Brush and floss daily, they say. That’s the best way to protect your teeth from the harmful effects of plaque and bacteria buildup.
We’d never tell you to ditch your oral hygiene routine, but we do have a secret weapon that can level up your toothbrush and floss.
Our team of dentists at Lifetime Dental Care, PLLC, in Woodbridge, Virginia, shows you exactly how you can benefit from dental sealants.
Root canals, cavity fillings, and the like strike fear into the hearts of many for their propensity to be painful. The good news is that the process of getting sealants is simple, fast, and pain-free. After we’ve done a routine cleaning of your teeth, we apply an acidic gel to the chewing surface of your teeth. This “roughens up” your teeth and makes it easier for the sealant to adhere.
Then, we simply brush the sealant over your teeth and use a curing light to dry it completely. A quick polish shapes it to fit your bite exactly.
What’s more, you can resume your normal activities as soon as you’re done.
Sealants are made from a variety of different materials, most of which are clear. At Lifetime Dental Care, our sealants are made from a material that we can customize to exactly match the color of your teeth. That means you can protect your teeth without telling the whole world about it.
It may sound too good to be true that an invisible sealant can protect you from cavities, but once applied, sealants offer protection against 80% of cavities for two years and continue to protect you against 50% of cavities for up to four years.
You can have sealants reapplied after you’ve reached the four-year mark. It’s important to note that if you smoke, bite your nails, chew on ice, grind your teeth, or use your teeth to open things, you may need to have your sealants reapplied sooner than four years.
Cavities are small holes in your teeth, but they can lead to big problems — for your oral health and your wallet. A cavity can quickly become a serious infection that requires extensive, invasive, and expensive treatments like crowns or fillings.
Traditionally, sealants are a staple in pediatric dentistry. That’s because children haven’t quite nailed down oral hygiene habits, and their still-developing teeth have deep grooves where bacteria love to hide. However, we recommend sealants for people of all ages.
We especially recommend sealants if you’re at a higher risk of developing cavities or if you struggle to maintain a regular oral hygiene routine.
Interested in sealants? We’d love to talk with you. Call our friendly staff at 703-499-9779 or use our online booking tool to schedule an appointment with one of our expert dentists today.