Today children and adolescents have healthier teeth, but tooth decay is still problematic for some people and entire territories. Most cases of tooth decay in children and adolescents occur on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth.
Prevention of tooth decay in children involves proper teeth brushing independently and in dental clinics such as Aesthetic Dental. Doctors clean by applying fluoride additives directly to the teeth and dental sealants. Dental sealants are designed to prevent the development of tooth decay in the recesses of the back teeth in children.
Sealing the teeth is the sealing of fissures. This is the name of the natural depressions on the chewing surface of the teeth. Some children are too deep and tortuous, which reduces the effectiveness of hygiene procedures. In addition, the enamel in this area is the thinnest, and mineralization occurs at least two years after the eruption of molars. Therefore, taking action as early as possible is essential to prevent tooth decay.
Dental sealants are a group of plastics of synthetic origin based on acrylic acid esters. Dental sealants have high abrasion and compression strength, adhesion to the hard tissue of the tooth, color stability, and the ability to harden in a humid environment at a temperature of 64-68°F for 3 minutes, and are easy to use.
According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, applying the sealant to children and adolescents leads to an 86 percent reduction in tooth decay after one year and 58 percent after four years. The use of sealant reduces the defeat of caries in the back teeth in children from 40 percent to 6 percent.
The number of teeth that should be covered with sealant depends on the degree of susceptibility of the child to the development of caries. Doctors recommend covering the main chewing teeth with the sealant, erupting from 6 to 12 years. However, every tooth is susceptible to the development of caries. For maximum protection, dental sealants should be applied immediately after the eruption of the respective permanent teeth. For most children, this period occurs at the age of 6 years.
Sealant is guaranteed to protect tooth enamel from carious damage for a specified period. Properly installed sealants can withstand a period of use of five years. Bring your child to an appointment with an Aesthetic Dental dentist after the eruption of the 6th permanent teeth.
There are some contraindications in which the installation of dental sealants is difficult or impossible. This is a long period of teething, lack of good oral hygiene, a carious cavity in the tooth, and caries in the form of decompensation.
Sealing is not done if the furrows are wide and plaque does not accumulate in them or if there are some individual features of the structure of the teeth.
Aesthetic Dental reminds you that only a doctor can determine the need to seal fissures or the presence of contraindications to the procedure.
The dentist applies a special preparation to the chewing surface of the back teeth. After a while, he washes and thoroughly dries his teeth. The physiological grooves of the teeth are filled with sealant, which is evenly distributed over all recesses.
Next, the doctor illuminates the sealant with an ultraviolet lamp, accelerating its solidification. The sealed surface is sanded, polished, and, if necessary, applied with fluoride varnish.
Sealing fissures does not cause fear in children since all manipulations are painless. After the manipulations are completed, the doctor examines the tooth to control the quality of the work performed.
In case of loss of sealant from the tooth or damage to the integrity of the dental sealant, it is necessary to contact the attending dentist immediately. Installation and reinstallation of the sealant are possible and should be done after consultation with the dentist.
A pediatric dentist can answer specific questions about dental sealants. It will provide information about the purpose of using sealants and their benefits for children’s teeth, and it can also help you make an informed decision. Many parents unfamiliar with this procedure may need additional knowledge to be convinced of its benefits for their children.
This preventive procedure helps protect teeth from tooth decay and stops its development at a very early stage. Aesthetic Dental recommends bringing children to the clinic before signs of enamel damage and other alarming symptoms appear.
Now, to seal the blind pits and fissures of the teeth, sealants belonging to three materials are used – composite materials and glass ionomer cement.
One of the ways to prevent tooth decay is to seal teeth in children. This dental procedure protects hard-to-clean areas of the teeth from being destroyed by harmful bacteria.
The main difference between a sealant and a filling is the composition of the sealant, which includes calcium, fluoride, and other valuable elements that nourish the tooth. In other words, sealing fissures in children is the closure of dental recesses with materials useful for teeth.
The claimed service life of fissure treatment is five years. Teeth that have undergone fissure sealing do not require special care, and hygiene is carried out according to standard rules.
Sealant is a light material, so after the procedure, there are no restrictions on food intake, and even more so on brushing your teeth.
Send your question online, we’ll be in touch ASAP
