Now that we’re finally getting past this dopey virus and our kids are headed back to real class this fall, you’ll be busy getting new backpacks, pencil sets, ring binders, and the like. But when making your back-to-school list, don’t forget something with Dr. Egger — having him protect their teeth with dental sealants. 

Dental sealants are probably the single best way to prevent decay beyond good daily home hygiene. Dr. Egger places sealants on our younger patients’ teeth as a preventative measure. 

What are sealants? 

Sealants on your teeth are similar in concept to sealants on cement, your deck, or even something like ScotchGuard on your snow pants for skiing at Boyne Mountain. But rather than repelling water, dental sealants fill in gaps or crevasses in a patient’s molars. Dr. Egger uses an incredibly strong resin or glass ionomer and paints it on the chewing surfaces of the molars. The sealant goes down into the gaps and fills them in, bonding to the tooth enamel and forming a protective shield on those teeth. 

Why does my kid need sealants? 

While the genetic materials you’ve passed on to your children give them their eye and hair color, predisposition to height, and the like, you’ve also passed on things like teeth that have formed with deep crevasses or pits in them. While not inherently a problem, cleaning them is a problem. It’s almost impossible to get into the pits and get the food out. So, when that food sits in there, bacteria are soon to follow. And bacteria are the demons behind tooth decay. Sealants keep the bacteria out by filling in the pits and crevasses. 

What ages should get sealants? 

Dr. Egger believes just about all kids and teens with even moderate grooves in their molars should have sealants applied. This protects the teeth during the cavity-prone years, ages six to 14. Adults can also opt to have sealants applied to protect teeth that haven’t had a filling. 

How are sealants applied? 

Applying sealants is simple. 

1.   First, the teeth are thoroughly cleaned.
2.   Each tooth to be sealed is dried.
3.   An acid solution is put on the chewing surface of each molar to create a rougher surface for the sealant to bond to.
4.   This is then rinsed, and the teeth again dried.
5.   Sealant is painted onto the tooth and a curing light is used to harden the sealant.

Sealants usually last 10 years or so, but they can last far longer. What counts is to have them in place during childhood. 

Next time you schedule an appointment for your child with Dr. Egger, mention that you’d like to have sealants applied. Call us at (989) 773-3560 to make an appointment.

While the prospect of not watching the Red Wings in the NHL playoffs for a second straight year is depressing, it’s not as depressing as your children having lots of cavities. Sure, they eat more Red Vines than beets, more Sour Patch Kids than Granny Smith apples, but why do they get cavities? Haven’t you heard that cavities are kind of a thing of the past?

They could be for your kids if you come in and have Dr. Egger place sealants in their molars.

What are sealants?

Sealants are a thin plastic coating that is painted onto the chewing surfaces of the molars. The sealant is cured with a special light and fills in the depressions and grooves in the molars, bonding to the teeth and forming a protective shield on those teeth.

Who should get sealants?

Dr, Eggers recommends that children and teenagers with even moderate grooves in their teeth should get sealants. Why? This protects the teeth during the most cavity-prone years, ages six to 14. Adults can also get sealants on their molars that haven’t developed any decay and are without fillings.

How are sealants applied?

Applying sealants is simple. This is how Dr. Egger does it.

1. First, the teeth are thoroughly cleaned.
2. Each tooth to be sealed is dried.
3. An acid solution is put on the chewing surface of each molar to create a rougher surface for the sealant to bond to.
4. This is then rinsed and the teeth again dried.
5. Sealant is painted onto the tooth and a curing light is used to harden the sealant.

How long do sealants last?

Sealants usually last 10 years or so, but they can last far longer. The important thing is to have them on the teeth during youth.

Having sealants is about the best preventive dental care your child can have. After all, we know they aren’t always the most diligent brushers and flossers. Plus, there are those tasty Red Vines to consider.

Call Dr. Egger at (989) 773-3560 to make your appointment to have him put sealants on your kids’ teeth.

Sealing Out the Decay

After dealing with -30 temperatures, ice dams, and another long Michigan winter, many of us think about sealants, as in how to keep our darn roof from leaking during the cold months.

Dr. Egger thinks of different sealants. Dental sealants. And if you have kids, so should you.

What are dental sealants?

Dental sealants are liquid plastic that is used to fill in the deep pits and fissures in the molars and premolars. By filling these creases, it helps prevent decay from getting down in there and setting up shop.

Why does my kid need sealants?

The chewing surfaces of the molars and premolars have grooves, also known as fissures, which make them susceptible to decay setting in. Some people have deeper fissures than others. They can be very deep and difficult to clean. Some can be very narrow, as well, so that anything more than a single bristle can’t get in there. But bacteria can. As plaque builds in these crevices the bacteria digest food particles and create acid. This acid attacks the tooth enamel and creates a cavity.

Where are sealants placed?

Dr. Egger places sealants on the chewing surfaces of the molars and premolars. He fills in the fissures and this precludes bacteria from getting down in there. You may think that placing plastic on your molars would affect your bite, but he only places it down into the fissures. This doesn’t affect the patient’s bite in any way.

How are sealants placed?

We first clean the teeth thoroughly. Next Dr. Egger washes the individual teeth to receive the sealant, and he dries the teeth with air. Next he places an acidic solution on the fissured area of the tooth’s chewing surface for a number of seconds and then rinses this off. This solution slightly roughs the enamel of the area, which helps the sealant adhere to the enamel. The tooth is dried again, and then Dr. Egger places the liquid sealant down into the fissure, removing any that is above the fissure. To harden the liquid plastic a special light is directed down onto the sealant and it instantly cures and hardens. There isn’t any waiting time or anything — the tooth can chew normally immediately. But now it is protected.

Sealants should be placed as soon as the permanent molars and premolars erupt from the gums. This usually progresses up until about age 13.

Is it time for your next exam and professional cleaning with Dr. Egger and our team? Call us at (989) 773-3560 to make your appointment.

Now that everyone with a brain is concerned about global warming, we see a lot more glaciers in the news, even though they are melting faster than ever. Still, we get to see all of those cool cracks, fissures, and crevasses.

That’s kind of what Dr. Egger sees when he looks at the molars of some of his younger patients. It’s nothing the patient has done (it’s just genes), but his or her teeth have deep pits in them. The problem is that food and other debris can get stuck down in these pits/fissures and no matter how good your hygiene you can’t get it out. This leads to decay, which leads to a cavity or worse.

That’s why Dr. Egger recommends the application of dental sealants to the molars of his younger patients.

Like FlexSeal, but not in an infomercial

You’ve probably seen the dude filling gaps in the floor and wall with rubbery FlexSeal in myriad infomercials. Sealing teeth isn’t all that different, but Dr. Egger uses plastic instead of rubber.

Sealants are made of plastic. The teeth to be filled are first thoroughly cleaned. Then the sealant, in liquid form, is painted onto the molars. The liquid sealant flows down and fills up the troughs. Once we are satisfied that we’ve created a seal without gaps or holes, the sealant is cured with a special light, bonding it to the teeth and forming a protective shield on those teeth.

Who should get sealants?

Dr. Egger recommends that children and teenagers with even moderate grooves receive sealants. This protects the teeth during the most cavity-prone years, ages six to 14. Adults can also get sealants on their molars that haven’t developed and decay and are without fillings.

How are sealants applied?

Applying sealants is simple.

1.First, the teeth are thoroughly cleaned.
2.Each tooth to be sealed is dried.
3.An acid solution is put on the chewing surface of each molar to create a rougher surface for the sealant to bond to.
4.This is then rinsed and the teeth again dried.
5.The sealant is painted onto the tooth, and a curing light is used to harden the sealant.

How long do sealants last?

Sealants usually last 10 years or so, but they can last far longer. The important thing is to have them on the teeth during youth.

If you have children, they should probably have their teeth sealed. Call Dr. Egger at 989-773-3560 to make an appointment.

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Are you struggling with possible Periodontal Disease? Here are some of the treatments that we offer.

Pits are the pits, to be less than creative in word diversity. Think about it. Who likes their armpits? And when life is the “pits” there’s not much fun happening. Pits in peaches and avocadoes? All they do is get in the way. And what about Poe’s pit in the Pit and the Pendulum? Creepy.

All of those pits, however, pale in comparison to what pits in your molars can do to your teeth. Those pits are little devils that harbor bits of food that, if they do a good enough job hiding, can then start the unfortunate process of tooth decay. The problem is that no matter how diligent you are with your trusty toothbrush, you can’t get down in those pits. And that’s the pits.

That’s where sealants from Dr. Egger come in.

What are sealants?

One way to think of dental sealants is equating them with summer roadwork in Michigan. When we’re on our way to the U.P. or the nearest lake, we’re likely to run into road crews either repaving or simply filling potholes with asphalt. Sealants do a similar job; they fill the potholes in our molars. Dr. Egger uses a strong resin or glass ionomer that is painted onto the chewing surfaces of the molars. The sealant is cured with a special light and fills in the depressions and grooves in the molars, bonding to the teeth and forming a protective shield on those teeth. Now, food can’t get down into the pits and attract bacteria.

Who needs sealants?

Dr. Egger recommends that children and teenagers with even moderate grooves in their teeth should get sealants. The reason for this is simple prevention. The ages from 6 to 14 are the most cavity-prone years and sealants can head off some of these potential cavities. Adults can also get sealants on their molars that haven’t developed any decay and are without fillings.

How are sealants applied?

Applying sealants is simple.

1. First, the teeth are thoroughly cleaned.
2. Each tooth to be sealed is dried.
3. An acid solution is put on the chewing surface of each molar to create a rougher surface for the sealant to bond to.
4. This is then rinsed and the teeth again dried.
5. Sealant is painted onto the tooth and a curing light is used to harden the sealant.

How long do sealants last?

Sealants usually last 10 years or so, but they can last far longer. The important thing is to have them on the teeth during the cavity prone years.

Dr. Egger is a big fan of sealants, as they provide awesome preventative care, especially for developing teeth. Call us at 989-773-3560 for your next appointment.