Sealants in Lakeland, Florida

Between sugary foods, lingering bacteria, and problematic tooth decay, it can feel like an uphill battle to keep your teeth clean and healthy. Sealants are a standard of preventive dentistry, and Crosby Dentistry offers this extra barrier of protection for your teeth. Sealants are a literal shield that works to protect your teeth, keeping your smile healthy and bright. Our team likes to think of sealants as a way to keep your dental health working for you, even when you don’t immediately have a toothbrush in hand.

Our dental practice is proud to provide top-tier dental care to the community in Lakeland, Florida. We know that even with regular brushing, it can be hard to reach every spot in the back of the mouth. By visiting our office in Lakeland, FL, you can get the help you need to lower your risk of cavities and keep your smile looking great for a long time. We offer advanced preventive care that focuses on keeping your permanent teeth strong from the moment they appear.

What Are Sealants?

Technically speaking, sealants are a thin layer of resin painted onto the tooth’s surface. The resin is clear, completely invisible, and entirely imperceptible to the touch. This thin resin layer takes only minutes to apply, but its benefits are long-lasting. Sealants are the foundation of preventive dentistry, as they help fend off bacteria and disease.

Think of these thin plastic coatings like a raincoat for your teeth. When it rains, the coat keeps you dry. When you eat, the sealant material prevents sugar and bacteria from contacting your actual tooth enamel. This is a very important part of modern dental care because it helps people avoid the need for more complex dental treatments later. It is an easy way to protect your oral health without any stress.

Benefits of Choosing Dental Sealants

There are so many good reasons to choose these protective coatings for yourself or your family. One of the best benefits of dental sealants is that they provide a physical barrier against dental caries. It costs much less to get a sealant than it does to get a filling for tooth decay. By choosing this preventive dental care now, you can save a lot of stress in the long run.

Other key benefits include:

• The application process is totally painless and does not require any numbing.
• They provide a protective shield that starts working right away.
• They are clear or tooth-colored, so they don’t change the look of your smile.
• They are the best option for children who are still learning good dental hygiene.
• They cover the chewing surfaces of your back teeth, making them easier to keep clean.

What Can Sealants Help With?

Sealants are the perfect way to help protect your teeth when brushing and flossing aren’t enough. A tooth is a rigid structure, but it is filled with tiny nooks, crannies, and uneven surfaces. While brushing can help remove exterior debris, sometimes tiny particles and bacteria can get deep within the tiny cracks, leading to decay and disease.

Also, large, flat teeth, like molars, are prone to greater wear and tear as they grind and cut food pushed to the back of the mouth. Adding a sealant to back molars can help protect and preserve the teeth. When the sealant is painted over the tooth’s surface, it protects the tooth from penetrating bacteria and decay.

A sealant can also help with other common dental issues, including:

1. Temperature sensitivity
2. Light surface chipping and cracks
3. Cavity prevention
4. Added enamel protection

How Sealants Protect the Deep Grooves of Teeth

If you look at your back teeth, you will see deep grooves and pits. These tiny grooves are perfect hiding places for food particles and harmful bacteria. Even the best toothbrush bristles are often too thick to reach the bottom of these narrow spots on the chewing surfaces. This is where the majority of dental caries begin in young patients.

When our dental hygienist or doctor applies the liquid sealant, it flows into those deep spots. We then use a special light to start a polymerization reaction that hardens the material. This creates a smooth surface on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth that is easy to wipe clean. By filling these areas, we take away the “hiding spots” where food debris and bacteria like to hide.

Are Sealants Necessary?

Your teeth can remain healthy without sealants, but you have a better chance of maintaining your healthy smile with an added shield. Although sealants are not necessary for optimum dental health, they can certainly give you the upper hand when fighting tooth decay and gum disease.

Sealants can be paired with other preventive dental procedures to make them even more effective. It is a widespread practice to couple a fluoride treatment with fresh sealants. Fluoride can provide additional strength and nutrients for the tooth, while the sealant will seal the tooth from potential bacteria and decay, which could otherwise lead to cavities.

The Sealant Application Process

Many patients ask if the sealant application takes a long time. The good news is that it is very quick! First, the dental assistant or hygienist will clean the surfaces of the teeth that are going to be sealed. Then, the tooth is dried. We use a special material that helps the sealant bond to the tooth. After a quick rinse and another drying step, the composite resin is painted on the chewing surfaces of molars.

We use a curing light to harden the resin quickly. This whole process takes only about a minute or two per tooth. There is no discomfort at all. You can even eat and drink right after you leave our dental office in Lakeland, FL. According to the American Dental Association, this is one of the most effective ways to ensure the prevention of dental caries in patients of all ages.

How Long Do Sealants Last?

Applying a coat of sealant to your teeth is an excellent preventive measure that will help keep your smile healthy. For most adults, a sealant will protect against 80 percent of decay and bacteria for up to two years. Further, a sealant can protect against 50 percent of decay for four years. After a sealant coating has worn away, Dr. Crosby can simply replace the resin with a fresh coat for renewed tooth protection.

During your regular dental visits, our dental care providers will check the condition of your sealants. If we see that a small part has chipped, we can easily fix it. Clinical studies show that as long as the sealant remains intact, it is nearly 100 percent effective at preventing decay on the surfaces of these teeth. With good care of your mouth, these sealants can last for a decade.

Caring for Your Sealed Teeth at Home

Having dental sealants does not mean you can stop regular brushing! You still need to brush twice a day and floss once a day to maintain good dental health. The sealant protects the chewing surfaces of the teeth, but you still need to clean between the teeth where the sealant can’t reach. Using a fluoride toothpaste will help keep the rest of your tooth structure strong and healthy.

It is also a good idea to be careful with very sticky foods. While the sealant bond is strong, avoiding very hard candies helps everything last longer. By keeping up with your oral care routine at home, you help the preventive dental care we provide in the office stay effective for a much longer time.

Are Sealants Suitable for Anyone?

Sealants are a versatile, practical, and economical preventive dental measure. The process for dental sealant placement is fast and easy, and it is well-suited for just about everyone. Children usually get their first molars between the ages of five and seven, with the second molars developing between the ages of eleven and thirteen. Our team always recommends applying sealants to your child’s permanent molars as soon as they come in.

Adults who do not have fillings or dental implants in their back teeth can also benefit from this treatment. It is a great way to prevent future dental issues if you have a high risk of decay or special needs that make brushing difficult. School sealant programs have shown that children who get sealants have significantly fewer cavities. We want to bring that same level of protection to all our patients.