What is the difference between sealants and fillings

Fillings and dental sealants near you are two resources your dentist can bring to bear to prevent, protect you from and respond to tooth decay. Ask your dentist to apply those resources for the benefit of your own health. The Differences Between Sealants and Fillings. What are sealants and fillings?

Proactive versus reactive Dentists use dental sealants in SW Edmonton as a preventative measure to protect you from the formation of cavities. What materials are used? How long will sealants and fillings last? They fill in the hole and make the teeth stronger. Sealants are designed to prevent decay from occurring by covering up the crevices located on the molars and premolars in the back of the mouth. Since dental sealants are temporary measures, they are fabricated from a thin plastic material.

Fillings are designed to last for years, and so, they are made from stronger composite or amalgam materials. Both dental fillings and sealants have a place in dental practices as methods to help protect the teeth from undergoing decay. The longevity of dental fillings and sealants is partly related to the oral hygiene practices of the patient. If proper brushing and good eating habits are followed, both dental fillings and sealants can remain intact for the expected duration of time.

As temporary measures, sealants are easily damaged and loosened when patients chew gum or eat sticky foods. Fillings are much more permanent and can last years as long as the remaining portion of tooth is kept free of dental decay. On the other hand, dental fillings are restorative measures that are taken to restore the damage caused by tooth decay. Naturally, before placement of the dental filling, the decay is cleaned out completely to guard against potentially harmful bacteria and further damage.

Dental fillings are often made of different materials. Patients and dentists often have to select fillings that are either made of porcelain, silver amalgam, gold or composite resin. Silver amalgam is made by mixing mercury with an alloy of copper, tin,and silver. A tooth coloured material such as composite resin and porcelain is often preferred depending on the cosmetic desires of the patient and the location of the tooth been filled.

The colour of these materials can be matched to the colour of your natural teeth. Dental sealants, on the other hand, are made of plastic,and they are applied to your teeth as a liquid,but they harden quickly when exposed to a special UV light.