Viva Vitality: How dental sealants can help those areas brushing and flossing can’t get to
By Jenna Lannan on July 19, 2019.
jenna.lannan@ahs.ca Have you ever looked at the back of your teeth and noticed how deep the grooves can be? These pits and fissures can hold bacteria that not even a toothbrush can remove. They can be a trouble area to brush and become extremely high-risk for decay. Cavities occur when the pH in our mouth is acidic from the foods we eat, causing the hard surface called the enamel to break down. Brushing and flossing is the best way to help prevent tooth decay. Dental sealants help protect those deep grooves that are unable to be properly cleaned. A dental sealant is applied in a thin layer to cover these grooves on the biting surfaces of the teeth, so food and bacteria don’t have nooks and crannies to hide in. It makes the tooth surface smooth, which makes brushing easier. It is proven to be the most effective preventive measure we have for preventing decay on the biting surfaces of the teeth. If you have no allergies to the materials used, there are no known side effects to having dental sealants placed. Both children and adults can benefit from dental sealants if there is no evidence of decay on the tooth surface. In saying this, the earlier the dental sealants are applied the better the protection that the teeth have. The first adult molars erupt when a child is around six years of age. Watch for your children’s teeth to come through and see your dentist for sealants as soon as possible. The procedure to have a dental sealant applied is very simple. The tooth is prepared by getting cleaned and dried. To allow the sealant to form a strong bond with the tooth surface, a gel solution called etch is placed. The gel is then washed off and the tooth dried again to prepare it for the sealant. Some sealants require a light to harden so that they can remain strong for many years to come. Sealants are very durable and in most cases they last for many years. Your dentist or dental hygienist will check at every visit to see how the dental sealants look. Sealants are a great investment for your mouth. Without them, as a child, you are at very high risk for developing tooth decay. Please see your dentist to see if you are a candidate for dental sealants. Dental sealants do not replace brushing and flossing. Keep your mouth and your children’s mouths clean. Use a soft-bristle toothbrush or an electric toothbrush two times daily with fluoride toothpaste. It is recommended that a child aged one to three years should use a rice-sized amount of toothpaste and children over three should use a pea-sized amount. Also, flossing at night to remove food from in-between the teeth is a good idea. Before your child has a tooth, ensure that you are wiping out their mouth using a clean washcloth. Alberta Child Health Benefits is for families with limited income that may not have insurance or money to go to the dentist or other medical providers. For more information please visit employment.alberta/hb-policy or call 1-877-469-5437. Alberta Health Services also offers a free dental screening and fluoride for children ages 12 to 35 months. Please call your local health unit with questions or visit http://www.ahs.ca/oralhealth. Jenna Lannan is a dental hygienist with AHS and can be reached by email, jenna.lannan@ahs.ca 12-11
