All About Dental Sealants: Types And Benefits

Dental sealants are slimy coatings painted on the tooth’s chewing surfaces. Sealants are generally placed on the molars and not the incisors. Dental sealants act as a protective barrier against your mouth bacteria and eventually cavity-causing decay. They also function as a preventive measure against stains developing on the teeth.

Dental sealants are generally recommended for children developing their molars at six and 12. However, children remain prone to tooth decay and cavities because they favor sugary and starchy foods and beverages and neglect dental hygiene practices recommended by the pediatric dentist in Milford, CT.

When children develop cavities on their teeth, they lose school time due to pain from the permanent damage to the teeth and require expensive restorative treatments from dentists. Instead of allowing the mouth bacteria to create cavities on children’s teeth and paying exorbitant prices for dental restorations, you find it beneficial to have your child’s molars covered by dental sealants near you, costing merely $ 30-$ 60 per tooth. The prices are reduced further if you have dental insurance or access to discount plans.

Benefits of Dental Sealants

Children with dental sealants on their molars are three times less likely to develop cavities than children without them. Applying dental sealants over the molars requires a few minutes but offers long-term protection against mouth bacteria creating cavities on the teeth.

Dental sealants in Milford, CT, protect your child’s molars from cavities by 80 percent for the initial two years after an application. However, the protection continues for another 50 percent of holes for another four years while the sealants stay on the teeth for up to nine years. The ADA and the CDC recommend dental sealants as appropriate preventive measures against cavities for children and adults who can receive them if they don’t have fillings or restorations over their teeth. 

Dental sealants function by creating a smoother surface over the molars, making it easier to clean them when brushing and flossing by inhibiting food particles from remaining trapped in the pits and fissures of the molars, the target of mouth bacteria because they provide them with a place to enjoy themselves and deposit toxins to cause enamel erosion. Unfortunately, eroding the enamel eventually results in a cavity or permanent damage to the tooth needing fillings, root canals, extraction, et cetera. Therefore you find it beneficial to avoid considerable expenditure on other treatments when you get dental sealants on your child’s molars.

Dental sealants are a preventive measure against tooth decay and cavities but are prone to chipping and cracking. Therefore they need regular monitoring by the dentist to ensure they are functioning appropriately. However, chipped or cracked sealants are comfortably replaceable in a painless procedure that doesn’t cause any anxiety in your child.

Types of Dental Sealants

Composite Resin

Sealants of composite resin, a tooth-colored material, are preferred by dentists because they resemble the color of natural teeth. In addition, the composite resin is durable with high retention rates and can stay on the teeth for six to 10 years with proper dental hygiene and avoiding chewing on hard foods.

Composite resin doesn’t have acid-based bonding properties, but the strength of these sealants can sustain biting and chewing pressure making it challenging to chip and crack.

Glass Ionomer

Glass ionomer sealants are slightly different from tooth-colored composite resin. These sealants are acid-based, making them resilient to wear and tear against dental infections and tooth cavities more efficiently than composite resin sealants.

Glass ionomer is also known for its fluoride-releasing properties that help remineralize teeth weakened by dental plaque and tooth decay. The sealants naturally help safeguard teeth from harmful acids found in the foods and beverages children consume. However, the protection from fluoride does not last forever because it eventually runs out. Furthermore, glass ionomer sealants require meticulous maintenance by visiting dentists frequently for routine exams and cleanings. However, it retains its feature as a reliable and preventive measure against tooth decay because it also strengthens the tooth by releasing fluoride.

To Get or Not to Get Dental Sealants

In America, merely 43 percent of children from high-income families have dental sealants on their teeth and are enjoying better dental health than children from low-income households that are frequently visiting pediatric dentists for treatments against tooth decay. Dental sealants are affordable and a cost-effective measure against cavities. We think there aren’t choices between getting or not getting dental sealants. If you want to prevent considerable expenditure besides permanent damage to your child’s molars, you help everyone by getting dental sealants without exceptions.

Big Smiles Pediatric Dentistry provides dental sealants for children to prevent tooth decay and cavities. If your kids don’t have this preventive measure over their teeth, you help yourself by arranging an appointment with this pediatric dentistry practice to get the sealants today.