Dental Associates of Delaware is proud to offer a wide range of treatments at our dental offices in Brandywine, Hockessin, Middletown, Wilmington, Millsboro, and Ocean View, DE, to help out patients attain their ideal healthy, beautiful Delaware smiles. Our treatments include teeth whitening, Invisalign®, dental implants and, the focus of this article, dental sealants. Dental Associates of Delaware is committed to providing complete transparency when it comes to our treatments, so you know exactly the service you are receiving and why that service is right for you. What then, is a dental sealant and why is it something you may need?
What Is A Dental Sealant?
A dental sealant is a thin plastic coating that is designed to be placed on the chewing surface of a tooth. They are usually applied to the molars and pre molars at the back of the mouth. To understand their function, you first have to understand a little bit about the anatomy of the mouth and what happens to teeth everyday.
How Does A Dental Sealant Work?
Everyday, starting after you have eaten, bacteria in the mouth ferments food particle and produces acid in order to assist the digestion of food. This causes the loss of minerals from teeth. For teeth at the front of the mouth, this isn’t much of an issue because our saliva restores those minerals and reinforces the teeth with fluoride. But with the molars and premolars, the anatomy of the chewing surfaces of those teeth prevents that exchange of minerals, leaving them vulnerable to tooth decay. A dental sealant works by covering those chewing surfaces with a plastic material that isn’t decayed by this exchange. This surface acts as a protective shield for your teeth.
Why Do I Need A Dental Sealant?
By covering the most prone to cavity areas before any cavity develops, a dental sealant is a preventative measure to eliminate the need for dental restoration (drilling) later. Since the procedure to apply a dental sealant doesn’t require any shots of numbing agent and is generally cheaper than having to treat a cavity, it is an excellent choice for your next dental visit.
Schedule An Appointment Today!
Thank you for reading about dental sealants, brought to you by Dental Associates of Delaware. If you would like to schedule an appointment to have a dental sealant applied, or for any of our other procedures, contact our offices in Brandywine, Hockessin, Middletown, Wilmington, Millsboro, or Ocean View, DE today! Thank you for choosing Dental Associates of Delaware, we look forward to seeing you on your next visit!