When you visit our dental practice, we’ll offer preventative care for your oral health in two stages.
- Examining your mouth
Your dentist will examine your mouth in detail, looking for any signs of dental cavities (tooth decay), periodontal disease (gum disease) and other dental diseases. We’ll also check whether there are any issues with your bite or your temporomandibular joint (TMJ).
Your examination also includes digital radiography (x-rays) to give us a more in-depth look at your mouth and an oral cancer screening. We’ll discuss the results of your check-up and order any medications or treatments that you need.
- Cleaning your teeth
It’s also important that any dental plaque and stains are removed from your teeth to reduce the risk of problems occurring. As well as removing these deposits, the fluoride solution we use will also help to strengthen your teeth by protecting them against bacteria and further decay.
- Fissure Sealants are a preventative measure to help protect teeth from decay.
Molar teeth often have deep grooves in the biting and chewing surfaces. The natural action of chewing food can press small food particles into these grooves. Even the very best home dental hygiene practices may not fully remove these particles. This leaves the tooth prone to decay.
Many studies have shown that fissure sealants are effective in reducing the occurrence of tooth decay. On a tooth surface with completely sealed fissures, protection levels are at their best. Fissure sealants will wear down over time therefore protection will be reduced as time goes by. In saying this, even after five years, a protected tooth has half the risk of decay in comparison to an unprotected tooth.
- Treatment of deep fissures is a non-invasive and painless procedure, with a coat of sealant applied to a cleaned tooth.
- The sealant sets in minutes and forms a physical barrier that stops food, bacteria and plaque acids from contacting the tooth.
- Fissure sealants are typically white, clear or tinted to blend into the shade of the tooth surface.
- Most sealants are applied to the premolars and molars, however, any tooth that has fissures can be treated including incisors.
- Fissure sealants do wear away gradually over a few years and need to be reapplied.
If you think you need fissure sealants and would like to check the health of your teeth or are overdue for a dental check-up, please call Preston Dental Group on (03) 9484 4477 or book online.
We look forward to seeing you soon.