When Is the Best Time to Get a Dental Sealant on your Teeth?

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Dental sealants are an effective measure to help against tooth decay and cavities on teeth for children and adults. Dental sealants function by sealing the chewing surfaces of the molars and are generally used on teeth with pits and fissures, potential spots for food particles and bacteria to remain trapped.

If you wonder when is the right time to get dental sealants or whether they are an essential requirement, you probably think fewer than 50 percent of Americans have sealants on teeth, and they might offer fewer benefits than desired. However, present-day dentists recommend that molars are better sealed as soon as possible because the back teeth have grooves and pits that are challenging to clean by brushing and flossing, making them vulnerable to decay. Therefore the best time to seal teeth with dental sealants is when the molars develop in children’s mouths at ages six, 12, and 18.

If you never had your teeth sealed as a child, you don’t have to express concerns because it is never too late to seal your molars to prevent cavities. However, getting dental sealants later requires your teeth to be healthy without restorations. However, if you have micro-cavities on your teeth, you can receive dental sealants from the dentist near me to cover the decay and prevent it from spreading by cutting off the supply of food and bacteria.

How Does a Dentist Place Sealants and What to Expect?

The dental sealant process is entirely painless and will not cause unnecessary anxiety. In addition, the treatment is completed by dental sealants in North Austin in a few minutes because the back molars are the only teeth that need sealing.

You can expect the North Austin dentist to examine your molars, looking for signs of cavities and restorations when you visit them to have your teeth sealed. If your molars are healthy, expect the dentist to clean the teeth and dry them with absorbent material. Next, they apply an etching solution to the targeted molar to rough its surface to ensure the sealing material adheres to the tooth.

After applying the etching solution, the targeted molar is cleaned again and dried to prevent contamination from saliva. Finally, the dentist uses the tooth-colored dental sealant on the molar and dries it with ultraviolet light. Your treatment ends with drying the tooth and polishing it to ensure the sealing material doesn’t impact your bite. After that, you can leave the dental office and continue your regular activities without needing time to recover from the dental sealant treatment.

Dental sealants are affordable for children, and most dental insurance companies further reduce costs. However, if you are receiving sealants on your molars as an adult, it helps if you discuss the therapy prices with the dental office near me to ensure you don’t expect financial surprises after receiving the treatment. However, the costs aren’t prohibitive and allow you to safeguard your molars from cavities by having this preventive measure on them.

Are You Experiencing the Side Effects of Your Sealant?

The dental sealant procedure is entirely painless and completed by the dentist in North Austin, TX, in a few minutes. The most significant side effect you may experience is discomfort in your mouth and jaw by sitting with your mouth open for the duration of the treatment. Besides the above, you will not experience any side effects from applying dental sealants on your molars. However, the same doesn’t apply to the mouth bacteria that will be furious with you for restricting their food supply and the freedom to create infections in your mouth. Therefore, they might target your remaining teeth, making it essential for you to maintain excellent dental hygiene by brushing twice daily, flossing once, and visiting the North Austin dentist for six monthly oral prophylaxis.

Dental sealants best protect your molars with deep fissures and grooves by creating a smoother surface to disallow the entrapment of food particles and bacteria to create an environment beneficial for cavity formation. However, if you don’t care for your remaining teeth, you will undoubtedly encounter problems with cavities on them and need expensive dental treatments.

Although dental sealants are best applied on children’s molars when they develop, adults without severe decay or restorations on their teeth can also request dental sealants to protect their molars from cavities.

Peak Dental — North Austin recommends dental sealants on children’s molars to prevent cavities from developing. If you need dental sealants as an adult, consult the practice to confirm your eligibility for the treatment and seal your molars from them in a short appointment.

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