The molars and premolars in the back of your child’s mouth are important for efficiently chewing and grinding the foods they eat. It’s relatively common for permanent back teeth to emerge from the gums with deep textures in the tooth enamel on the biting surfaces. These areas could potentially trap bacterial deposits and food material, fostering a large cavity.
To treat this severe of a problem, Dr. Jennifer Morgan might need to apply inlay or onlay dental fillings. As the years go by, these fillings could become troublesome or they might need to be replaced by dental crowns.
If our DentalWorks dentist notices a problem like this, he might recommend protecting the teeth with dental sealants. These are a durable, plastic, resin shells that he can paint onto the biting surface of each back tooth. It’s best to do this at the end of the dental cleaning to ensure that the tooth enamel is sufficiently free of bacteria.
A special dental-grade ultraviolet light will be used to harden the resin. Should plaque and food particles get stuck in the occlusal surfaces, the resin effectively prevents bacteria from having direct access to the tooth enamel.
Dental sealants are very durable and can help protect the biting surfaces of the back teeth for several years. Even though their teeth are protected, you should still encourage them to brush the biting surfaces of the teeth twice a day. The durable resin will endure regular wear, tear, and brushing for many years.
If you live in the Athens, Texas, area and you are interested in cavity prevention on your child’s back teeth, you should call 903-675-0023 to schedule a checkup with dental sealants at DentalWorks.