Dentist in Mint Hill, NC
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure…
Did you know that something as simple as a dental sealant can prevent cavities in teeth and avoid costly dental work in the future? Studies show that sealants in molar teeth can reduce the risk of decay by nearly 80%.
A dental sealant is a thin coating that is placed into the deep grooves and fissures that make up the chewing surfaces of our back teeth. This material literally “seals” over the grooves so that plaque and bacteria can’t grow in those hard to clean places and start to form cavities. Especially for young kids who may not have developed great oral hygiene habits yet, dental sealants are a real tooth saver.
No! Putting on a sealant is a completely painless process and it only takes a few minutes apply. Once the grooves are cleaned out and the tooth is dried, the sealant material is “painted” on to the tooth with a tiny brush and cured with a special light which makes it hard.
Sealants typically last 5 to 10 years. They wear due to chewing and tooth grinding which means they may need to be replaced in the future to continue protecting against tooth decay.
At Mint Hill Smiles we truly believe that prevention is the best medicine. We generally recommend kids get sealants as soon as their adult molars come in (around age 6 and age 12). Sometimes we even recommend sealants be placed on adults who have recently needed a filling to prevent the need for more fillings in the future.