Brushing and flossing your teeth is important but if you have kids, then dental sealants are the best way to protect their teeth from cavities. For those of you who don’t know what they are – dental sealants are thin coatings that are painted on the teeth to protect them from cavities.
It is a pain-free procedure and is extremely easy for children to go through. At Vitarreli Dental, we have a welcoming environment where children feel safe and our dentists are friendly natured and always willing to work with children.
- Dental sealants are safe and effective contradicting what people usually think about them. They’ve been used for over 40 years to protect teeth from cavities and there is nothing wrong with having a sealant on the teeth.
According to dental research, sealants are capable of preventing 80 percent of cavities for at least two years after the first application. They continue to protect the teeth against 50 percent of cavities for up to four years.
- The sealants can be on the teeth for up to nine years before going completely bad and needing replacement. Dental sealants are extremely good for children because there are a lot of children in the United States who miss their school time due to tooth decay. This condition which is very common in children can often interfere with their sleep, eating, and other regular activities.
Moreover, sealants can help protect the teeth stay intact for as long as they are there.
The only few drawbacks of dental sealants are that they require reapplication if they fall out, wear away, or chip. During replacement, the excess material often has to be drilled down or removed using a scaler which is scary for some children.
- At Vitarreli Dental in Saddle River, we make sure the procedure of replacing a dental sealant is as smooth as possible for your child so that they can easily have it replaced without being frightened. We have created a friendly environment where children feel safe and welcomed, thus they don’t panic when the procedure is being done by one of our dentists.
Long-Term Benefits of Dental Sealants
- Depending on the application technique, dental sealants can stay on the teeth for a lifetime. This is why it is important to work with an expert dentist with years of experience. If you are not careful and don’t work with a dentist who has considerable experience and uses advanced technology to apply sealants, you could be looking at frequent replacements.
That being said, here are some of the long-term benefits of dental sealants.
- When children start getting new teeth in, they have a condition known as fissure or pits that are like morals and premolars. These can be sealed as soon as they erupt. This usually happens when a child reaches age 6, 12, or 18.
Toddler teeth can also be sealed but the child should be old enough to tolerate this procedure. Toddlers are hard because the dentist and their assistant have to hold their mouth open and make sure they don’t move while the procedure is underway. The sealants are only applied to babies who are at a high risk of tooth decay. Talk to your dentist today about your baby’s teeth health to find out if they require sealants or not.
- Adults also gain benefit from sealants because as people age, their teeth are exposed to decay and the protective quality of their saliva changes over time. This is why adults can opt for dental sealants to prevent decay.
If you have more questions about dental sealants, don’t forget to come to one of our dental offices in Saddle River. Vitarreli Dental is accepting new patients for 2020.