Dental sealants are categorized under preventative care, mainly on newly erupted teeth in the back. They are thin resin base flowable paste that covers the chewing surface of newly erupted back teeth.

Studies have shown that majority of early teen cavities happen on chewing surface of the back teeth because of narrow pits and grooves on newly erupted teeth. Bacteria and food can easily get trapped in those pits and fissures and increase the chance of getting cavities.

The flowable resin fills and bonds to the grooves of the back teeth and works as a protective shield over the outer surface of the tooth called enamel.

At Angelenosmile we believe in prevention as much as treatments, that’s why we recommend sealants on newly erupted teeth mainly kids and teenagers as well as for adults with more groovy natural tooth structure.

Although sealants are mainly recommended for newly erupted permanent molars and pre molars, they can be beneficiary for primary teeth with more groovy structure.
As Kids need healthy teeth to be able to chew food properly. Primary teeth play an important role of keeping the space for adult teeth.

How are Dental sealants done?

The procedure is very easy and fast, does not need anesthesia of any kind.
Teeth need to be thoroughly cleaned and free of plaque and debris. Next step is isolation, all teeth in the same quadrant will be isolated with cotton and dried with air. Acid etch will be used to clean the teeth and make the surface roughened to increase bonding surfaces of resin and teeth. After 20 seconds Acid will be thoroughly washed and teeth will be dried. Now sealant material will be applied to the chewing surface of the teeth and cured to get hard with curing light.

Here at Angelenosmile we only do sealants for the teeth that are completely caries free, if there is initiation of cavity on any permanent molar or premolar we won’t do sealant so we can observe the tooth more carefully. If there is initiation of cavity sealants may hide the caries and they can get larger over time.

Frequently asked questions:

1- How long do dental sealants last?

They can last up to 10 years and protect the occlusal (chewing surface) of teeth. However they can get chipped and might need replacement or repair, which can be checked by dentist on your routine exam and cleaning sessions

2- Does my insurance covers it?

Most insurance have coverage for molar teeth for teenagers, they are many plans. You can call your insurance to find out about age limit as well as frequency of your benefits.

3- Do front teeth ever need sealant?

Yes, front teeth might occasionally need sealants if they have deep pits and fissures specially on palatal site of upper front teeth.

At Angeleno Smile our dentists are recommending Sealants and other type of preventive care to all our children and adult patient.

We are providers for most dental insurances and w are walking distance from UCLA campus. We also have many patients from Westwood, Santa Monica, Brentwood and West Los Angeles area