Missoula Dental Sealants

Dr. Susan B. Tiede is a dentist and has answered some of the common questions Bizymoms visitors have about Dental Sealants.


Q. What are dental sealants?

A. Dental sealants are a plastic material (a resin) that is opaque (clear) or white in color and is applied to the chewing surface of teeth.

Q. How do dental sealants work?

A. Bacteria is always present in our mouths and when plaque forms, which starts almost immediately even after we brush our teeth, it is sticky and adheres to the teeth.  The ‘pits and fissures’ of our teeth, which are the grooves in our back teeth, are the hardest to keep clean, because both the sugars in our mouths, as well as the bacteria can be trapped in these pits.  As our toothbrushes are used over the surface of our teeth, the bristles may not adequately get into these deeper pits and fissures and bacteria and sugar can now start to break the tooth down and create decay, or a cavity.  The sealant is bonded into the clean pit and/or fissure and prevents bacteria, plaque and sugars from getting trapped and creating a cavity.

Q. Which teeth are suitable for sealants?

A. Generally, the molars and premolars are the teeth that are suitable for sealants.  On occasion you may hear your dentist say (or you may notice) a ‘pit’ or ‘anomaly’ on a tooth other than a molar or premolar that would benefit from a sealant.  This is the exception, but does occur quite frequently.

Q. How are sealants applied?

A. Application is generally very quick.  The key is keeping the tooth DRY.  There are a variety of ways that this is completed.  Cotton rolls, rubber dam isolation, special cheek retractors, suction, and the list goes on.  The surface of the tooth is first cleaned, then an etchant material is applied to help create the bond that will occur between the tooth and the sealant.  The sealant material is then ‘painted’ in the pits, fissures and grooves of the teeth and must be cured.  Our office completes this with a curing light that shines on each sealant for 10 seconds.  Once the curing is complete, the edges are checked for integrity of the sealant and the process is complete.  If at any time moisture has entered the field, the sealant will not stick and the process must be repeated.

Q. Are sealants visible?

A. Sealants are either opaque (clear) or white.  There have been products in the past that do not seem to be as popular today that placed colored sealants.  However, the over-whelming majority are opaque or white.

Q. Will sealants make teeth feel different?

A. Since the sealants are in the deepest parts of the pits and fissures, they generally do not make the teeth feel different.  On occasion, however, when sealants are completed, if the flow of material is the slightest bit heavy, they can feel funny and adjusting the amount of material so that it does not feel funny takes seconds to complete.  Again, this is the exception, rather than the rule.

Q. How long will sealants last?

A. Sealants can last YEARS, but can also need to be reapplied.  At six-month exams, the sealants are checked and if they are chipped or cracked, and no new decay is present, they are reapplied as indicated.

Q. How to contact Dr. Tiede if we have further questions?     

A.
Address:
1300 S. Reserve Street, Suite #B Missoula, MT 59801
Phone: (406) 541-7334
Email: pedident@blackfoot.net
Website:http://www.missoulapediatricdentistry.com/