The dental clinic is an educational place. The hygienists are learning, they are not in a hurry, and they like sharing their knowledge. Here are a couple of little tidbits I’ve learned from them.

When having your teeth polished, the enamel is actually being sanded or ground down. That smooth, sleek surface texture is what gives it a sheen. You don’t want to do this all the time! Over time, it would weaken the teeth. If you have stains on your teeth, having them polished is a way of getting them “clean.” The stain is actually ground away – voila! stain removed by force. So…just beware of how often you’re having this done. The shine does nothing beneficial for you teeth (except remove stains) and the shine only lasts a short time. Just something to think about….

Carman, at this point, has some adult molars that should be with him for the rest of his life. Most dental offices recommend sealant for the back adult molars. The sealants go into the crevices on top of the molars so that there will no longer be those deep pits that can be difficult to clean.

Today, I was told by carman’s hygienist that the dips in his molars are quite shallow and, therefore, easily cleaned, and that furthermore, they would probably not even hold sealants very well. “So don’t let anyone try to talk you into getting sealants for him; they would be pointless on his teeth.”

Well, someone had already tried to talk me into getting sealants on his teeth. But with not knowing much about them at the time and with him being cavity-free, I had said no. So, the depth of the molar pockets need to be factor when considering sealants.