Good Day! This is Dr. Mark Fort with Fort and Johnson Family and Cosmetic Dentistry’s premiere Dental Blog.
Welcome!
So, what is a dental blog? I am operating under the premise that a dental blog is a periodic rambling about some random dental topic. I will be writing mine in more of a one-sided conversational form, as if you had asked me a question about a particular topic and I gave you a long-winded answer!
Today, I thought I might talk about Dental Sealants. Dental Sealants are a thin plastic coating that are placed onto the biting surface of the back teeth. February is National Dental Health Month, and it was just announced that the 2022 emphasis will be on sealant placement.
Why? On some people’s teeth, especially cavity prone people, the grooves in their teeth are deep and collect plaque.
Who? Usually on children. There was a question at one time about whether a child was “cavity prone” but a preventive is a preventive after all. If a patient has perfectly fused grooves, then it might be decided not to seal
When? Sealants are usually placed as soon as a permanent tooth erupts completely.
How? The tooth or teeth in an area are isolated from moisture with a dental dam, cotton roll or some other moisture control device. The teeth are cleaned, preferably with a prophy jet which uses sodium bicarbonate like a wet sand blaster. That cleans the grooves best, then a mild acid is placed on the tooth, rinsed, the sealant is applied, and light cured. The bite is checked and adjusted if needed.
I hope you wake up soon enough after reading this to check in our next blog. Don’t forget to leave your comments on our Facebook Page. If there are topics you’d like to see discussed, post them there as well. Thanks!