Sealants are significant as a preventive measure against dental caries. Sealants are the most used safeguarding materials for protecting dental health against cavities on children’s molars, although adults can also have them if they are prone to dental caries. Adults can consider fluoride treatments as well, which battle cavities by strengthening tooth enamel.
The job of sealants is to protect and prevent the teeth from becoming vulnerable to cavities. Sealants achieve the goal when applied on the chewing surfaces of the molars, which are most susceptible to harboring plaque and bacteria. The application of sealants seals the pits and fissures of the molars to prevent the accumulation of plaque and bacteria.
Are Sealants Effective?
Reports from institutions like the centers for disease control and prevention (CDC) have commended the benefits of the simple and relatively painless procedure of applying sealants in children. Sealants are available as a thin coating of plastic painted on the teeth to protect them against cavities.
The painless procedure costs about $ 30-$ 60 per tooth, but parents with dental insurance or discount plans can reduce the costs further.
Sealants have been around for nearly six decades and are proven as useful for over 40 years. The CDC states that sealants can prevent cavities by about 80 percent during the first two years. The protection continues by 50 percent for up to four years in the applications remain in the mouth for up to 9 years.
School-age children without sealants are three times more vulnerable to cavities in children with them. However, the application must be maintained and monitored during regular visits to the dentist’s office to ensure they do not wear away or chip. Sealants are technically sensitive to the area of the placement, and practitioners who are not careful may not enjoy the best success rates.
What Is the Reason for Sealant Failure?
Eighty percent of decay on young children occurs in the pits and fissures of their back molars, and the application of sealants has proven itself a useful prevention tool. Sealants are most often applied to children, and the efficiency of the application is compromised when children do not adhere to the instructions of the dentist during the process. Keeping a child fixed and steady during the application is a challenge dentists must overcome. Sealants are best effective in preventing dental caries if they are retained on the tooth surface.
Dentists use an etching surface before the application of sealants to improve the retention. Unfortunately, the primary reason for sealant failure is improper placement because of salivary contamination. It is significant because children are often uncooperative and, in some cases, inadequate amount of sealant material used. Salivary contamination has a considerable role to play in the failure of the sealant application.
Are Sealants Applied on Sensitive Teeth?
Children or adults with sensitive teeth already indicate they are affected by dental caries or tooth decay, which is a primary reason for the sensitivity. In such cases, dentists examine the patient’s mouth to determine whether sealants are suitable for the sensitive teeth. Dentists may recommend treating the sensitive teeth initially before the application of dental sealants over them to prevent an aggravation of the condition.
If sealants are applied on sensitive teeth, patients must remember they only have a protective coating over their teeth, which must be monitored regularly by the nearest dentist for breakages or chips. Any compromise to the application will render sealants ineffective in the battle against cavities. Chipping of sealants allows the accumulation of food particles and bacteria in the area to encourage cavities to develop all over again. Sealants are merely an application over the teeth to prevent dental caries and not function as a mouthguard that protects teeth from impacts or accidents. Therefore care must be taken by the patients to visit their dentist regularly and have the application monitored without exceptions.
Sealants undoubtedly have proven themselves as an effective measure in their battle against cavities. However, they are incapable of battling the dental health issue by themselves and need help from patients to provide a useful benchmark. Sealants are viable on the teeth for adults and children alike. If some patients have tooth sensitivity, the dentist approached for the sealants will examine their mouths to treat the sensitivity initially before going ahead with the application over the sensitive tooth.