Dental Sealants in Kearney, NE

Having excellent dental hygiene will keep your smile beautiful throughout your life. However, most children are not concerned with how their teeth look tomorrow, much less in 40 years. Our dentist at Platte Valley Dental Clinic can help keep kids’ teeth healthy by using dental sealants to prevent cavities.

What is a Sealant?

A dental sealant is a plastic barrier that forms over teeth and can help reduce cavities by up to 80 percent. A sealant is a liquid, medical-grade resin that adheres to enamel and shrinks around teeth as it dries. Dr. Eric Ahrens applies the liquid with a small brush and uses a curing light to dry the material.

Our dentist near you brushes the sealant over the tops of your child’s chewing teeth, which are the premolars and molars. The barrier keeps food particles and drinks residues from getting between or in teeth crevices to prevent tooth decay from forming as the residues break down.

When Can Kids Get Sealants?

Children can have sealants in Kearney, NE applied to their teeth starting around five to seven years old when their first permanent molars emerge. Another set comes in at about 12, so our dentist can apply more sealant after the molars break through the gums.

The third set of molars do not emerge until the ages of 17 to 21. Since many people do not have room in their mouths for these teeth or they become impacted, a dentist usually extracts them. However, for those whose wisdom teeth grow in correctly, they can get them sealed as well.

Repairing Sealant Damage

During examinations of your teeth, our dentist will examine your sealant for damage. Chewing and talking can cause wear to a sealant like rips or holes in it. Fortunately, it is easy for a dentist to fix a sealant.

They will brush the resin liquid over holes or rips in the sealant and dry it. If the damage is severe, our dentist in Kearney, NE will remove it and apply more sealant. If you want to protect your children’s teeth, call Platte Valley Dental Clinic to make an appointment with Dr. Eric Ahrens for sealants near you.