Abbott Family Dentistry, LLC

Sealants are a pain free way to reduce the risk of tooth decay in the pits and fissures of the teeth. The sealant is basically a very flowable form of filling material that flows into and seals shut the grooves that naturally occur in the teeth.  These tooth grooves and pits can act as an express tunnel for the bacteria and nutrients for those bacteria to get deep into the tooth before a cavity ever forms.  Once in the grooves the bacteria hide from your brushing efforts and over time can cause a cavity.  For a sealant to work best, it should be placed as soon as the tooth erupts enough to seal the groove.  If the sealant fails, it is ideal to redo the sealant as soon as possible. Unfortunately, most insurance companies stop providing a benefit for sealants as we get older. However, cavities don't care how old you are, they just care about how much food (sugars and carbohydrates) you feed the sugar bugs.