What is a Dental Sealant?
A dental sealant is a simple, non-surgical procedure in which a composite coating that matches the color of your tooth is painted onto the surface of the tooth. This "seals" the deep grooves on permanent molars and thus reduces the risk of cavities by 80%.
Sealants prevent cavities by providing a layer of protection that acts as a barrier from the food particles and plaque that cannot be removed with brushing alone. With a hassle-free application, it only takes a few minutes to seal each tooth. Sealants are usually applied to children's molars when their permanent set grows in. Around this time, the teeth are at a higher risk of developing cavities, because of the deep grooves that form on their surface. When a tooth is sealed, however, its surface becomes much more smooth, making it much more difficult to house plaque and develop decay
