Sealants – An ounce of prevention is . . .

It’s a beautiful Thursday morning, the sun is out. And I am looking at a set of the most BEAUTIFUL teeth. We are scheduled to place sealants on all his back teeth, and one small filling. A sealant is placed over the grooves to seal out decay. A well placed sealant will prevent teeth from getting cavities in the grooves. All of a sudden the thought hits me, I need to share this teachable moment, I can take some before and after pictures.

Before and After photos

Before Photo. I brought up the photo on the screen, and sure enough, you can see the tooth that has a cavity. It’s a perfect example of why we place sealants. Tooth #19 has a cavity and must be repaired with a filling, Tooth #20 needs a sealant to prevent cavities.	After Photo – Beautiful! Note: For sealants, no anesthesia is required, for most fillings it is. An ounce of prevention (sealants in this case) is worth a pound of cure (a filling).