Sealants
Dr. Kelly Jobe | Pediatric Dentist | St. Louis, MO
Do sealants stop cavities?
Baby tooth enamel is much thinner and more porous than adult tooth enamel, making children more susceptible to tooth decay than adults. Sealants are an incredible tool to prevent this tooth decay from happening in children.
Sealants are used to seal the more cavity-prone areas of the teeth, like deep pits and grooves (called fissures) in the chewing surfaces of back teeth (called molars). In fact, the back teeth are the most common areas where cavities develop.
A child’s first back tooth usually appears around age 6, which means that is when their chances of getting a cavity increase dramatically. If our front teeth are like ivory towers, our back teeth are like the Rocky Mountains – jagged, rough, and a frequent home for pits and fissures.
These cavity-prone pits and fissures are tiny crevasses in your back teeth. They are excellent at trapping bacteria and food, since they are so tiny, dark and moist.
Even with great daily habits – like brushing and flossing – these areas are still breeding grounds for plaque bacteria, which causes cavities over time.
Sealants cover these areas on baby teeth, preventing future cavities and tooth decay.
How sealants work
A sealant is a resin that simply gets painted onto the tooth. This resin hardens, serving as an effective barrier against tooth decay, food, plaque, acids and more. There is no pain, and doesn’t require an anesthetic.
Even with years of normal chewing, sealants hold up incredibly well (up to 10 years!). Regular checkups will help your dentist assess the condition of your sealants, and reapply as needed.
Are sealants safe for children’s teeth?
Sealants are perfectly safe for children, do not damage teeth, and are supported by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, as well as the American Dental Association.
Some sealant resins do contain BPA, and some people get concerned on whether this BPA is safe for children. But the BPA in some sealants has not been proven to cause any adverse effects. In fact, there is more BPA in food and beverage packaging than dental sealants. Most modern sealants are also BPA-free.
Are sealants necessary for my child?
Many parents wonder when their child should get sealants, or if they’re even necessary. But the CDC says that school-age children without sealants have almost three more cavities than children with sealants.
Sealants are proven to reduce tooth decay by 70%. They are also the first, easiest (and cheapest!) line of defense against cavities, and decrease the need for fillings, crowns and more extensive procedures down the road.
Questions for Dr. Jobe or the Kids Smiles Pediatric Dentistry team?
Dr. Kelly Jobe and the team at Kids Smiles Pediatric Dentistry are committed to providing the best pediatric dental care in the greater St. Louis, MO area! Please contact us with any questions regarding your kid’s dental health, we are here to help!
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