Did you know that about 42% of children under age 11 develop cavities in their baby teeth? Dental sealants are a safe and effective way to help keep your child’s teeth healthy and prevent cavities from developing, especially in the hard-to-reach back molars.
At the private practice of Robert F. Wilcox, DMD, in Butte, Montana, our team specializes in keeping your child’s teeth and gums as healthy as possible with our pediatric dentistry services, including dental sealants and fluoride treatments.
Keep reading to learn more about what an application of dental sealants can do for your child’s teeth and your peace of mind.
Dr. Wilcox applies dental sealants, or extremely thin coatings of acrylic, over your child’s molars to keep those hard-to-reach teeth protected. Molars have an uneven surface with lots of nooks and crannies where cavity-causing bacteria thrive.
An application of dental sealants protects your child’s teeth. Here’s a look at some of the benefits dental sealants bring:
It may seem like a cavity, or caries, or two in your child’s baby teeth isn’t a big deal. But having one or more early childhood caries (ECC) increases your child’s risk of developing cavities in both the remaining baby teeth and their permanent teeth as they come in.
ECC affects millions of children, and for many of these young people, their cavities go untreated due to cost or access to resources. Unfortunately, untreated caries can:
Since 9 out of 10 childhood cavities develop in the back molars, sealants serve an important protective role. In fact, if applied when the back molars erupt, sealants prevent about 80% of cavities from developing.
One of the biggest advantages of sealants is that the application is quick, taking just a few minutes, and totally pain-free. The treatment is much less scary than getting a filling. First, we clean your child’s teeth, then apply a mild acidic solution to help the sealants adhere.
Once your child’s teeth are cleaned and prepped, Dr. Wilcox applies a thin layer of the acrylic sealant to the surface of the molars and any other teeth being treated. The sealant hardens in a few minutes.
Dental sealants applied when your child’s molars erupt protect teeth for many years. With good oral hygiene, sealants can last up to nine years after the initial application. Dr. Wilcox examines your child’s sealants during regular checkups and replaces the sealants if they loosen or fall off.
Early childhood caries increase your child’s risk of having cavities and other dental problems with their permanent teeth. These types of corrections can be costly to repair. But sealants are less expensive and are covered by most dental insurances.
It’s important for your child to receive regular dental care, starting as soon as their first teeth erupt. But if your child hasn’t visited a dentist yet, it’s never too late to get started.
As part of your child’s regular dental cleanings and exams, Dr. Wilcox can apply sealants at the right time. With the preventive pediatric dental treatments Dr. Wilcox provides, like sealants and fluoride treatments, your child can have healthier teeth and gums as they grow into adults.
Are you ready to learn more about sealants and other important pediatric dentistry measures? Schedule an appointment with Dr. Wilcox at our Butte, Montana, office today.
