According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, tooth decay and cavities affect nearly 90% of adults aged 20-64. Tooth decay or cavities are a severe dental issue since they cause permanent damage to your tooth. The decay begins in the enamel and can extend to the tooth root, causing severe pain and discomfort. If left untreated, tooth decay can cause serious complications like gum disease, jawbone infections, and tooth loss.

Fortunately, the onset of tooth decay can be detected during routine dental checks. Your dentist can recommend various procedures, including dental sealants, to stop tooth decay.

A dental sealant is a thin coating that dentists apply to the surface of your molars or premolars to protect your teeth from acids and bacteria that cause tooth decay. Sealants are an effective, long-lasting, and easy option to prevent further tooth decay. The effectiveness of your dental sealant procedure will depend on the type of care you receive. Therefore, you must consult a knowledgeable dentist.

Understanding Sealants for Tooth Decay

Tooth decay and cavities affect people of all ages. This condition damages your tooth enamel and can progress to the tooth pulp, causing severe pain and discomfort.

Proper oral hygiene is the best way to prevent tooth decay and cavities. For example, brushing at least twice a day and regularly flossing.

However, these practices may not effectively remove tartar and plaque from teeth. When food particles are left in teeth and gums, they could cause cavities. The dental sealant procedure is a standard safety net that stops tooth decay in adults and children.

Research shows that dental sealants reduce the risk of tooth decay by up to 80% when applied before two years of life. For children who have the sealants applied for four years, the risk of tooth decay drops 50%.

Dental sealants are made of thin plastic, which does not make teeth feel bulky but protects them from bacteria that cause decay. A dentist can recommend sealants for individuals with healthy teeth and those with the onset of tooth decay. Sealants can protect teeth from decay and cavities if they are healthy. This procedure will prevent further decay in patients with signs of tooth decay.

Ways through Which Dental Sealants Stop Tooth Decay

Dentists offer numerous services to keep your teeth healthy and maintain your pearly-white smile. However, tooth decay is among the most commonly treated dental issues in the American population. Often, tooth decay is associated with diet choices, oral hygiene practices, and overall health.

Tooth decay that is not treated for a long time can cause complete damage to your tooth and further complications like gum disease. If this happens, you could lose the tooth, requiring costly and sometimes painful dental procedures to replace it. Fortunately, sealants can not only prevent tooth decay but can also stop it in its early stages.

Some of the ways in which dental sealants stop tooth decay include:

Sealants are a Protective Barrier for the Tooth

We consume numerous food categories daily to nourish our bodies and maintain a balanced diet. At your routine dental appointments, your dentist will recommend that you stick with healthy foods and avoid excessive sugar, such as sweets, starchy foods, and sticky snacks.

However, some foods are essential to the diet and cannot be avoided altogether. Even for individuals maintaining a healthy diet, sugar is likely to be a byproduct of this diet. When the sugar reacts with bacteria in your mouth, it produces acids that could erode your tooth enamel, causing decay and cavities.

Dental sealants are an effective way to stop tooth decay. This is done by protecting your tooth surface from mouth conditions. The ability of dental sealants to effectively stop tooth decay will be determined by the stage at which the condition is detected. The process of tooth decay takes these steps:

  • Initial Demineralization

The enamel is the hardest part of your tooth and is made of minerals that keep it strong for proper function. Tooth decay begins when the enamel loses its minerals through demineralization, which occurs when the tooth is exposed to bacteria and acids from leftover food particles.

Diagnosing tooth decay at this stage could be challenging. Therefore, you must make regular dental appointments.

  • Enamel Decay

The enamel wears down when the tooth's exposure to bacteria and acids is prolonged. As the surface erodes, you may notice darkening parts on the tooth enamel. Using dental sealants at this point could help stop the progression of tooth decay.

  • Dentin Decay

Dentin is a soft tissue that lies below the tooth enamel and is a sensitive part of the tooth. When tooth decay reaches the dentin, it will progress faster than on the tooth enamel. If your tooth decay reaches this point, you may experience sensitivity. The progression of tooth decay detected at this point can still be stopped with sealants. However, applying the sealant may require a root canal and dental filling.

  • Pulp Damage

The pulp is the part of your tooth containing blood vessels and nerves. When the tooth decay progresses to the pulp, you could experience severe pain and irritation in the affected tooth.

  • Abscess

As the tooth decay advances into the pulp, you could develop an infection and inflammation around the gums. A tooth abscess can cause pain that radiates to the jaw.

Brushing, flossing, and rinsing your mouth could remove leftover food particles and deter acid activity. However, acid attacks your teeth through the demineralization process. If you experience frequent acid attacks, your tooth enamel will be weakened, increasing the risk of decay.

Dental sealants are placed on the surface of molars and premolars to act as a barrier between teeth, oral acids, and bacteria that cause tooth decay. This is done by closing the pits on the tooth’s biting surface where food particles and bacteria could build up.

Although you should continue watching your diet and maintaining proper oral hygiene, sealants will protect your teeth from decay and cavities.

Sealants Simplify Teeth Cleaning

Your oral health is significantly dependent on your oral hygiene practices. Oral hygiene involves brushing and flossing your teeth regularly. However, for molars and premolars, food particles could stick on the grooves that help with chewing and grinding the food. These areas are more challenging to clean, thus increasing the risk of decay and cavities in these teeth.

Dental sealants smooth the surfaces of the molars and premolars. This prevents sticky foods from remaining on your teeth when you chew. Additionally, the sealants help ensure proper tooth brushing by smoothing the surfaces.

Sealants Offer Long-Term Production

Tooth decay is a likely complication even for individuals who practice good oral hygiene and make regular dental visits. Exposing your teeth to different circumstances, like mouth acid, injury from chewing hard foods, and bacteria, could cause tooth decay. Dental sealants offer protection for your teeth for up to ten years without needing replacement.

During this period, your teeth will be protected from conditions predisposing you to cavities. The longevity of your dental implants depends on how well they are applied. Therefore, you should consult a competent dentist for this procedure.

Your dentist will determine whether you are a good candidate for sealants before recommending this procedure for tooth decay. Although dental sealants offer many benefits for a patient, the procedure may be contraindicated under the following circumstances:

  • Your Behavior Does Not Create a Dry Field for Applying the Sealants.

Dental sealants must be applied to a dry surface. Therefore, after cleaning your tooth surface, your dentist allows the place to dry. If your anxiety and other behaviors do not allow your tooth surface to remain dry, you cannot be a good candidate for the procedure.

  • You Have Dental Carries on Other Tooth Surfaces.

Dental sealant is applied to the surfaces of the molars and premolars to protect the tooth from decay and cavities. You may be a good candidate for the procedure if you have mild tooth decay on the tooth surface. However, if your tooth has decay on other parts, dental sealants may not be effective in protecting you from further cavities.

  • You have Extensive Restoration on the Tooth.

Your dentist can apply sealants to teeth that have already been treated with other procedures. However, if you have large occlusal restorations, the sealant may not be effective.

Alternative Ways to Stop Tooth Decay

Tooth decay is a slow and gradual process that you interrupt or reverse when detected early. Dental sealants are a commonly recommended procedure to prevent and stop tooth decay before it causes further damage to your teeth. Other ways through which you can stop cavities include:

Use Flouride

As tooth decay progresses to form cavities, the tooth loses minerals and forms spots around the enamel. Fluoride is a natural element that strengthens teeth and prevents decay. Studies show that fluoride from different sources is the best way to prevent cavities. This includes drinking fluoridated water, brushing with fluoride toothpaste at least twice daily, and using fluoride mouthwash.

Fluoride protects teeth from decay by increasing their resistance to bacteria and acids that erode tooth enamel. Additionally, fluoride strengthens teeth, making them withstand chewing and biting pressure. Fluoride is not only valuable for preventing cavities but can also help stop the progression of tooth decay.

Undergoing a fluoride treatment can derail tooth decay and save your tooth from further complications. Fluoride treatment involves the following steps:

  • Teeth Cleaning

Before applying fluoride to your teeth, your dentist will perform scaling, root planing, and cleaning. This removes tartar and plaque that may be stuck between your teeth and gums.

  • Application of Topical Fluoride

Your dentist will apply topical fluoride to your cleaned teeth. If a fluoride gel is applied, the dentist will place it on a tray and use it on your dried teeth.

  • Post-Procedure Care

After a fluoride treatment, your dentist will advise avoiding drinking, eating, or rinsing your mouth. This allows the fluoride to enter your tooth.

If you undergo a fluoride treatment in the early stages of tooth decay, the process could stop or slow down, allowing you to seek further treatment.

Crowns

A crown is a tooth-shaped cap that restores a broken, decayed, or damaged tooth. Depending on your preference, dental crowns are made of different materials, including porcelain, metal, and ceramic. The dentist can recommend a crown for individuals with progressive tooth decay that has damaged part of the enamel. The crown will strengthen the tooth's structure and protect it from outside conditions to prevent further decay.

Root Canal

Root canal treatment involves removing the tooth pulp, which contains nerves and blood vessels. Your dentist can recommend a root canal if you have severe tooth decay or a serious tooth injury. You could be a good candidate for a root canal if your tooth decay is accompanied by severe toothache, jaw pain, and sensitivity.

A root canal is a surgical procedure that requires anesthesia to perform. When the nerves and blood vessels are removed, the tooth decay will stop. However, since a hold will be left where the dentist inserted the dental tools into the pulp, you may need other procedures like fillings.

Find Expert Dental Services Near Me

Tooth decay is caused by bacteria buildup from leftover food particles. The bacteria produce acids that erode the tooth enamel. If tooth decay is detected early on, there are several ways to prevent it from progressing and causing other oral health complications.

Your dentist could recommend dental sealants to protect your teeth from tooth decay and stop the progression of oral health conditions. The sealants create a barrier between your tooth and mouth, which could expose the tooth to bacteria and decay. Also, the sealants make cleaning your teeth easy, preventing plaque and bacteria from sticking to the tooth surface.

At Washington Dental, we understand tooth decay's impact on oral health. We offer fast, safe, and reliable dental care services for our patients seeking a solution for tooth decay in Carson, Los Angeles, Lomita, and Torrance, CA. Contact us at 310-217-1507 to book an appointment.