How Do Dental Sealants Protect Your Molars?

Posted .

Cavities and tooth decay are always trying to invade your smile. This is why your daily efforts, brushing, flossing, along with seeing your dentist routinely, all work together to keep your teeth safe from harm.

But sometimes that is not enough to keep cavities out, and that is why dental sealants are good for certain teeth, the molars in the back that are hard to keep clean. These plastic coatings are applied to the chewing surface of your back teeth to prevent decay from invading. This is important, as the molars have grooves in the surface that can harbor harmful bacterial buildup. As the acids from plaque steadily erode tooth enamel, cavities can arise. Dental sealants can cover this area and prevent holes from developing. Dental sealants can help children and adult molars. The earlier they protected, the better.

Applying the clear sealant material is fast and painless. Before the sealant is applied, the tooth is cleaned and dried. Next comes the application of an acidic gel to the tooth to rough it up, so to speak. This allows the tooth to bond with the sealant which is applied after the gel is rinsed off and the tooth dried again. The sealant will be hardened using a blue light.

Not only can the sealants prevent decay, it can stop the progression of early decay. If you have questions or concerns about cavities in your smile and want the added protection of sealants, we invite you to talk to our dentist to see if they are right for you.

Please call our Bull City Smiles Cosmetic & Family Dentistry, Debora Bolton DDS team at 919-381-5900, and let Dr. Debora Bolton help you keep your molars cavity-free in Durham, North Carolina!