Are Dental Sealants Worth the Effort of Having Them?

Are Dental Sealants Worth the Effort of Having Them?

Sep 01, 2021

Everyone has molars and premolars in the back of their mouths. These teeth erupting at age six, 12, and 18 have deep pits and fissures besides an uneven surface making them a favorite place for leftover food particles and bacteria to hide and cause cavities.

Brushing, flossing, and avoiding sticky and starchy foods is an excellent methods of preventing cavities. However, most find it challenging to brush and floss the back teeth, allowing cavities on the molars. If it is difficult to clean the molars adequately, which other method can help people prevent tooth decay?

Dentistry discovered dental sealants over four decades ago to prevent cavities on the back teeth to protect children or adults from cavities. Unfortunately, when cavities develop on the teeth, they cause insurmountable problems requiring dental treatments such as dental fillings, root canal treatments, and even tooth extractions. However, when people decide to protect their vulnerable teeth from tooth decay, a method is indeed available to succeed in the prevention of using dental sealants.

What Are Dental Sealants and How Do They Function?

Consider dental sealants as protective paint over your teeth as a safeguard against tooth decay. When you allow leftover food particles in your mouth to meet the bacteria, the microorganisms produce toxins that cause the enamel to erode to cause cavities. When you have dental sealants over your teeth, it helps keep the food particles and bacteria out by creating a smoother surface. In addition, the sealant prevents the toxins released by bacteria from settling on the teeth to prevent the development of cavities.

Who Can Get Dental Sealants?

Anyone with unrestored teeth, whether adults or children and get dental sealants. However, the optimal benefits of dental sealants are available if you get them earlier instead of later. The first molars appear in the mouth at age six, and the second around age 12. Sealing these molars soon after erupting keeps them cavity-free from the very onset.

Dental sealants function as a protective barrier over the tooth, helping you save time and money in the long run. You can inquire with your dentist whether dental sealants are a suitable option for you and your family.

Dental sealants also offer other benefits by reducing cavity risks by 80 percent in the first two years and continuing the protection by 50 percent for another four years. Dental sealants remain on the teeth for approximately a decade but need assessments during six-monthly dental exams and cleanings. School-age children between six and 11 without sealants are at risk of developing cavities by more than three times more than children with sealants. Therefore if you want to avoid unnecessary trouble with cavities on your molars or that of your children, dental sealants are indeed worth the effort.

Is the Dental Sealant Procedure Intensive?

Dental sealant application is quick and straightforward. The application is completed within the hour by dentists by first cleaning and drying your tooth and placing an etching liquid over it to help the sealant bond to the surface. After that, the dentist rinses and dries the etching liquid before applying the sealant to the grooves of the molars. A unique light helps the dentist harden the molar to complete the application procedure.

Applying dental sealants on children’s molars can present some risks because children are uncooperative during medical visits. In addition, the application process for dental sealants requires children to sit in the dentist’s chair with their mouths open for about 30 minutes which they find difficult. It is why dental sealants are best applied by an experienced dentist near you accustomed to working with children.

Are Dental Sealants Expensive?

Instead of worrying about dental sealant’s cost, it will help if you calculate how much you can save by preventing cavities on your children’s teeth and the expenditure involved in getting them repaired. However, dental sealants are affordable, costing around $ 30-$ 60 per tooth for children with dental insurance plans reimbursing the figure. If you need dental sealants during adulthood, the charges may vary.

When recommending a procedure like dental sealant for your child, you may worry about dental sealant’s pros and cons. Let us explain the pros and cons to convince you the application is merely beneficial and not detrimental for your child’s teeth.

Dental sealants prevent cavities from developing on the molars saving you considerable money while allowing your child to have optimal oral health.

Sealants are prone to chipping in cracking and need assessment from the dentist at regular intervals. However, sealants are not difficult to manage with regular brushing, flossing, and dental visits. Therefore do not worry about the pros and cons but look forward to preventing dental infections in the mouth by making the best use of dental sealants.

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