Facts About Dental Sealants You Need to Know

If your child has a spontaneous toothache, tooth sensitivity, or pain when biting and chewing, you need to see a dentist near you. They may have dental cavities, and without proper treatment, the cavities can affect the teeth and cause an extraction.

Kids are more twice more likely to get cavities than adults, possibly because of poor dental hygiene. Yes, they brush and floss as expected, but they often ignore the back teeth. This causes bacteria to accumulate and cause decay. If you want to protect your child’s teeth from cavities, you need more than proper hygiene—dental sealants.

Dental sealants are thin coatings applied on the teeth, mostly the back teeth, to shield them from bacterial attack. Before you get dental sealants near you, here are a few facts to know.

1. Sealants are Ideal for Children, but Adults Can Use Them Too While the CDC recommends dental sealants for school going children (because they are prone to cavities), adults can also use them.

However, before these plastic coatings are painted on the teeth, the dentist will confirm if you are eligible.

•  Healthy gums and teeth free of decay
• No dental fillings. Remember, the sealants act as a barrier to protect the teeth. Having fillings will compromise the integrity of the sealants.

2. They Are Effective in Preventing Cavities

The CDC reports that dental sealants can prevent up to 80 percent of the cavities within the first year of application. After that, the sealants shield around 58 percent (which is still effective). The organization further states that children who do not have sealants are twice as likely to develop dental cavities than those who do.

These resilts, however, are dependent on when the sealants are applied. While the dentist can coat your teeth anytime, it is advisable to get sealants when the first molar comes out (at age seven or eight). The sealants will be effective in preventing cavities if applied correctly and at the right time.

3. The Sealant Application Procedure is Painless

Dental sealants are non-invasive and are applied on the teeth surface. This means that the dentist does not use local anesthesia unless necessary. However, if your child has dental phobia, the dentist will use laughing gas to keep them calm.

The process is fast and is done in one dental visit:

• Dental cleaning. Our dentist in 75077 will first do a professional cleaning to remove any plaque buildup. Next, he will dry the teeth to be sealed with cotton or other absorbent materials.
• The dentist will separate the teeth with a sheet to keep them clean and dry. Remember, saliva can affect the bonding process and cause the sealant application to fail.
• Our Highland Village dentist will roughen the chewing surface with an acid solution to make it easy for the sealant to bone.
• He will rinse the teeth, dry them, and begin the process of applying the sealant. Although the sealant dries up quickly, the dentist may use a special light to hasten the process.

The dentist will evaluate the sealants for any cracks, spaces in between, or if there are bubbles.

4. Dental Sealants Are Safe

There are a few doubts about the dental sealants’ safety because of the BPA levels. However, the CDC and ADA report that dental sealants are safe.

Bisphenol A is believed to affect the immune, thyroid, and nervous system. And, because the most common sealant is made of plastic, most parents assume they contain BPA. However, the two organizations state that the BPA levels in dental sealants are negligible and cannot cause harm.

5. Dental Sealants Work Best When Combined with Other Preventive Dental Measures

Dental sealants are part of our preventive measures. However, for them to be effective in preventing cavities, it is important to combine them with other treatments. We offer fluoride treatments that help strengthen the enamel. We also recommend visiting our pediatric dentist every six months for professional cleaning.

Schedule an Appointment

Visit Campbell & Williams Family Dental Clinic for more information on dental sealants and how they can prevent cavities.