Find a cosmetic dentist that helps with dental sealants and various other preventative dentistry measures is difficult if you don’t know what you’re looking for. For all you know, you may be in need of a sealant and not even know it. Be prepared and be educated. Here’s what you need to know.

What are Dental Sealants?

Dental sealants, also known as pit and fissure sealants, fissure sealants, or dental fillings, are all used as a dental treatment to prevent further tooth decay. There are two commong different materials that are used for sealants: resin-based and glass inomer. Both materials have pros and cons for using them over the other.

Who Needs These Sealants?

Pit and fissure sealants, because they’re used to prevent further too decay, are typically used on patients with cavities or caries. This prevents the tooth decay from getting worse, in typical situations. Because the teeth are naturally designed with pits and fissures. Those natural pits and fissures make it incredibly difficult or altogether impossible for the bristles of a toothbrush to get into some of the areas of the teeth, so getting a sealant at some point in your life is probably inevitable.

What Can Cause the Sealant to Stop Working?

The only things that generally cause a problem with the sealant is it was compromised during placement from salivation or it wasn’t placed correctly do to the clinician’s inexperience. There may be other issues that caused a poor or misjudged placement in the sealant. If this occurs, please visit a dentist to get it corrected as quickly as possible.

When Should Sealants be Applied?

It’s generally accepted that the teeth are permanently and fully erupted after 13 years of age. Wisdom teeth continue to develop, but the main set of permanent teeth are already there to stay. So, it’s typically recommended that teenagers get their first sealants after their permanent teeth are all fully grown in, which means after 13 years of age in most cases.

There’s no reason that your teeth should be anything but in pristine condition in 2015, short of lacking funds for preventative dentistry. Taking care of what chews your food every day and what rests inside your mouth is one of the healthiest and beneficial things you can do for your body — plus, everyone loves a sparkly white smile. Head on down or call the cosmetic dentist’s office to request an appointment as soon as possible and start getting your teeth in the condition they need to be in.