You’re probably familiar with many of the preventative dental techniques that can protect kids from tooth decay and cavities. The ones you’re probably most familiar with are brushing, flossing, regular dental check ups, regular dental cleanings, and fluoride. There’s one more preventative dental service that can protect kids from tooth decay that you may be less familiar with — dental sealants in Sherwood Park.
What are dental sealants?
A dental sealant is a thin layer of plastic material that is placed on the surface of teeth — especially the biting surfaces of a child’s molars. Once in place, the sealant prevents cavities from forming in those teeth. Having those molars sealed doesn’t mean your child can skip brushing those back teeth. It’s just that the many nooks and crannies in those molars can be hard to reach and keep clean even with regular brushing. Sealing those biting surfaces offers another layer of protection.
In an October 2016 report issued by the Centers for Disease Control in the United States, it was found that just 43% of school-aged kids between six and 11 years old had dental sealants, but kids without sealants had nearly three times more cavities than the kids who did have sealants. If your dentist has suggested sealants, you may have several questions. If your dentist in Sherwood Park has not made that recommendation, you should consider asking if dental sealants are available to help preserve your kid’s dental health. Here are answers to common questions to guide your discussion with the dentist or to understand her recommendation.
Who should get dental sealants in Sherwood Park?
Children grow two sets of molars that come in separated by several years. Typically, a child’s first set of permanent molars arrives between the age of five and seven years old. The second set of permanent molars commonly arrives between roughly 11 and 14 years of age.
The best time for a child to receive sealants on those molars is as soon as those molars first appear. Any period of delay after the molars arrive will expose those molars to the risk of tooth decay. The protective effects of dental sealants can last for a decade, but your kid’s dentist in Sherwood Park will confirm the condition of the sealant at your child’s twice-annual dental check up.
How are sealants applied by a dentist near you?
Sealants are applied in a simple five-step process that is quick, painless, and does not affect the structure of the underlying tooth. The five steps to applying dental sealants are:
- Your child’s teeth will be cleaned
- Your child’s teeth will be dried using a material that is very absorbent
- The dentist will apply a mildly acidic solution to the surface of the molars to roughen them, which helps the sealant bond well to the teeth
- Your child’s dentist will then rinse and dry the teeth before taking the final step
- Finally, your dentist will paint the sealant material onto the teeth before drying it with a special light.
What are the advantages of getting dental sealants in Sherwood Park?
The protective layer imposed by dentals near you sealant reduces the amount of contact between food acids and the surface of the teeth. This is important because those acids can cause decomposition of tooth enamel. Degradation of the pity and grooved surface of a child’s molars can increase the risk they will develop cavities in the surface. Protecting that surface with the sealant, then, reduces the risk of cavities. While commonly applied to molars, sealants are ideal for protecting any teeth with rough surfaces to protect those pitted and grooved surfaces and even smoothen them to keep food particles from clinging to them.
If preserving the health of your kids’ teeth is important to you — and we hope that it is! — contact a dentist near you to ask if your child is a good candidate for all the benefits of dental sealants.