Dental Sealants in South Houston, TX
Children are prone to cavities, even if they are brushing every day. EZ Dental Clinic offers dental sealants to avoid those cavities.
Dental sealants are endorsed by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a beneficial procedure for cavity prevention. One CDC report lists the benefit of dental sealants to be approximately 80% at two years and will continue to protect at a rate of 50% up to 4 years. Sealants need to be checked routinely for chips or wear, and a new coating can be applied as needed.
Dental sealants are relatively inexpensive, simple, and painless. It only takes a few minutes to apply. After cleaning the teeth thoroughly and drying them well, an acid solution is used to roughen the surface of the enamel to help the sealant bond better. After a rinse and another dry, the dentist paints a thin plastic coating on the back teeth chewing surfaces (the molars and premolars) with a brush. Sometimes, a light is used to harden the sealant.
The back teeth are treated, because they are more prone to developing cavities, as they are harder to reach with a toothbrush. The coating makes a protective shield over the tooth enamel and bonding into the nooks and crannies of the teeth. Food and bacteria are prone to get trapped inside those nooks and crannies and develop into cavities. Children from ages 6 to 14 commonly receive sealants, because they are more susceptible to cavities.
Most major insurance companies allow for the cost of sealants in children up to the age of 18. Adults could qualify for treatment with sealants if they have no decay or fillings, but they are usually only used in children and teens, because of their higher likelihood of cavities.
Babies qualify for sealants in some cases. If the baby teeth have deep depressions and grooves, sealants may be necessary. Baby teeth play a big role in maintaining the correct spacing for permanent teeth to grow into, so it is important to keep the baby teeth healthy and intact.
Dental Sealants can help:
- Prevent cavities and decay.
- Keep plaque, acids, and food from sitting in nooks and crannies of the molars and premolars
- Save money, time, and the discomfort of having a cavity filled.
Call EZ Denta Clinic today to find out more information.