Sealants
What Causes Decay?
Decay is
caused by dental plaque, a thin, sticky colorless deposit of
bacteria that constantly forms on everyone's teeth. When food is
eaten (not just sugar), the bacteria in plaque produce acids that attack the tooth
enamel. After repeated acid attacks, the enamel breaks down, and a
cavity (hole) is formed.
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A sealant
is a plastic material that is applied to the grooves of teeth, where decay
occurs most often. This sealant acts as a barrier, protecting the decay prone areas of the teeth from plaque
germs. Sealants are a safe, painless, and
low-cost way to help protect your teeth from decay.
Sealants have been used for than 10 years.
Many
teeth have tiny grooves that form as they develops. These are pits and
fissures. This is where most decay occurs.
That's because the bristles of a toothbrush can't get down into the
grooves to remove the food and bacteria that get trapped
there. By forming a thin covering over the pits and fissures,
sealants keep out plaque and food, and thus decrease the risk of
decay.
How
Are Sealants Applied?
- The tooth is cleaned.
- The tooth is dried, and cotton
or other material is put around the tooth so it stays dry.
- A solution is put on the tooth
surface that makes the tooth a little rough. (It is easier for the
sealant to stick to a slightly rough tooth).
- The tooth is rinsed and dried.
Then new cotton is put around the tooth so it stays dry.
- The sealant is applied in liquid
form and is hardened by light in a seconds.
Who Should Have Sealants
Applied And When?
Although children receive
significant benefits from sealants, adults can also be at risk for
pit and fissure decay and thus be candidates for sealants.
Children benefit from getting sealants on their permanent
back teeth as soon as
the teeth completely erupt - before decay attacks the teeth. Teenagers and adults without decay or fillings in
the grooves of their teeth also may benefit from sealants.
- The first permanent molars -- called "6 year molars"-- come in
between the ages of 5 and 7.
- The second permanent molars --"12 year molars"-- come in when a
child is between 11 and 14 years old.
- The other teeth with pits and grooves -- called "premolars" or
"bicuspids"-- right in front of the molars, also benefit from
sealants.
Only decay free
teeth are sealed (see more about laser cavity detection,
click
here). Usually
the molars and premolars are sealed; however, any tooth (sometimes behind an
upper front tooth) with a substantial
groove that is not cleansable can benefit from a sealant. Fluoride helps protect the smooth surfaces,
but only sealants can keep
food and bacteria from getting into the grooves of the
teeth.
The baby molars often don't need to be
sealed. However, it may be beneficial to seal the baby
molars if there is a high risk of decay (sometimes too if there is not a
permanent tooth to replace the baby tooth). Since baby teeth are
"space holders", losing baby molars from decay can cause crowding when the
permanent teeth come in.
Generally, all the back teeth can be sealed in one 30 to
60-minute office visit.
Many dental insurance plans cover all or part of the cost of
sealants for children. Check with your insurance company for
details, because there are often age limits, even limits on which teeth
may be covered.
Sealants can last for many
years, as much as 10 or more. If they chip or
come off, they can easily be replaced. Any problems can be detected at your
regular dental checkups. As long as the
sealants are in place, decay cannot develop in the grooves. You can
help the sealants last by not chewing on ice cubes
or hard or sticky candy.
Are
Sealants Safe
Yes.
Reports from a 1996 study questioned the safety of sealants,
and resurfaced again in 2001 in a commentary by MSNBC. The 1996 study
from the University of Granada in Spain questioned whether a raw
ingredient used in the manufacture of sealants is leached out with
subsequent detrimental estrogenic effects. Further studies by the
American Dental Association, researchers at the University of Nebraska
Dental School, and Boston University School of Dental Medicine showed that
if BPA is leached from sealants it is not detectable in blood tests and
therefore does not represent an estrogenic hazard. I feel
very confident in both the safety and value of sealants for both adults
and children.
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