How Dental Sealants Can Improve an Adult’s Oral Health

The discovery of dental sealants occurred over six decades ago as a preventive method against cavities on the teeth. Currently, children are primary recipients of dental sealants on their newly developing molars and premolars. The primary reason for getting dental sealants is to prevent tooth decay.

Brushing and flossing are adequate to prevent plaque buildup from developing to cause tooth decay. Unfortunately, cleaning your molars and premolars is challenging because they are difficult to reach with a toothbrush and dental floss. In addition, the back teeth have deep pits and fissures convenient for trapping food particles and debris besides bacteria and are frequently affected by tooth decay.

Tooth decay causes permanent damage to the tooth when the bacteria penetrate it to create cavities. When cavities develop, you need treatments like fillings to restore the tooth. However, when left untreated, the cavity progresses unchecked until it reaches the dental pulp requiring the fearsome root canal treatment or even leaving you with loss of teeth. Therefore instead of allowing the bacteria in your mouth to penetrate the tooth because you can’t clean your back teeth appropriately, isn’t it beneficial to consider having dental sealants placed on the molars?

Are Dental Sealants Beneficial for Adult Teeth?

The researchers discovering dental sealants had the goal of developing a preventive method for cavities without considering whether the teeth belonged to adults or children. Cavities develop on everyone’s teeth, including adults. Unfortunately, children are more prone to this problem because they are negligent with their dental hygiene and frequently snacking on harmful foods and beverages. It is why they have become primary recipients of these adhesives that help prevent cavities on their teeth.

Dental sealants for adults are also available so long as they are not affected by tooth decay. Adults can also benefit from dental sealants that create a smoother surface on their molars making brushing comfortable to remove food particles and dental plaque.

The goal of getting dental sealants is sealing teeth to prevent cavities, whether in adults or children. Children getting dental sealants on their molars have a preventive measure that contains 80 percent of cavities for up to two years and 50 percent of cavities for up to four years in their mouths. The sealants remain on the teeth for up to nine years with proper dental hygiene. However, they may require reapplication because they are prone to chipping and breaking.

Who Can Get Dental Sealants?

Children developing their premolars and molars should get dental sealants to prevent tooth decay on their primary teeth. However, there are no restrictions on adults getting dental sealants. Adults with unrestored teeth can undoubtedly get dental sealants on their permanent molars to ensure they prevent cavities from developing on their teeth. However, they may not receive sealants for sensitive teeth unless they have the sensitivity treated by their dentist.

How Intensive Is the Dental Sealant Procedure?

The dental sealant procedure is entirely painless and comfortable when getting them from your dentist. The method requires about 30 minutes. The dentist starts the process by cleaning the targeted tooth and drying it with absorbent material. After drying the tooth, the dentist applies an etching solution to the tooth to rough up the surface to ensure the sealant adheres to the tooth.

After applying the etching solution, the tooth is cleaned and dried thoroughly before applying the dental sealant. Next, the bond is painted on the surface of each tooth that requires sealing.

Although the process is seemingly straightforward for adults, children may confront challenges sitting with their mouths open while the dentist works hard to clean and dry their molars, ensuring the sealant application process is not contaminated by saliva. Therefore, children need dental sealants from an experienced dental professional because the adhesives are technically sensitive to their placements.

Is It Expensive Getting Dental Sealants?

If you possess dental insurance, sealants for children are available at approximately $ 30-$ 60 per tooth. However, you may have to pay more for having the bonds over your molars as an adult. Therefore the optimal option is to discuss the prices of the sealants with your dentist before you decide to have them over your molars.

Whether the price of sealants is affordable or expensive, it undoubtedly prevents cavities from saving you considerable sums on dental treatments you may require if you allow cavities to develop in your mouth. Therefore instead of worrying about the costs of dental sealants near you, you must begin calculating how much you can save by having the sealants on your teeth to prevent cavities.