Preventive & Family Care
Dental Sealants in Jenkintown, PA
A thin barrier over the grooves where decay usually starts.
The chewing surface of a back tooth is not flat. It is a landscape of pits and grooves, some of them narrower than a toothbrush bristle. A sealant fills those grooves with a thin resin so food and plaque have nowhere to settle.
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Sealants at MVP Family Dental
Most decay in children and teenagers does not start on the smooth outer faces of the teeth. It starts in the grooves on top of the molars, because those grooves are too narrow for a brush bristle to reach the bottom of.
A sealant does not treat anything. It closes the groove before there is anything to treat, which is why it is done as soon as the tooth is fully through rather than later on.
How they go on
Placed in one visit
Nothing is drilled and nothing is removed. The tooth is prepared, the resin is flowed into the grooves and set, and the bite is checked.
- Cleaning the surfaceThe chewing surface is cleaned and dried so the resin can bond to clean enamel.
- Preparing the enamelA conditioning gel is applied briefly to give the surface texture for the sealant to hold on to, then rinsed away.
- Flowing in the resinThe sealant is placed into the grooves so it fills them level, and set with a curing light.
- Checking the biteWe check that the sealed surface meets the opposing tooth the way it did before, and adjust if it does not.
Where they go
The teeth that need them most
Sealants are for grooved chewing surfaces. Which teeth, and when, follows the order the permanent teeth arrive in.
- First permanent molarsThey arrive behind the baby teeth without anything falling out first, so they are easy to miss.
- Second permanent molarsFurther back and harder to brush well, which is exactly why the grooves are worth closing.
- PremolarsSealed where the grooves are deep enough to hold plaque.
- Deeply grooved adult teethSealants are not only for children – an adult tooth with sharp, deep fissures can be sealed too.
Is a sealant right
When we recommend one
A sealant only works over sound enamel. If there is already decay in a groove, the tooth needs treating rather than sealing, so the decision is made after we have looked at the tooth and, where useful, at an X-ray of it.
- Newly eruptedThe best moment is soon after the tooth is fully through the gum.
- Groove depthSharp, deep fissures benefit most; shallow ones may not need sealing at all.
- Sound enamelThe surface has to be free of decay before anything is sealed over it.
Worth asking about
- Which of your child’s teeth are through and ready to be sealed.
- Whether existing sealants are still intact.
- How sealants sit alongside brushing, flossing and diet.
- What to watch for if a sealant chips.
Looking after them
Checked at every visit
Sealants wear. They take the full force of chewing, and pieces can chip off over time, so they are checked at each routine visit and topped up or replaced when they need it.
They also do not protect the sides of the teeth, which is where flossing still matters. A sealed molar with plaque between it and its neighbor can still decay.
Closing a groove before anything gets into it is the cheapest dentistry there is.
MVP Family Dental · Jenkintown, PA
The short answer
A dental sealant is a thin resin coating flowed into the pits and grooves on the chewing surface of a back tooth and set hard, so plaque and food have nowhere to collect. Most decay in children and teenagers starts in those grooves rather than on the smooth outer faces of the teeth, because the grooves are too narrow for a brush bristle to reach the bottom of. Nothing is drilled and nothing is removed, and a sealant is placed over sound enamel soon after the tooth has fully come through.
Dental Sealant Questions
- What is a dental sealant?
- A dental sealant is a thin resin coating flowed into the pits and grooves of a chewing surface and set hard, so plaque and food cannot collect in them. The chewing surface of a back tooth is not flat; it is a landscape of pits and grooves, some narrower than a toothbrush bristle. A sealant does not treat anything, it closes the groove before there is anything to treat. The bite is checked afterwards so the sealed surface meets the opposing tooth as it did before.
- Does having a sealant placed hurt?
- No. Nothing is drilled and no anesthetic is needed. The chewing surface is cleaned and dried, a conditioning gel is applied briefly and rinsed away, and the resin is flowed into the grooves and set with a curing light. It is placed in a single visit.
- Are sealants only for children?
- No. They are most commonly placed on children’s permanent molars, because that is where most decay at that age starts. An adult tooth with sharp, deep, sound grooves can be sealed as well. Groove depth is what decides it rather than age.
- How long does a sealant last?
- Sealants wear, because they take the full force of chewing, and pieces can chip off over time. They are checked at every routine visit and topped up or replaced when they need it. There is no fixed interval, which is why the check matters more than a date.
- Can decay start under a sealant?
- That is why the tooth is examined first. A sealant only works over sound enamel, so if there is already decay in a groove the tooth is treated rather than sealed. The decision is made after looking at the tooth and, where useful, at an X-ray of it.
- Do sealants replace brushing?
- No. A sealant only covers the chewing surface, and it does not protect the sides of the teeth. A sealed molar with plaque between it and its neighbor can still decay. Brushing and flossing carry on exactly as before.
- Do sealants show?
- They sit down in the grooves and are close to tooth-colored, so they are not noticeable in normal use. They fill the grooves level rather than sitting on top of the tooth. The bite is checked and adjusted if the sealed surface does not meet the opposing tooth the way it did before.
- When should my child have them?
- Soon after each permanent molar has fully come through the gum, which is the best moment to place one. First permanent molars arrive behind the baby teeth without anything falling out first, so they are easy to miss. Ask at your child’s next visit which teeth are through and ready to be sealed, and whether existing sealants are still intact.
Dr. Vineetha Thomas, D.M.D.
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Dr. Priya Mathew, D.M.D.
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