Protect The Teeth
Christmas season is my favorite time of the year. We get to laugh, enjoy our family and gather at the dinner table with lots of comfort food. Also, it’s the best time to bake all those yummy desserts and cookies. My family and I love all the chocolate and cookies we make, but I always have to remind them, as well as my patients, that we need to have moderation and clean those pearly whites after enjoying our desserts. The oral environment can be a very hostile environment and the frequency of exposure to the sugars in our diet increases the risks of dental decay. One of the most common areas to find decay is on the chewing surface (occlusal surface) of our teeth due to the increased surface area created by the grooves and fissures present as normal anatomy of the tooth. Most posterior teeth, premolars and molars, have very pronounced grooves, that if left with food and sugar debris sitting on it, will be the perfect environment to house the dangerous cavity promoting bacteria. Also, most of these crevices are too small, making it almost impossible for the toothbrush bristles to clean the plaque accumulated in it. This is when you will hear us recommending dental sealants as a preventative way to save those areas from decaying. A dental sealant is a safe and non-invasive way to prevent cavities from forming in this occlusal surface. It does not require numbness, it is a very quick and painless procedure. A single sealant will take an average of 1 minute to be done. It consists of chemically preparing the enamel of a clean tooth, placing a dental bonding agent followed by the sealant material, and light curing it. This is all there is to it. Throughout the years sealants have proved to be an extremely effective way to decrease the rate of dental decay. From our dental family to yours, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and let’s protect those pretty teeth!Comments are closed.