Dental Sealants for Children
If you’ve been wondering whether you should get dental sealants for your child, the answer is emphatically – yes! Sealants are a fast and efficient method of protecting your child’s teeth. The applied sealant acts as a barrier to prevent cavities from forming on vulnerable areas of the tooth. A Pediatric Dentist will often dental sealant to the chewing surfaces of a child’s back teeth. The sealant will form a cover over the deep pits and grooves of the child’s teeth. Children with baby teeth as well as permanent adult teeth can benefit from having a dental sealant applied.
Brushing Can’t Reach Everything
Even if your child is practicing good brushing and flossing habits the toothbrush bristles cannot reach all the way into those deep pits and grooves to extract food and plaque. Sealants help protect these vulnerable areas where plaque and food settle in and form cavities.
How Are Dental Sealants Applied?
A dental sealants is easy for one of our pediatric dentists to apply. The dentist brushes the sealant onto the tooth enamel, where it quickly bonds to the tooth and hardens. This plastic sealant resin bonds onto the depressions and grooves (fissures and pits) of the teeth’s chewing surface. The sealant acts as a barrier and protects tooth enamel from plaque and acids. During your regular dental visits, your pediatric dentist will check the condition of the sealants and reapply them when necessary.
The likelihood of developing fissure and pit decay begins early in life, so children and teenagers are prime candidates. Adults can benefit from sealants as well.
Are Sealants Safe For My Child?
They are 100% safe (unless your child has some sort of allergy). In regards to questions about BPA, the amount in dental sealants is less than 0.0001% which is less than touching a receipt or household dust.
How Long Do Sealants Last?
As long as the sealant remains intact, the tooth surface will be protected from decay. Sealants hold up well under the force of normal chewing and may last several years before a reapplication is needed.
Do Dental Sealants Hurt?
No, getting dental sealants doesn’t hurt for the patient. In fact, it’s a quick and painless process. Your child’s Pediatric dentist will clean and dry their teeth before placing an acidic gel on their teeth. This gel serves to roughen the tooth surface so that a strong bond may form between the teeth and the sealant. The dentist will then rinse off the gel n before applying the sealant onto the grooves of the teeth. Your dentist will then use a special blue light which hardens the sealant.
Are Dental Sealants Expensive?
They are inexpensive in comparison to other restorative procedures such as fixing a cavity, performing a root canal or putting on a crown. Many insurance companies cover sealant procedures as they are looked at as preventative treatment. They are a low cost alternative to costly dental treatments due to decay and will help better protect your child’s teeth from cavities.
Want to Schedule An Appointment For Dental Sealants?
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