However, the most decay-prone areas of teeth are the grooves and depressions on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth, which require further preventive care. To prevent decay, a plastic-like coating called a sealant should be painted on the chewing surfaces of all the back teeth. The American Dental Association recommends sealants be placed as soon as the first adult back teeth come in at age 6 or 7. Sealants should continue to be used as each adult back tooth comes into the mouth. All back teeth that need to be sealed are present by age 13.
Sealant application is simple, fast, and painless.
Please call our office with any questions you may have about the benefits using a sealant in preventing dental decay. For over 100 years, dentistry has restored teeth primarily with a material made of mercury and silver. It has done its job well, although we have had to live with its weaknesses. Those weaknesses consist of cracking teeth due to expansion of the material, and restorations turning black as the silver in the material corrodes. Now, we have many ways to provide tooth-colored restorations.