Dental Sealants/Protective Resin Restorations in Spring Branch & Memorial, Houston, TX

Natural teeth are precious. Once the permanent teeth are lost, they will not come back. Therefore, at Lifeworks Dental, we use various preventive measures to prevent your teeth from cavities and infection. Most important among these preventive measures are the dental sealants and protective resin restorations (PRR). While both these treatment options are aimed at preventing your teeth and preserving your smile, they differ in properties and mode of action. Continue reading to find out how we can help you retain your smile with these preventive dental treatment options.

Everything you need to Know about Dental Sealants

What are Dental Sealants?

Dental sealants are plastic coatings which are applied to the chewing surfaces of back teeth, the molars and premolars, to prevent them from tooth decay. The Application of dental sealants is a relatively simple procedure, and requires only few minutes to complete on each tooth.

Who can benefit from Dental Sealants at Lifeworks Dental?

Generally, dental sealants are indicated for individuals who have deep pits and fissures on their molar and premolar teeth. Here a few situations where dental sealants can be ideally used:

• Cavity Prevention of Permanent Teeth – dental sealants are mostly applied on the back teeth of children which have deep pits and fissures. However, they can also be applied on other permanent teeth, if they deep grooves which can cause food retention and plaque deposition.
• Cavity Prevention of Primary Teeth – dental sealants are also useful in cases where primary teeth in children have very deep pits and fissures, which can create problems in future.
• Adult Patients – although not frequent, but sometimes dental sealants have to be applied on permanent teeth in adults, who are at an increased risk of dental caries.

Why are Dental Sealants Placed on Teeth at Lifeworks Dental?

Our back teeth, the molars and premolars have deep grooves on their surface, known as the pits /fissures. Sometimes, these fissures are so thin that the bristles of a toothbrush are unable to adequately clean the area, resulting plaque and tartar deposition and promoting bacterial replication and colonization. The acid produced by the bacterial colonies results in damage to the enamel and dentine, thereby causing teeth cavities. In order to prevent such a situation, we recommend dental sealants to prevent tooth decay.

Everything You Need to Know About Preventive Resin Restorations (PRR)

The preventive resin restorations can be considered as a “more conservative” form of teeth fillings. In case of regular teeth fillings, the filing material extends into both the enamel and dentine. However, the preventive resin restorations are applied only on the enamel. Tooth colored resin composites are used for placing preventive resin restorations.

What’s the Difference between Dental Sealants and Preventive Resin Restorations (PRR)?

Like the dental sealants, the purpose of preventive resin restorations (PRR) is to prevent the teeth from demineralization and decay. However, there are some distinctive differences between both these treatment options.

• Clinical Service Life – while dental sealants only tend to last for about 6-8 years, preventive resin restorations can last much longer and sometimes for a lifetime.
• Fluoride Release – dental sealants have an additional benefit of releasing fluorides and preventive secondary caries. On the other hand, fluoride release is not present in preventive resin restorations.
• Indications – dental sealants are usually applied on those teeth which do not contain any discoloration or demineralization. On the other hand, preventive resin restorations are reserved for teeth with very deep grooves or those that already have tiny cavities within enamel on the biting surfaces of the molars or premolars.
• Cost – owing to their increased durability, preventive resin restorations cost more in comparison to the dental sealants.

Which Option is Suitable for Me?

A dentist is the best person to guide you regarding the best option among dental sealants and preventive resin restorations. Visit us today at Lifeworks Dental, and let us preserve your pearly white teeth with preventive treatment. Both these procedures are simple and quick to perform, and do not require any form of local anesthesia.

At lifeworks Dental, we believe that prevention is better than cures. Preventive dental treatment will go a long way in making sure that you retain your smile and perfect set of teeth throughout life.