tooth is done?
Reasons for Sealing of tooth are the following:
- They protect the newly erupted teeth from caries in babies.
- They help in halting the carious action of high risk teeth like molars in adults.
Let us tell you who can receive dental sealants:
Teeth that have deep pits and fissures require sealing process as they are at a high risk of caries. Following should go for this procedure:
- Such structural ambiguity in infants with newly erupted tooth,
- Children with teeth with no caries. Again, age group at high risk are 6 years – 14 years.
In adults, teeth with no caries are always at high risk. These must be treated by the sealing process to prevent any further likelihood of the same.
Sealing of a tooth procedure:
Generally a sealing process requires approximately ten minutes per tooth. It involves the following four steps for any successful sealing of a tooth.
- Preparation of the tooth : Before applying the sealant, the dentist removes any plaque, debris, or calculus from the tooth by polishing it. It helps in better adaptation of the material to the tooth structure.
- Isolation and Drying : Isolate the tooth by rubber dam to prevent any contamination by saliva, or blood which weakens the sealant. Then Dry the tooth to blow any water particles left.
- Etching : Application of etchant is then done by applying it for few seconds and then washing it with water. Creates micro porosities onto the layer which truly helps in good bonding with the sealant.
- Sealant : At last, the dentist applies sealant material on the tooth with a brush which is followed by bonding of the sealant exposing it to 30 seconds of self-curing light.
Now that you have a fairly good idea about the sealing procedure, let us give you some more facts–
- First, it is a relief for anxious and stressed patients that sealing of a tooth is a painless process and requires no anesthesia.
- Second, it takes a few minutes for this process and it depends on the condition of the tooth.
- Additionally, some dental insurances do cover the sealing process free of charge or charge half the price of the total amount.
Pros of sealing :
This procedure is painless and does not require invasive methods like drilling of the tooth. It is highly durable and lasts for as long as 10 years and is hence beneficial for both the patient and the dentist.
Cons of sealing :
The only problem with sealing of tooth is that it can chip off quickly if not applied properly or if it gets contaminated. Wearing off of sealants is the most common problem we come across.
As, we know Prevention is better than cure! What are you waiting for? make your oral health hygiene a priority, be wary of your caries and prevent them by sealing your tooth.
For more information about dentistry for kids, Contact Todays Dental Now.
