Dental Sealants – Why We Recommend Them
In our local dental office, we use dental sealants to help reduce the likelihood of our patients developing cavities. We believe in offering comprehensive preventative care. While most people think of professional teeth cleanings as the only thing that can be done to prevent infections and disease, we can actually take additional steps to help. These include:
Fluoride treatments. Fluorine is a naturally-occurring mineral that when placed on your teeth can help strengthen them. You can get fluoride in the water you drink (if you are on public water) or through a fluoride treatment at our dental office. We recommend that children and teens have a fluoride treatment once a year, because it has been statistically proven to reduce the risk of developing cavities by 30 percent. This is a simple, fast, and non-invasive treatment since all we do is apply the fluoride and wait a couple of minutes for it to be absorbed by the teeth. You can get fluoride at home by using a special toothpaste, and this is an excellent way to augment our in-office treatment.
Dental sealants. This is another way we prevent cavities. It is common for people to have deep ridges on the chewing surfaces of their teeth. These ridges are breeding grounds for bacteria and plaque since it is easy for food to get stuck and hard to brush the food away. As a result, many people develop cavities in these areas specifically. We can reduce the likelihood of this happening by applying a dental sealant. This is a plastic-like material that goes on gently and only takes a few minutes per tooth to apply. It hardens right away and creates a barrier that prevents food from touching the actual chewing surface of the tooth. Since nothing can become trapped, the likelihood of you developing a cavity is very slim. We find this option to be particularly helpful for children prone to getting cavities. Since decay can cause uncomfortable toothaches and days missed from school, it is far better to prevent them by using a solution such as dental sealants. Since the process is fast and entirely non-invasive, this is an easy treatment for children of all ages.
When you or your children visit our dental office, we will perform an examination and let you know if we recommend either fluoride or dental sealants. If so, we can typically clean your teeth and then provide you with these treatments on the same dental visit. This way, you do not need to come back to our dental office. The exception would be if dental sealants are being placed on most of the teeth and you are on a tight schedule. In this case, we will be happy to schedule a follow-up appointment. In any case, this is a fast, comfortable, convenient, and affordable way to reduce the risk of you or your children developing cavities. When combined with good oral hygiene and a healthy diet, our preventative care can help you maintain healthy teeth for a lifetime.
Family Dentist > Dentist In Kennett Square
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