Dental Sealants

     Dental sealants can help prevent cavities and research has shown that dental sealent are safe and effective.  Sealants on permanent teeth can reduce the risk of decay by 80%.  Tooth decay most commonly starts in the pits and deep grooves on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth.  These grooves can be so narrow that the toothbrush bristles can't reach into the bottom of the groove no matter how good the patient is brushing their teeth.  This can be a little disheartening for the parent who feel they or their child are brushing their childs teeth very throughly, but the child still manages to get a cavity.  The best solution dentistry has to offer for decay on the biting surfaces of the teeth is protective sealents.  

Sealants are easy to apply, it only takes a few minutes to seal each tooth.  The tooth is cleaned and dried and the liquid sealant is flowed into the grooves and pits and a LED light is used to harden the sealant. Sealants are designed to last for years although, sometimes they need to be reapplied.  Dental sealants are checked at regular dental check ups.   Its better to prevent tooth decay with the application of sealants than it is to treat decay once it has formed.