What are Pediatric Sealants?
Dental sealants are thin, plastic, protective coatings painted over teeth. They act as a protective coating on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth, especially molars. These procedures are easy and painless while helping with preventing cavities through targeted protection. Pediatric dental sealants are common in pediatric dentistry and children’s dentistry for young patients. Sealants are suitable for kids between the ages of 6-16, especially when first permanent molars, also called first molars or six year molars, come in around age 6 and when second molars erupt around age 12.
Why Does Your Child Need Pediatric Dental Sealants?
When we eat or drink, tiny bits of starch and sugar stick around in our mouths. They team up with oral bacteria and acids, forming something called plaque. This plaque’s acids can wear away our tooth enamel, leading to cavities.
Molars and premolars have deep grooves, or pits and fissures, that help us chew food. But when we brush our teeth, toothbrush bristles may not reach these areas well, even with regular brushing, so children are at higher risk of developing cavities in these teeth if left unsealed. That’s where sealants come in. Sealants offer durable protection, long lasting protection, and a cost effective way to support a child’s oral health and child’s smile. They form a physical barrier as a thin layer on the tooth surface that helps prevent tooth decay and preventing decay by blocking plaque and food particles from causing problems.
Dental Sealant Procedure and Benefits of Dental Sealants
Use a polishing brush and gritty toothpaste to clean the teeth. These remove bacteria and plaque from the kid’s teeth, and dental hygienists may handle these first steps before applying sealants.
Dry the teeth and keep them dry from saliva using cotton or a cheek shield.
Prepare the teeth for the sealant by applying an etching solution to them. It disinfects the teeth and roughens them for easy bonding with the sealant material.
Rinse off the solution and dry these teeth again.
Apply a bonding layer over the teeth, then paint a thin layer onto the tooth surface as a protective coating applied to the molars.
Use a special curing light to harden the liquid sealant. This application process is a painless procedure and takes only a few minutes.
Afterward, the sealed tooth has tooth colored protection.
Who Should Get Sealants for Preventing Cavities?
Children start having their permanent teeth around age six, and permanent molars erupt in stages, with first molars around age 6 and second molars later, so pediatric sealants are often placed as soon as those teeth come in. In some cases, baby teeth can also be sealed if a child has deep grooves or a higher risk for cavities. The molars and premolars continue erupting into their late teens. Your child may not maintain proper oral hygiene, and molars compared with unsealed teeth are less likely to develop decay when they are protected early. The sealants help preserve natural tooth structure on the back teeth and on permanent molars as they develop throughout the years.
As a result, they prevent infections and oral health problems from affecting kids. Besides, the materials can last for up to ten years with proper care, including regular dental check ups and regular brushing, making them long-lasting, cost-effective protection. Therefore, your child’s teeth remain protected until they can practice good dental hygiene. Dental sealants safe questions have also been reviewed by the American Dental Association and disease control authorities, with minimal bisphenol a and bpa exposure reported. In some cases, even adults may benefit too.