Treatment with Dental Sealants

Any doubt should be resolved so that the patient knows the treatments they receive and has the peace of mind of knowing what we do at the practice to look after their oral health. In this post we present you with all the necessary details so that you don’t have any doubts about treatment with dental sealants.

What are dental sealants? Are dental sealants and occlusal sealants the same thing?

Dental sealants, also called pit and fissure sealants, are a thin coating of white plastic that covers the surfaces of the teeth where we chew, which is why they’re also called occlusal sealants, because they’re placed on the occlusal surface of the teeth.

How long do dental sealants last?

Sealants are hard and resistant, so they should last us years; it will depend on the hygiene we have and on our eating habits, but their average lifespan is usually 5 to 10 years.

What’s the difference between a resin and a dental sealant? Are they used for the same treatment?

Dental sealants are used as a preventive measure so that cavities don’t appear in our teeth, generally the molars. The molars usually have a surface full of retentive grooves where food gets stuck and it’s easy for a cavity to appear, especially in our youngest patients when, at 6 years old, their first permanent molars usually come through. To stop cavities from appearing in those first molars it’s advisable to apply a dental sealant as a precaution to avoid cavities.

However, if we’ve already arrived too late and there are already cavities in our molars, what they’ll use to cure the cavities will be resins.

Therefore, in molars WITHOUT cavities we’ll use dental sealants and in molars WITH cavities we’ll use resins.

When should a dental sealant be placed?

Sealants can be placed both in children and adults to prevent the appearance of cavities. They’re usually placed more frequently in children since, as we mentioned before, the first permanent molars come through at 6 years old and children are often not able to maintain proper hygiene, so they’re usually placed at early ages.

In any case, if an adult has already had several cavities and has molars with deep or retentive grooves, dental sealants can be placed preventively on the molars that are still healthy.

What types of dental sealants are there?

We can say that there are two types of dental sealant:

• Composite resin dental sealants: this material is made of acrylic resin, as its name indicates, and we can choose the white colour that best resembles our teeth and it hardens with a blue light. It will give us hardness, and they’re very aesthetic.
• Glass ionomer dental sealants: they’re made of acrylic and fluoro-aluminium-silicate. They’re a little weaker than the resin ones, but at the same time they release fluoride, which will protect our teeth where they’re placed.

Which dental sealant is better?

Any of the dental sealants we’ve mentioned will be the best for our teeth depending on the recommendation of our children’s specialist dentist. Between 6 and 12 years old would be the ideal age to assess whether it’s necessary to carry out an occlusal sealant treatment to prevent the formation of cavities.

Why are dental sealants used in some treatments? How are they placed?

Dental sealants are used, as we’ve explained above, to prevent the formation of cavities. First, the dentist will carry out a thorough cleaning of the occlusal surface of the molar. Afterwards it will be necessary to isolate it well to carry out the treatment. The dentist will place a resin on the tooth that usually hardens with a blue light. Once finished, they’ll check that it doesn’t clash with the tooth above and that we’re comfortable when closing.

Is it good to seal children’s teeth?

Any method of prevention will be good for our youngest patients. Therefore, the use of pit and fissure sealants for the prevention of cavities in the child and youth population is essential and will be even more important in those children who have already had cavities in the milk teeth, as they will be more prone to having cavities in the permanent ones, which, as we’ve said, usually erupt at 6 years old.

What care is recommended after treatment with dental sealants?

Once our dental sealant treatment is done, we shouldn’t take any special precaution with those molars. As with the rest of the teeth, we should have proper oral hygiene, as well as healthy eating habits. Likewise, we’ll have to go for check-ups with our dentist at least once a year to make sure that our dental sealants haven’t broken or fallen off.

Benefits and contraindications of treatment with dental sealants:

As we’ve mentioned, treatment with dental sealants is a totally preventive treatment, so it’s beneficial for our dental health. There’s no contraindication to placing them.

At our Clínica Dental Doctores Tarazona we’ll be delighted to check and assess whether treatment with dental sealants is necessary, free of charge. Don’t hesitate to call us!