Sealants are a revolutionary application that helps protect children’s teeth from decay. All molars have deep grooves on the chewing surface, which can easily trap food, promoting decay. Children start getting their first permanent molars around age six or seven, and by age 13, they have all of their back teeth that need to be sealed.

To “seal” a tooth, a thin, tooth-colored, liquid acrylic coating is applied to the grooves on the surface of the molar and then bonded to the tooth with a high-intensity light. The sealant alters the biting surface of the tooth just enough so that food cannot easily become trapped on the tooth surface, thus protecting the tooth from future decay. The process is simple, painless and takes only a few minutes to perform in our office. We can place sealants on your child’s back permanent teeth as they erupt, usually during their routine cleaning appointment.