Cavity Prevention with Fluoride and Sealants
Protecting Your Child’s Teeth from the Very Start
Fluoride Treatment
Fluoride treatment offers a real benefit for kids, especially as their adult teeth start coming in. Through a process called remineralization, fluoride helps replenish the minerals that keep tooth enamel strong. Day to day, acids from plaque and the foods we eat gradually strip away those same minerals, leaving enamel weaker and more prone to cavities. Fluoride treatment works to stop that damage in its tracks and even reverse it, giving your child’s teeth a stronger, more decay resistant foundation.
Dental Sealants
Molars naturally have deep grooves and fissures on their biting surfaces, and those tiny spaces are notoriously good at trapping food particles and plaque that a toothbrush can’t always reach. As your child’s new molars come in, dental sealants offer a simple way to keep that buildup out. Applied directly to the tooth, sealants create a smooth, protective barrier over these hard to clean areas, helping guard your child’s natural teeth against decay before it has a chance to start.
Benefits of Fluoride Treatment and Dental Sealants
The Canadian Dental Association supports the appropriate and selective use of dental sealants for both baby teeth and adult teeth, based on a proper risk assessment and diagnosis from your dentist. According to the CDA, sealants are a key part of a well-rounded preventive dentistry program, one that also includes nutritional counselling, optimal fluoride exposure, good oral hygiene habits, and regular dental checkups.
Reduce tooth sensitivity
Enamel is only the outermost layer of a tooth. Underneath it sits dentin, then pulp, then the nerve. Dentin gives your tooth its structure, but on its own, it can’t shield the nerve from hot and cold temperatures, acidic foods, or anything sticky. Once enamel wears thin, that protection breaks down, and sensitive teeth are usually the first sign something’s off. Fluoride treatment and dental sealants help keep enamel strong and intact, so it can keep doing its job of protecting the more sensitive layers underneath.
Prevent and reverse decay
Left untreated, worn enamel will keep breaking down until a cavity forms. And it’s not just about sensitivity, exposed dentin also raises your risk of infection, which can be extremely painful and may require a root canal to save the tooth. The good news is fluoride treatment helps rebuild enamel, while dental sealants shield problem areas from plaque buildup, working together to prevent tooth decay and strengthen your teeth over time.
Save money in the long run
A little prevention now goes a long way later. Fluoride treatment and dental sealants are a relatively affordable option, and choosing them today can help you avoid the far costlier procedures that come with untreated tooth decay down the road.
How Fluoride Treatment and Dental Sealants Are Applied
Fluoride treatment is usually added onto your child’s routine dental cleaning and exam once a year, giving their teeth an extra layer of protection against decay. Dental sealants, on the other hand, are applied as needed, typically after a new molar comes in or if the dentist spots a vulnerable area on the biting surface of a tooth.
Fluoride treatment
The fluoride treatment we use is stronger than anything you’ll find over the counter, since it’s administered by trained dental professionals right in our office. Most commonly, we apply fluoride in the form of a foam or gel placed in an upper and lower tray. The entire process only takes a few minutes at the end of your dental cleaning. To get the maximum benefit from your fluoride treatment, we’ll ask you to avoid eating or drinking for 30 minutes afterward.
Dental Sealant application
Dental sealants are very easy to apply and completely painless. There is no drilling required and you won’t need freezing. The dentist will carefully clean and dry the tooth. A mild acidic gel will be applied to the tooth to make the surface a little rough for the strongest bond. The dentist will rinse the gel off after a few seconds, dry the tooth again and then press and apply sealant into the grooves of the tooth. A special blue light is used to cure the sealant. Your bite should still feel natural and comfortable when it’s done.
Contact us today
to schedule an initial consultation & exam.
Your consultation will include an examination of everything from your teeth, gums and soft tissues to the shape and condition of your bite. Generally, we want to see how your whole mouth looks and functions. Before we plan your treatment we want to know everything about the health and aesthetic of your smile, and most importantly, what you want to achieve so we can help you get there.
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