What is a Dental Sealant?

If you’ve ever examined the structure of a tooth, you may have seen that it has deep indentations, also known as fissures. Notoriously difficult to clean, these grooves are especially susceptible to decay, and the majority of cavities will begin in these troughs. A dental sealant is a thin, translucent protectant that coats the surface of the teeth, smoothing out the pits and making it easier to maintain good dental hygiene. At Pasadena Smile Center, we offer non-toxic, BPA-free dental sealant as an effort to uphold our holistic dentistry standards. By keep potentially harmful chemicals away from our beloved patients we can ensure that we can provide some of the best dental care in Pasadena.

Who is a good candidate for dental sealants?

Children who tend to ignore their back teeth when brushing, or who hardly brush at all may benefit from receiving a dental sealant, which can significantly help to ward off cavities, saving a lot of time, money and discomfort.

A child’s molars tend to come in between the ages of 5 and 7, and 11 and 14. These are excellent times for your child to undergo the sealant process. Sealants can also be beneficial for adults with deep grooves in their teeth, or for those who are genetically more prone to tooth decay.

But isn’t fluoride enough?

While the fluoride in many toothpastes and in dental cleanings does fortify the enamel of the teeth, it has a hard time penetrating those deeper ridges and fissures where food and bacteria love to hide. In short, fluoride is helpful, but it does not go far enough to protect your child’s teeth from decay.

Advantages of dental sealants at a glance:

Easy, pain-free application
Short treatment time
Up to ten years of protection from cavities
Makes the teeth easier to brush and floss
Matches the tooth color for a natural look
Safe for all ages
Cost-effective

BPA-free sealants

Most plastics contain a resin called Bisphenol A (BPA). There is some evidence that BPA is not healthy for children, and may affect their behavior, their brain chemistry, and their blood pressure. At present, BPA is banned by the FDA from being used in baby bottles and children’s cups.

While dental sealants do not traditionally contain BPA, some compounds used in the sealant may turn into BPA when making contact with saliva. The way to eliminate this risk is to carefully scrub and rinse the sealants once they are applied to the teeth. In this way, up to 95% of the BPA-leaning compounds can be eradicated.

Dr. Molayem is passionate about maintaining your child’s safety, and is careful to not only select holistic, bio-compatible, BPA-free materials throughout her practice, but to also scrub and meticulously rinse the dental sealants, eliminating all risk of compounds that might turn into BPA.

Schedule a Consultation >>

Practice Policy Update Regarding COVID-19

May 2020

Dear Valued Patient:

We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety.

Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.

Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued.

You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example:

All patients must wear a mask when entering the office.

Anyone accompanying you will be asked to wait in their vehicle.

Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You’ll be asked those same questions again when you are in the office.

Upon arrival at your appointment your temperature will be taken for the safety of all staff and patients.

Prior to receiving treatment you will be asked to rinse with an antimicrobial for a minimum of 30 seconds

We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed.

You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.

UV Air purifiers have been placed throughout the office.

Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.

We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time, so we ask that you do your best to be on time.

We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. To make an appointment, please call our office at (626)798-7834 or visit our website at pasadenasmilecenter@yahoo.com.

Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.

Sincerely, Niloufar Molayem, D.D.S. & Team

BPA Free Sealants

What is a Dental Sealant?

Who is a good candidate for dental sealants?

But isn’t fluoride enough?

Advantages of dental sealants at a glance:

How long does a dental sealant last?

BPA-free sealants