How Do Dental Sealants Help Teeth?
Apr 01, 2022
If you are considering getting a dental sealant from a dentist near you, you might want to get them right away because there are a lot of excellent benefits that you can get from your dental sealants.
What Do Dental Sealants Do?
Dental sealants are tiny dental preventive materials usually placed on the back teeth' chewing surface to protect them against decay. Although they can protect your teeth from infections, they cannot be used as alternatives for daily teeth brushing and flossing. Instead, sealants are one of the best ways to support your daily dental routine and enhance your dental health. Just as their name infers, they can seal the teeth holes and prevent germs from getting into them.
Once plaque gets into the teeth, they begin to grow larger, causing the teeth to wear down over time. Sealants can prevent plaques from forming inside the teeth.
Dental sealants can last for a decade as long as you maintain your dental structure properly. Once the sealant wears out, your
dentist in Calgary, SW, would recommend a replacement.
What Types Of Sealants Are Popular?
The most popular types of sealants are:
- Butyl: Butyl sealants are most used at times for strong attachment. They are consistent and tough. However, their hardness also makes them lack a high level of flexibility.
- Silicone: This type of sealant is very common and costly. It is incredibly durable and adjustable. Also, it can last for two decades, depending on the type of product and maintenance. The drawback of silicone sealants includes their inability to resist stain adequately and the tendency of accumulating dirt. However, silicone sealants remain the most popularly used sealants.
- Water-Based Latex: This type of sealant is very easy to apply. It is also safe as it can be attached to various teeth surfaces. It might also interest you to know that they are very good at bridging small gaps in the teeth. However, they have to place were at a part where too much biting force takes place. The latex is likely to get weak if you use it for waterproofing, and this can cause the sealant to pull away from the gaps you've bridged.
- Poly sulfide: Unlike water-based latex, polysulfide sealants do not get weak quickly when placed underwater. They are also able to resist UV radiation, and this makes them good material for external applications. However, they are very costly compared to other home sealants. But then, they are pretty worth the price cause they can last for up to two decades.
- Acrylic: Just like polysulfide sealants, acrylic sealants are also suitable for exterior placements since they also resist UV radiations. They are not likely to shrink or get weak quickly too. However, they should not be placed in areas where biting force is much because they could crack due to inflexibility. They can last for ten years. You can get acrylic dental sealants in Calgary, SW.
What Should I Look Out For When Choosing A Dental Sealant Material?
Before getting a dental sealant, there are various factors that you should look out for. It is imperative to check out the features of the multiple sealants available and pick the type that best fits into your preference according to these factors below:
- Durability: if you consider getting a sealant, you should do for the ones with good durability. Silicones last for 20 years which is the longest life span for sealants. Butyls and acrylic can sometimes last for five years.
- Adhesion: Assessing the adhesion of your sealants is essential. A suitable sealant would adhere appropriately to its construction material.
- Stain Resistance: To check if your sealant resists stain, you must test them in a hidden area at first before using them on noticeable regions.
- VOC Content: Different sealants have different VOC contents. While some have low levels of VOC, some have higher levels of VOC which should be avoided.
- Ease of Application: When getting a suitable sealant, assessing their ease of application is essential. Some sealants curl while some do not.
- Exposure Resistance: Sealants with good quality would continue to work well even under extreme temperature
- Cost: With sealants, the price can differ, and so those the performance. Costly sealants have been confirmed to be more effective than the cheaper ones. It is better to get a suitable sealant at first than to replace it because the replacements are more costly.
- Hardness: The harder the sealant, the more resistant to damages. But then, the flexibility of the sealant decreases whenever the hardness increases.
Contact Image Dental today for more information on dental sealants and the appropriate types for you.