With school starting, many parents will be scrambling to get their children into the dentist for school dental exams. Illinois requires dental exams for all incoming kindergarten, second, sixth and ninth graders. At that appointment your dentist may recommend dental sealants be placed.
A dental sealant is a thin, white plastic coating that is applied to the crevices on the chewing surface of any tooth. These crevices are also called “pits and fissures.” They are openings on the chewing surfaces of back teeth, which unsealed, allow bacteria and food to make their way into the tooth and start the decay process. Once a tooth is sealed, this kind of cavity is much less likely to start. Like most problems, decay is best avoided. Once a tooth is filled, it is weakened. Most teeth that require root canal therapy or extraction, started the journey with a small cavity on the chewing surface.
Sealants may be placed on any back tooth, but are usually placed on permanent bicuspids and molars. It is best to seal a tooth as soon as it comes in or erupts. Because of this, sealants are usually placed between the ages of 5 and 14. However, there is nothing wrong with sealing an adult’s teeth. Sealant placement is quick and painless, only requiring the patient’s mouth to stay open.
Usually, sealants are placed by dental hygienists, but can be placed by your dentist or a certified dental assistant. The tooth will be kept dry from saliva and cleaned with pumice. The tooth is then chemically and microscopically roughened up, after which the sealant is placed and cured with a pretty blue light.
Insurance usually pays for sealants, as they fall under preventive measures and because they work very effectively and in the long term. The insurance company knows the sealant will save them money by avoiding cavities, which will require a more expensive filling.
After the sealant is placed the patient is free to eat and drink since no anesthetic or “novocaine” is ever required. It’s important to make and keep subsequent check-ups because we check the sealants as well as teeth and replace sealants as needed, which is rare
I replace them at no charge to the patient nor their insurance, as long as I did the initial placement. Dental sealants do not protect the areas between the teeth, nor the areas at the gum line, so brushing and flossing is still required to prevent decay in these areas.
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