How long will sealants last?
Sealants should last about five years although some may last for up to ten years. Sealants should not be considered as permanent and regular dental checkups are necessary. Who should receive sealants? Sealants are overcoming the age barrier. Most individuals have existing pits and grooves in their teeth. Since research shows that almost everybody has a 95% chance of experiencing decay in the grooves of teeth, it goes without saying that sealants aren’t just for kids anymore. Adults can benefit from sealants. Bottom-line: prevention starts with sealing at-risk teeth no matter what the age! How are sealants applied? The dentist or dental hygienist will isolate the tooth or teeth to be treated. An etching gel is applied to the tooth and rinsed after 15 seconds. The site is dried and the sealant material is applied and hardened by a special curing light. The “bite” is checked and that is all there is to it.
Sealants should last five years, but can last as long as 10 years. One study reported that seven years after application, an impressive 49 percent of treated teeth were still completely covered. Sealants are not permanent. Regular dental check-ups are necessary to keep track of the sealants’ effectiveness. Who should receive sealant treatment? Children, because they have newly erupted, permanent teeth, receive the greatest benefit from sealants. The chewing surfaces of children’s teeth are most susceptible to caries and the least benefited by fluoride. Surveys show that approximately two-thirds of all cavities occur in pits and fissures of children’s newly erupted teeth. However, averages of only 7.6 percent of all school-aged children currently have dental sealants. Many other patients also can benefit from sealant placement, particularly patients who have newly erupted teeth with pits and fissures, those who have existing pits and fissures susceptible to decay, and those who for a va
