On purpose

[donaldbathe]

Do dentists purposely not tell patients about potential tooth decay when applying sealants like decay taking place if a sealant wore out because of normal wear and tear or bruxism? What about decay occuring on surface where sealant doesnt cover entire chewing surface? Do they do it on purpose so like that tooth decay can occur and future patients can have root canal treatments done by another dental specialist?

 

[Dr M]

No. We usually tell the patients that the sealants can fracture and cause secondary decay and that is why your bi-annual check-up is so important. And decay occuring on a surface not covered by a sealant is most likely due to poor home oral hygiene by the patient.

 

[donaldbathe]

No. We usually tell the patients that the sealants can fracture and cause secondary decay and that is why your bi-annual check-up is so important. And decay occuring on a surface not covered by a sealant is most likely due to poor home oral hygiene by the patient.

But would listerine total care or original act mouthwash from like 20 years ago have prevented tooth decay on surface where molar sealant doesnt cover since sealant only covers fissures, pits, ect... of molar chewing surface? What about a brand new molar sealant that gradually wore out because of normal wear and tear? Would act original mouthwash from 2006 have prevented cavity from developing where sealant was if gradually sealant wore out and it was used all the time? Can you please answer my questions please? Thank you.

 

[Dr M]

Mouthrinse is not seen as a stand alone home oral hygiene practice, but only as an adjunct to normal brushing and flossing. You can rinse all you want with a mouthrinse, but if you don't brush your teeth and floss, in the correct manner, you will still get cavities. And if a sealant fractures due to normal wear and tear, and you don't go to your dentist regurarly and brush consistently, then you are also at risk of developing cavities.

 

[donaldbathe]

Mouthrinse is not seen as a stand alone home oral hygiene practice, but only as an adjunct to normal brushing and flossing. You can rinse all you want with a mouthrinse, but if you don't brush your teeth and floss, in the correct manner, you will still get cavities. And if a sealant fractures due to normal wear and tear, and you don't go to your dentist regurarly and brush consistently, then you are also at risk of developing cavities.

What if i brush, floss, and use original act mouthwash but the sealant wore out because of bruxism or just normal wear and tear even if seeing the dentist every 6 months? Would doing all of this still prevent the cavity from forming underneath damaged sealant? What options would a dentist have if they found a very early, very tiny cavity forming practically by where sealant is located? Would the cavity be underneath damaged sealant or above it?