How sealants can prevent tooth decay

We all want to try and help our children avoid painful cavities and dental treatments. If you have been plagued with cavities in your family, one thing you can do for your children is to talk to your Milpitas family dentist about placing sealants on their teeth. This will protect the surface area of their molars and hopefully keep them from experiencing decay and cavities.

Any Milpitas dental office will tell you that fluoride and sealants were two of the greatest things to hit the field of dentistry. These treatments are both preventative measures that will help to protect the teeth and to strengthen the enamel so it is not as vulnerable to decay.

How exactly do sealants work? The dentist will need to x-ray your children’s teeth to check on their growth. They like to place the sealants on the tooth right after the baby teeth have pushed through the surface. Sealants can only be done to molars so by age 6 most children should have sealants placed on their new molars. Age 12 provides another set of molars and they must also visit the dentist again for sealants.

Sealants can also be placed on their permanent teeth once they baby teeth have fallen out and the new ones are starting to erupt. The sealant is a very thin plastic material that is cemented to the tooth. It will keep the surface area protected from decay and bacteria that tries to penetrate into the dentin.

Can you get sealants? If you have tooth decay on the molars or it has a filling you are no longer a candidate for a sealant. Sealants are only used on teeth that have yet to be penetrated by tooth decay and are still nice and healthy. This is why young children are candidates. Kids aren’t as diligent as adults in caring for their molars so just about every dentist will recommend the use of sealants to give those teeth a fighting chance.