Those who choose to enter dental school want to provide a valuable service for their patients. Without proper oral care, significant health problems can occur. Part of dental work includes providing preventative care for those whose teeth may be at risk for serious infections, cavities, or deterioration. The treatment that a dentist chooses to use can have big impact on the physical and emotional well-being of the patient. Utilizing pit and fissure sealants as part of preventative treatment for susceptible patients can improve quality of life and ensure that oral health issues do not escalate.
Protecting Against Decay
Molars naturally have grooves and wrinkles that are hard to brush thoroughly. These pit and fissure systems can degrade when children are very young and are unable to perform proper oral hygiene without the help of an adult. When plaque builds up and stagnates in the pits and fissures, it can cause lesions and demineralize the enamel of the teeth. Children who have affected teeth need sealants to help protect the teeth against decay. That decay, called dental caries (or cavities), can result in several dental problems.
A Good Investment
By using sealants early before decay becomes a bigger problem, patients are able to avoid the costs of repairing severely damaged teeth. Fillings and other restoration options are often more costly than dental sealants, which can be applied in just a few minutes and require no drilling or other invasive processes. If there are many teeth that need to be sealed, a patient is better off doing them all at once rather than waiting for dental caries to set in and eat away at otherwise healthy teeth.
Starting Early
After losing baby teeth between the ages of 5 and 10, children will have the next set of teeth for a lifetime. Starting dental treatments early can help ensure that those teeth are healthy and free from decay from a young age. The American Dental Association recommends using sealants as soon as a problem is noticed in young children, especially if there is any indication of dental caries on a child’s permanent adult teeth.
