Sealants

The best preventive care means doing as much as you can to maintain good oral health and prevent problems. This can be achieved at home and through the help of your dentist. Adding sealants to your teeth gives an added layer of protection on top of regular brushing, flossing and professional cleanings.

At Reed Family Dental, we provide sealants as part of our pediatric services and for adults as well. This preventive treatment can help a person of any age better protect their teeth.

How Do Sealants Help?

A sealant provides a layer of protection between your tooth and substances that might cause dental problems, such as bacteria and food residue. This treatment not only protects the teeth, but it also makes them easier to clean, so your at-home oral hygiene routine is enhanced.

The major benefit of this preventive treatment is that it cuts your risk of developing cavities. If you can avoid cavities, you also avoid the need for fillings or treatments needed for unchecked cavities. Sealants offer a simple, affordable technique of preventing dental problems and treatments.

After a tooth is coated, the sealant creates a surface that is easier to clean with fewer hard-to-reach spots for bacteria, plaque and tartar to build or weak spots for them to enter. It is easier for the toothbrush and floss to clean the tooth.

Which Teeth Get Sealants?

This treatment works best on molars and premolars, which have pits and fissures that become hiding places for substances that can lead to tooth decay. These spots are also tough to clean with a toothbrush. Adding the covering to these areas helps keep substances from sticking to these areas and supports better oral hygiene.

For children, our office generally waits until the permanent teeth have grown in. This service is beneficial for children and teenagers who have a high risk of cavities because of sugar consumption and room for improvement with their oral care routines. 

Nonetheless, adults also benefit from the added layer of protection that sealants provide. Our dentist, Dr. Allison Reed, can check various teeth during an examination and make specific recommendations on this treatment.

What Is the Sealant Process?

To start your appointment, one of our hygienists provides a professional cleaning to rid your teeth of bacteria and food residue. After that, our dentist paints a resin liquid onto your tooth surfaces. She then uses dental technology to cure the resin. Once this process is complete, you have a protective layer over the treated teeth.

Dental sealants should be redone in time, as they become worn or loosened through chewing. The protection should last for a few years before it wears down and exposes the teeth underneath.

Dr. Reed examines the sealant’s condition during each cleaning and exam visit, so she can inform you when it has lost its integrity and ask whether you would like to have a new sealant applied.

Ask About Sealants

You can ask our dentist about sealants during one of your regular exam and cleaning appointments or during a consultation. She lets patients know whether this treatment is a good option for their situation. Call our helpful receptionist at 740-622-5695 to set up your appointment.