Dental Sealants Huntersville, NC

A Proactive Approach to Tooth Decay

Protecting your and your child’s oral health from tooth decay may be easier than you’d think. Preventive measures like routine dental visits and a consistent at-home oral hygiene routine are much gentler on the body. However, for patients whose teeth may be susceptible to tooth decay, our family dentist, Dr. Guice, may recommend a dental sealant as extra protection against cavities.

At Lake Norman Dentistry, we use dental sealants as a way to protect teeth and prevent cavities. If you’re a North Carolina patient in Charlotte, Cornelius, Lowesville, or the surrounding areas, we invite you to learn more about this effective and simple preventative care solution for your teeth.

What are Dental Sealants?

Dental sealants are an incredibly thin plastic coating our dentist brushes onto the chewing surfaces of your molars or back teeth to prevent tooth decay. These teeth specifically allow you to break down food thanks to their grooves and peaks. However, food can easily become trapped inside the deep ridges on the chewing surfaces, leading to an increased risk of decay. These areas can be incredibly difficult to thoroughly clean which is why we prevent food and plaque buildup by sealing these ridges.

By preventing food and plaque from becoming stuck in your teeth, the risk of developing cavities is significantly reduced, as it becomes much harder for bacteria to gather. As a result, you and your family may experience less tooth decay, fewer cavities, and the need for dental restorations. This means fewer costly dental appointments.

Dental Sealant Process

The process of placing dental sealants can be done in just one visit to our dentist and is easy, fast, and comfortable. There is no drilling or invasive preparation involved, and the sealant itself doesn’t cause any irritation. Dental sealants are truly an easy and convenient way to prevent cavities.

When you visit our Huntersville, NC dental office, our family dentist Dr. Guice will begin by conducting a thorough examination and taking detailed X-rays of your teeth to see how deep the grooves of your teeth are. This also allows us to check for any signs of tooth decay and other issues, like periodontal disease and oral cancer.

Afterward, we’ll thoroughly clean your teeth before applying a gel to the surface of the tooth that will help the sealant stick. Once the gel dries, our hygienists will rinse and dry your tooth again before finally placing the dental sealants. The sealant is literally painted onto the tooth and sometimes dried with a special dental light. The process only takes a couple of minutes per tooth and is so easy that our patients are usually surprised by how quickly it’s done.

Following placement, we have found that our patients don’t even notice them because dental sealants are completely clear. If you run your tongue along your teeth, you may be able to feel a slight difference but they are smooth and will not feel uncomfortable in any way.