At Smile Studio Dentistry of Baltimore, We Recommend Dental Sealants. Here’s Why…
Call Us About Dental Sealants
- Preserve tooth strength
- Prevent cavities
- Minimize your need for complex dental treatments on sealed teeth
- Ideal for children & many adults
- Boost tooth health for life!
At Smile Studio Dentistry of Baltimore, we take your oral health seriously. Utilizing a preventive approach in all we do, our focus is on stopping problematic issues before they start so you can smile … and keep smiling!
Among our preventive methods:
- Ongoing checkups – Based on your unique needs, we’ll work with your schedule to book regular appointments to ensure that your dental health is maintained and fostered. During our exam, we’ll perform:
- Gum health assessments – Part of our oral exam includes checking the color of your gums, the depth of their pockets, how well your teeth are supported, and looking for any infection and signs of early or advanced gum disease.
- Tooth health check – Are you experiencing any decay, cracks, or chips? If so, we’ll discuss how to correct damage to prevent further damage and pain, and to help bring back beauty and function to your smile.
- Restoration examinations –Dental treatments like fillings, bridges, crowns, and bonding require updating over time. Our exam will ensure that these restorations are in the state they should be so your oral health is prioritized.
- Education – Any issues we find will be discussed with you, and we’ll walk you through the cause of the problem as well as the importance of repairing it. We’ll suggest a treatment we know will help, and together, we’ll be better able to prevent and manage any future issues.
Beyond ongoing checkups, an incredibly important and simple step you can take to prioritize your oral health – in addition to maintaining an excellent at-home routine of brushing twice and flossing once daily – is to have dental sealants applied to your teeth.
How are dental sealants helpful?
A thin liquid plastic coating applied to the surfaces of molars and premolars, dental sealants shield them from bacteria that causes decay. Its liquid form enables sealants to cover deep pits and fissures, effectively protecting the enamel. And because it’s completely painless, there’s no need for anesthetic.
Who is a candidate for dental sealants?
- Young and older children who need help keeping their teeth clean
- Patients with mobility challenges and aren’t able to brush with proper technique
- Dementia patients with irregular oral hygiene habits
- Children and adults with molars that have deep pits and fissures.
Some of the benefits of dental sealants:
- Cavity Prevention. Sometimes it’s hard to reach the areas of teeth where bacteria likes to hide. With sealant in place, cleaning the crevasses and teeth is significantly easier!
- It’s easily applied. Having dental sealants applied to teeth is simple and pain-free. After teeth are cleaned, sealant is brushed on using with a tool that’s similar to a paintbrush. It’s then cured with a safe ultraviolet light.
- Quick application. The application and curing process is fast – approximately five minutes per tooth. The material can be applied during a routine hygiene appointment, or during a short sealant-specific appointment.
- They save you money. Dental sealants are covered by many insurance companies until a child has reaches 18, and in some cases, they’re covered for adults. This has to due with the fact that the cost of having sealants applied is significantly less that the cost of restorations and decay treatment.
- They’re durable. Caring for sealants is identical to caring for your natural teeth, and with diligent care, they can last up to 10 y ears.
- They’re effective. Studies show that sealants have the potential to minimize the risk of decay by nearly 80%. And the Centers For Disease Control reports that children who don’t have sealants experience almost three times the cavities that children with sealants experience.
Sealants save time, money, and smiles! Call us at (410) 469-7407 today to schedule an appointment or to ask any questions!
As your dentist in Baltimore, we always have your, and your family’s, best interest in mind. It’s our job to help you keep healthy – in body and smile – and all of us at Smile Studio Dentistry of Baltimore take this very seriously. With a preventive view in everything we do, our goal is to intercept oral health issues before they happen … to keep you smiling.
- Check your tooth health – Do you have any chips, cracks, or decay? And if so, how do we fix the damage to prevent further deterioration and pain and restore function and beauty?
- Ensure restorations are sound –Restorations such as crowns, fillings, bridges, and bonding don’t last forever. We’ll make sure everything is working as it should so that your smile health isn’t compromised.
2. Education – If we see any problem areas, we’ll explain the cause and explain why repair is necessary. We’ll also discuss with you a proposed treatment so that together, we can intercept any future damage or further unnecessary damage.
Aside from regular checkups, one of the most-simple things you can do for your oral health – besides keeping an excellent home care routine of brushing at least twice a day and flossing once a day – is to consider dental sealants for yourself and your children.
What are dental sealants?
Dental sealants are a very thin liquid plastic coating that is applied to the chewing surfaces of your teeth (usually the molars and premolars) to protect them from decay-causing bacteria. Because it’s applied in liquid form, sealants seep into the deep pits and fissures on the tooth surface, creating a protective shield over the enamel. The sealant is applied like paint and is completely comfortable. There’s no need for anaesthetic as it’s completely painless – in fact, you practically won’t feel a thing.
Dental sealants are ideal for:
- Children who are unable to brush their teeth effectively
- Anyone who keeps a less-than-ideal homecare routine – ideal for toddlers, children, teens, adults, and seniors – there are no restrictions!
- Patients who have mobility challenges and find it difficult to brush using the proper technique or for the recommended length of time
- Those suffering from dementia and whose oral hygiene is irregular, whether due to memory or to an unpredictable routine
- People with naturally deep pits and fissures in their molars. (Did you know that everyone’s teeth shape is unique? Just as unique as your fingerprints? Even identical twins don’t have identical teeth.)
Benefits of dental sealants include:
- Cavity Prevention. While we can brush tricky areas where bacteria like to hide, toothbrush bristles can’t always reach to the bottom of a groove in a tooth to clean it. Sticky foods (usually we think candy like toffee, but consider popcorn too!) can get deep into the crevasses and even though you may think you’ve done a good job brushing, residue can easily remain. By sealing these grooves off after a professional cleaning, it eliminates the crevasses and teeth cleaning becomes much easier. The liquid sealant material “pools” in the pits and fissures, making their surface much smoother and easier to clean.
- Easy application. Having a dental sealant placed on one or more teeth is a simple, non-invasive treatment. The tooth is simply prepared,and well cleaned, and the sealant material is brushed on using a paintbrush-like tool. The sealant is then cured with a safe ultraviolet light that’s small enough to fit inside your mouth comfortably.
- Fast application. As your dentist in Baltimore, I can assure you that the time it takes to get dental sealants placed is quick – about only five minutes per tooth. They can be placed during your routine hygiene appointment, or at a short sealant-only appointment.
- Less costly than fillings. Most insurance companies will cover dental sealants until your child has reached the age of 18, and sometimes for adults. That’s because the cost of sealants far outweighs the cost of restorations and treatment due to tooth decay … fillings, crowns, root canals, or even extractions. We can help you determine your coverage.
- Attractive. Dental sealants match natural tooth color, so they blend in. Laugh out loud because you can feel confident that no will even know they’re there!
- Durable. Your regular homecare routine is all you need to care for your dental sealants. Avoid crunching hard foods like candy to help them last up to 10 years. We’ll check them regularly for chips or wear and will recommend replacement as necessary.
- Effective. It’s been proven that sealants may reduce the risk of decay by nearly 80% in molars. And the Centers For Disease Control says that “school-age children without sealants have almost three times more cavities than children with sealants.”
Prevention saves time and money … and smiles! Please ask us about dental sealants and how they can help your family members of all ages. At Smile Studio Dentistry of Baltimore, we’re here to help. Call (410) 469-7407 today – new patients welcome!