One professional treatment that we encourage each resident of Auburn, California, to take advantage of is dental sealants. Taking extra preventative care of your teeth can limit the number of cavities or severe damage that your teeth may experience. This quick procedure can be performed during a bi-yearly dental cleaning and is for patients of any age.
Placement Process
We recommend sealants for your back, chewing molars, and premolars due to their deep pits and fissures where food can get stuck. For children, these back teeth are harder to reach and clean properly, so sealants will limit the food and bacteria in those hard-to-reach areas.
We perform the placement of the sealant after a professional deep cleaning and examination is done to ensure that all plaque is removed from the tooth and there are no pre-existing cavities. The dental sealant is a liquid material that hardens once exposed to a special UV light.
To ensure the sealant is effective, the tooth is first prepped and dried. Working quickly to place the sealant while the tooth is dry, we apply the liquid into the pits and fissures on the chewing surfaces of the tooth. The material is spread throughout the tooth and checked before hardening to ensure there are no air bubbles. Once the sealant is in place, we use a blue hardening light for about 30-45 seconds to harden the material.
Hardened sealant material appears clear on the tooth and is nearly unrecognizable. We continue this process for each tooth until every tooth with an occlusal chewing surface is sealed.
Longevity of Dental Sealants
Sealants are not a permanent way to protect your teeth, but if taken care of properly, they can last for years. Because they aren’t permanent, we recommend coming into our office and getting your sealants replaced if needed. It is difficult to notice when a sealant comes off, but we will inform you at your next appointment.
Maintain your Smile with Dental Sealants
If you believe that you and your family would benefit from dental sealants, please ask us for more information at your next appointment. Our team at North Auburn Dentistry can also place or replace them at an earlier date if your next appointment is far in the future.
Please call our office located in Auburn, California, with any questions that you may have about the placement of the sealant or how it helps prevent serious dental damage. We are here to serve you!