Dental Services by Dental Associates

Make Sure Your Children are the Only Ones Eating Their Lunch!

After eating, if your children do not properly clean their teeth, bacteria eats sugar and starch from food and uses it as a source of energy.  The bacteria convert sugar and starch into harmful acids that attack tooth enamel.  If repeated attacks are allowed, they may cause the tooth enamel to break down, which will result in cavities.

Are Some Areas of Teeth Harder to Clean Than Others?

When a tooth is developing, deep grooves from in the biting surfaces of the back teeth.  These grooves are called "fissures."  When two or more fissures intersect, it is called a "pit."  Thorough daily brushing, flossing, and rinsing help remove food particles and bacterial plaque from the smooth surfaces of teeth.  But because toothbrush bristles cannot reach all the way into the pits and fissures, food and bacteria cannot be easily removed.  Tooth sealants protect these vulnerable areas by "sealing out" plaque and food.

Although only 12.5% of all tooth surfaces are chewing surfaces, these surfaces develop more than two-thirds of the total cavities experienced by children.

What is a Tooth Sealant and How Does It Work?

A sealant is a resin material that is usually applied to the pits and fissures of back teeth.  The sealant resin acts as a barrier, protecting the enamel from bacterial plaque in cavity prone areas.  Decay will not start under a tooth sealant because the decay causing bacteria are deprived of the food they need to survive.

Children are much more susceptible to tooth decay than adults.  When possible, sealants should be applied to children's teeth before decay has had a chance to begin.

The National Institute of Health reported that pit and fissure cavities accounted for at least 88% of the total cavities experienced by U.S. School children between 1986 and 1987.

Does the Process Hurt?

Sealants are easy and painless for your dentist to apply, and only takes a few minutes to seal each tooth.  As long as the sealant remains intact, the sealed tooth surface will be protected from decay.  Sealants hold up well under the force of normal chewing and usually last several years.  During your regular dental visits, your dentist will check the condition of the sealants and re-apply them if necessary.

UltraSeal XT plus - The Sealant Your Dentist Uses

When studied over a six month period, UltraSeal XT plus was shown to have a 100% retention rate!  UltraSeal XT plus also has an added benefit, because it releases flouride to the teeth.  When rated by respected independent labs, UltraSeal XT has received such ratings as: "a number 1 choice", "excellent" and "outstanding."

You can feel confident that your dentist has chosen the best sealant available on the market to protect your children's teeth.

Healthy teeth and happy smiles begin at home.

Choosing the right toothpaste and teaching your children good dental habits are important first steps toward a lifetime of healthy teeth.

During infancy and early childhood, your child depends entirely upon you for dental care.  Since decay can begin as soon as baby teeth emerge (between ages 6 and 10 months), you should clean your child's teeth and gums with a damp washcloth or gauze pad after every feeding to remove plaque.  Continue this practice until most of the primary teeth are in.

Babies sleep with a bottle of milk, formula, or fruit juice in their mouths and can suffer severe tooth decay, known as Baby Bottle Tooth Decay.  Use only cool water in the bottle, or a clean pacifier at bedtime.

Until your child can brush his or her own teeth, you may want to hold your child on your lap while teaching him or her to brush properly.

Why are primary teeth so important?

Children need strong healthy primary teeth for proper chewing, speech and appearance.  Primary teeth also reserve space in the jaw for permanent teeth to emerge properly.  If your child loses a primary tooth too early, your dentist may recommend a space maintainer to hold the gap for the permanent tooth.  Otherwise the primary teeth could tilt toward the empty space, possibly causing permanent teeth to grow crooked, requiring more extensive corrective treatment later.

Your dentist may also recommend flouride supplements to help strengthen young teeth against decay.