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At Kidtastic Pediatric Dental and Orthodontics – Gilbert, we believe in proactive care to ensure your child’s smile shines brightly for years. As a parent, you might want your kid to live freely without the tension of cavities. They can eat treats while playing with their friends at Gilbert Regional Park. One of the simplest and most effective ways we safeguard those valuable pearly whites is with dental sealants. Their application is practical, especially against the destructive villain of cavities.
You’ve likely heard your pediatric dentist in Gilbert recommend these safety nets, but do you know what they are made of? So let’s take a deeper dive and decode this excellent potential preventive.
The Villain in the Cavity and The Fix in the Sealant
Consider your back teeth, your molars, and premolars. A little more feeling in them than if you ran your tongue over them, it’s not perfectly flat. They’re riddled with small grooves, pits, and fissures. Though these are normal, they also serve as food and cavity-causing bacteria mini-trappers. And even the most careful brushing, particularly in little ones still getting a feel for the technique, is going to miss these deep crannies.
This is where kids’ dental sealants in Gilbert fit in. Sealant for teeth functions as a liquid shield that runs into these minute grooves and hardens, forming a smooth surface. It is an impermeable surface, so food and bacteria cannot get in there terribly easily. This means there is less likelihood for cavities to form in these susceptible spots.
What Exactly Are Dental Sealants Made Of?
The good news is that tooth sealants are most often composed of materials that are safe, strong, and biocompatible. The predominant material for dental sealants is a resin-based composite. This is somewhat analogous to the material in white dental fillings. They are also formulated to adhere intimately to tooth enamel. You may hear “resin composite” thrown around when it comes to sealants. However, resin-based sealants are popular in Gilbert pediatric dentistry because they are strong and work well.
The Application Process of Dental Sealants
Children receiving pediatric sealant for teeth is an easy and painless procedure. No needles or drilling here! The surface is brushed and cleansed before conditioning with a weak acidic solution to ensure a good bond of the sealant. The liquid bond is applied to the grooves of the tooth and cured with a light. It’s a quick process, usually under 10 minutes per tooth. So it’s a snap for even our young patients from the nearby school, such as San Tan Village.
The Lifespan of a Sealant
Well-applied sealant for the tooth can last “several years,” 5-10 years, but your kids’ dentist frequently checks them in Gilbert during routine visits. If a coating wears out, the sealant of the tooth can be repaired or reapplied as long as it is worn.
Saving Smiles, One Tooth at a Time
Kidtastic Pediatric Dental and Orthodontics—Gilbert offers specialized care with the child and parent in mind. The more parents can learn about all preventive options, the better they can help their children achieve a healthy smile. We, as your kids’ dentist, Gilbert, are committed to making a good experience for your kids at their very first visit so that they have a happy and healthy experience on the road to great oral health!
Are you ready to give your child the present of a cavity-free future? Call us today to get pediatric dental sealants in Gilbert and schedule an appointment!
