Dental Sealants: How Are They Beneficial?
Dental sealants in Sunrise, FL, are applications for the teeth to protect and prevent them from tooth decay. Sealants are beneficial to fill tooth fissures and grooves challenging to clean, providing a tooth a smooth and easy to clean surface. Brushing twice a day, flossing, and limiting sugary foods and beverages by including plenty of tap water helps prevent tooth decay. However, having an additional layer of protection on children’s teeth is always beneficial as they are frequently snacking on sugary and starchy foods without providing sufficient attention to dental care.
The best way to prevent kids from getting cavities is having dental sealants painted on their teeth as soon as their molars emerge at ages 6, 12, and 18. Sealants for kids are incredibly beneficial as they prevent tooth decay and avoid expensive and intensive dental treatments merely by following a relatively straightforward and inexpensive procedure.
Dental sealants application doesn’t require much time, and the dentist completes the procedure in a few minutes, painting the adhesives on the molars to prevent tooth decay and cavities.
Why Must Children Have Sealants on Their Molars?
Dental sealants on the teeth of children prevent 80 percent of cavities for two years after an application. The sealants continue to protect the teeth against 50 percent cavities for another four years and remain on the teeth for up to 9 years.
Children between six and 11 from high-income households have dental sealants on their teeth. On the other hand, children from low-income families are 20 percent less likely to have sealants than their counterparts from the higher income groups. Children without sealants are three times more prone to cavities than children with them. The application of dental sealants is technically sensitive and needs the experience of a pediatric dentist when applying them to children’s teeth.
What Happens When Children Do Not Get Sealants?
Children without sealants frequently report lost school time because of tooth decay as it interferes with their sleeping, eating, and other regular activities. Besides preventing cavities, dental sealants ensure children’s teeth remain intact.
A child’s tooth, when drilled and filled, restored, or extracted, compromises the natural structure of the tooth. Lifetime costs are associated with maintaining the restored tooth.
Dental sealants have their downsides and may need reapplication if they fall out, chip, or wear off. When replacing dental sealants, excess material requires drilling down or removing with a scaler. However, dental sealants are tolerated even by children, and no adverse reactions have been reported about them.
The Long-Term Benefits of Dental Sealants
When dental sealants are applied correctly, they can last for a lifetime. However, they need replacements quite often. Soon as children begin developing molars and premolars with pits and fissures, getting them sealed provides optimal benefits.
Tooth sealants for adults are also available if the grown-up does not have any restorations or tooth decay. Adults benefit similarly to children if they have a restoration-free mouth without tooth decay because they too are susceptible to cavities because of exposure to decay due to age and changes to the protective quality and biochemistry of saliva.
An organization no less than the CDC has clarified that dental sealants are the optimal way to keep kids from getting cavities. However, the application of dental sealants needs an experienced pediatric dentist unless teenagers are receiving them.
When applied correctly by an experienced pediatric dentist in Sunrise, FL, children receive the most benefits so long as they cooperate with the dental professional. The application process is simple but requires children to sit with their mouths open in the dentist’s chair for a few minutes.
During the procedure, the dentist must prepare the targeted tooth for sealing by cleaning and drying them. An etching liquid is applied to the tooth to help the sealant adhere to it. The tooth is again cleaned and dried before applying the dental sealant and hardening it with ultraviolet light. Dentists applying the sealant must use appropriate quantities to ensure children receive adequate protection against cavities from the procedure.
After completion of the application, children are free to jump into their regular activities without any restrictions. However, the application merely ensures a temporary protective barrier on the child’s teeth, and children must continue brushing and flossing their teeth as recommended by their pediatric dentist. Parents must supervise children when maintaining dental hygiene to ensure they benefit fully from the application. Most importantly, children must receive six monthly exams and cleanings when dentists can check the dental sealants and reapply them if required.