Dental Sealant give your teeth extra protection against decay and help prevent cavities. Dental sealants are thin plastic resin coatings that protect the chewing surfaces of children’s back teeth from cavities, or tooth decay. Because they have small pits and grooves, these surfaces are rough and uneven. Food and germs can get stuck in the pits and grooves and stay there for a long time because toothbrush bristles cannot brush them away. Tooth sealants fill in the grooves and keep the food out.
Children should get Dental sealant on their permanent molars (back teeth) as soon as they come in, before decay attacks the teeth. The first molars come into the mouth when children are about 6 years old, and the second molars appear when children are about 12 years old. Sealants can be put on in a dental office, a community dental clinic, or in a school sealant program.
Applying sealants is simple and painless. They are painted on as a liquid and quickly harden to form a shield over the tooth.
Sealants typically last from two to five years, but it is fairly common to see adults with sealants still intact. Again it depends on how well you maintain oral hygiene. For a dental sealant to provide protection, it has to be in intact and not broken. So if your tooth sealants come off, it is advisable to schedule an appointment with your dentist for your teeth to be re-sealed.
