Molars and premolars often have deep pits, fissures and textures on the biting surfaces of the tooth enamel. While this significantly improves the tooth’s ability to chew and grind tough foods, it can also serve as a trap for residual food particles and plaque.
If brushing your teeth routinely fails to clean these areas, the trapped food particles and plaque will eventually create tooth decay. The resulting cavities are often large and they require big fillings to repair them. As time goes by, these large fillings can prove troublesome.
If your Gateway Oaks Dental dentist, Dr. Hoang Truong, notices you are having trouble keeping these areas clean, he might recommend applying dental sealants to the biting surface. Dental sealants in Sacramento, California, are a durable, plastic resin material that the dentist can paint onto the biting surface of each back tooth immediately following your regular dental checkup.
A special ultraviolet light is then used to harden the resin. When plaque and food particles get stuck in the occlusal surface, the resin effectively prevents bacteria from having direct exposure to the tooth enamel.
Dental sealants are very durable and they can help to protect the biting surface of the back teeth for several years. Even though your teeth are protected, you should still continue to brush the teeth that have dental sealants. The resin material is very resilient and it won’t wear away from simple routine brushing.
If you are concerned about maintaining the biting surfaces of your back teeth, please call Gateway Oaks Dental at 916-649-0249 and ask about dental sealants.
