 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Medical Forum / General / Dentistry / December 2006is removal of dental sealants neccessary?
My dentist has recomended that I have all my dental sealants removed ( I have about a dozen). My teeth are in good order with no sign of decay. However , she feels that the sealants , which were put on by my previous dentist, are a bad idea and that decay may be lurking undetected underneath. The removal process will require a lot of drilling. I only want to have this proceedure if it absolutley neccessary. Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated in helping me decide. > My dentist has recomended that I have all my dental sealants removed ( > I have about a dozen). [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > proceedure if it absolutley neccessary. Any thoughts or comments would > be appreciated in helping me decide. It is true that decay can form under sealants. However, careful inspection with a sharp explorer will generally show if the sealant is failing. And even if not, the x-rays should show any significant decay. I agree that sealants frequently fail, just as old fillings sometimes fail. That's the time to replace them--not just on a whim. JMO, Steve Like Steve says, nothing lasts forever. Lots of sealants have been, and are placed over grooves and fissures that have not been adequately cleaned of debri. The grooves were probably not tested with a Diagnodent (laser decay finding instrument). So..it *might* be a good idea to get the old sealants off, take a look, replace them if nothing is wrong, and do a small filling if decay is found. I think there should be some reason for removing them though. Visual evidence of leakage or an X-ray showing decay. I also don't like the idea of 'drilling' to get the old sealant material removed. Using air abrasion would be my choice. JMO, D > It is true that decay can form under sealants. However, careful > inspection with a sharp explorer will generally show if the sealant is [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > JMO, > Steve Well, I just recomended remove the sealants if then were broke or with decay detected by Ray X ou visual inspection, or if then are causing a oclussion problem... Remove it just because they are older, in my opinion is not a minimal invsive technic ...If you have no decay, you can just make a control with your doctor... > My dentist has recomended that I have all my dental sealants removed ( > I have about a dozen). [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > proceedure if it absolutley neccessary. Any thoughts or comments would > be appreciated in helping me decide. > Well, I just recomended remove the sealants if then were broke or with > decay detected by Ray X ou visual inspection, or if then are causing a [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > proceedure if it absolutley neccessary. Any thoughts or comments would > > be appreciated in helping me decide. Thank you everyone for your very helpful comments. My dentist informed me that it would be impossible to detect any decay until after the sealants were removed - she has not taken any x rays. Is this information incorrect? Also could the extensive drilling she intends to use to remove them be harmful to my teeth. Thank you. I do not agree with that opinion. Any interproximal xray aka bitewing should show decay even if its localized on oclusal surface of the tooth, even under the sealant. >> Well, I just recomended remove the sealants if then were broke or with >> decay detected by Ray X ou visual inspection, or if then are causing a [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > intends to use to remove them be harmful to my teeth. > Thank you. Impossible is too strong a word. It is sometimes possible to miss early caries on the chewing surfaces of the teeth on x-ray, but generally it can still be caught on x-ray before it reaches any significant extent. I also agree that extensive drilling should not be necessary. This strategy implies there will be extensive drilling on teeth that might NOT be decayed. Does that make sense to you? It doesn't to me!! And why has she not taken x-rays? Steve |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2009 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.