By early to mid-adolescence, your child’s baby teeth will have been replaced by their permanent set of adult teeth. These 32 permanent teeth will have to serve them for the rest of their lives, so it’s important to make sure they are properly taken care of.
While instilling a good habit of oral hygiene is absolutely critical, it might not be enough to preserve the integrity of their back teeth. Many people have deep pits and fissures on the biting surface of their molars and premolars. These areas can sometimes be hard to clean with regular brushing alone. Should residual food particles and plaque become trapped in these areas it can eventually lead to large areas of tooth decay.
Large areas of tooth decay in these areas often need to be repaired with large fillings. However, large fillings are more likely it is to cause your child some problems later on in life.
If in the course of your child’s regular dental checkup your Always Dental Care dentist notices deep pits or stuck on plaque and food particles on the biting surface of your child’s back teeth they might recommend protecting the biting surface dental sealants.
Dental sealants a basically a durable plastic-resin that the dentist carefully paints to the biting surface of your son or daughter’s molars and premolars. A special ultraviolet light is used to harden the resin, creating a protective layer. Even if plaque and food particles get stuck in the pits and fissures of the biting surface the dental sealants will keep bacteria from direct access to the tooth enamel.
The dental sealants are very durable and can help to protect the biting surface for two years or more.
If you are interested in having your child’s teeth protected with dental sealants, you should call Always Dental Care at 484.392.7687 to schedule an appointment.