Worried about your child’s dental hygiene? Sealants are a quick and simple solution to safeguard your child’s teeth by acting as barriers to cavity-prone areas. They are typically used to conceal deep holes and grooves on the chewing surfaces of back teeth. Sealants can help both primary and permanent teeth.
What Are Dental Sealants?
Let us begin with an overview of dental sealants. If your child has deep pits and grooves on their rear teeth, our dentist may advise you to seal their teeth. Sealants are thin protective coatings that are applied on the chewing surfaces of the molars to prevent tooth decay. Even if your child practices good oral hygiene, cleaning the deep grooves on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth is not always easy. Food and germs can become lodged in the grooves where the toothbrush bristles cannot reach. This can result in a cavity on the tooth’s chewing surface. For first and second permanent molars, sealants are usually indicated. The first permanent molars, known as six-year molars, usually appear around the age of six. The second permanent molars, also known as twelve-year molars, appear around the age of twelve.
What Are the Perks of Sealants?
The ultimate benefit of sealants is that they aid in the prevention of tooth decay and, eventually, cavities in your child. Sealants are a prophylactic procedure that aids in the prevention and protection of cavities on teeth. Oral hygiene also has a direct impact on a child’s academic success. Children who suffer from dental decay have difficulty eating and sleeping, which affects their attendance and performance in school. Although it is a stretch to argue that dental sealants would improve your child’s academic performance, they do have a direct impact on your child’s health and mental clarity. In other words, dental sealants are an easy method to set your child up for success and keep little issues from becoming major ones. For the best dental sealants treatment in Spanaway, WA, visit Spanaway Children’s Dentistry.
Dental Sealants vs. Fluoride
Many parents wrongly assume that fluoride treatments administered during tooth hygiene and check-up visits are equally effective as dental sealants. This is not correct. Although fluoride treatments are important for safeguarding your child’s teeth, they work best when combined with dental sealants. In an ADA study that compared children who only received fluoride treatments to children who had both fluoride treatments and dental sealants, the children who received both were 73% less likely to present with cavities later. Fluoride aids in the remineralization and strengthening of all enamel surfaces. Dental sealants, on the other hand, change the architecture of the teeth, making grooves shallower and thus less likely to hold plaque and food particles.
How to take care of sealants
Sealed teeth necessitate the same level of dental hygiene as unsealed teeth. Your child should continue to brush and floss his or her teeth daily, and he or she should come in for frequent professional cleanings. This will allow us to inspect the sealants for wear and tear, which should last up to ten years. During this period, your child will benefit from a preventive treatment that has been shown to minimize decay by more than 70%.
We hope this blog has provided you with all of the necessary information. Are you looking for the best pediatric dentistry in Spanaway, WA? Consult our dentists at Spanaway Children’s Dentistry and choose from a variety of children’s dental care treatments.
