Everything You Should Know about Pediatric Sealants
Whenever pediatric is mentioned, you know that it has everything to do with children. Kids deserve and demand a lot of attention as they grow up. Everything about their life should become your concern. This should include, at large, their oral health.
Taking care of a child’s teeth is not effortless. You have to train them into new routines and habits. It is why you need the intervention of a pediatric dentist. Only such a dentist can bring to your attention some important dental appliances like pediatric sealants in Kingsman.
What Are Pediatric Sealants?
They are oral materials used in children’s teeth to protect them from tooth damage like dental decay. The sealants feature a thin plastic-like coating that is applied in the chewing surfaces of teeth. Pediatric sealants are made for the back teeth, more than the front teeth.
The sealants work by protecting the chewing surfaces of teeth from harboring plaque and bacteria that quickly leads to dental decay. They are specially made for the back teeth, having that, back teeth have more depressions and ridges.
Regardless of how good your child gets at brushing his teeth, he may not properly clean out the depressions of back teeth. With the dental sealant procedure, the grooves and depressions of the teeth are already protected.
How Soon Should You Consider Pediatric Sealants?
As soon as your child starts teething, you need to put forth different measures to cater to the dental health of your child. This should go on for a couple of months until your child is a year old. From there, dental practices like brushing teeth twice every day should become part of your daily routine.
Ideally, you can determine to get sealants for your child as soon as the molars and premolars grow. Even then, the sealants play a significant role once your child starts eating hard foods and enjoying candies. If you are unsure about when it is appropriate for sealants application, talk to your pediatric dentist and get more information.
Why Do Children Need Dental Sealants?
One of the main reasons why sealants are recommended by pediatric dentists is because of dental decay. Children are the most prone to getting cavities and suffering dental decay. This is particularly between the ages of 6-14 years.
At these stages of your child’s life, they are transitioning from baby teeth to permanent teeth. Given that permanent teeth do not grow back after damage; it is important to preserve them for as long as possible. Pediatric sealants are used as a preventive measure to increase the shelf-life of teeth. Other than that, some other reasons for getting dental sealants can be:
- Improve oral hygiene – the way sealants are shaped makes it easy to brush your teeth. For children, getting into a routine of frequently brushing teeth is not a fun experience. With sealants in place, they may not have to be very thorough, given that the sealants are already protecting the teeth.
- For baby teeth – even though baby teeth are lost eventually, it is still important to protect them. Baby teeth play an important role in saving space for adult teeth. If your child has to lose the baby teeth prematurely, then you are likely to have an orthodontic problem at hand. Teeth tend to shift when there is a space to be filled in the mouth. Therefore, protecting baby teeth from decay ensures that they are lost at the right time, preventing the need for orthodontic treatment in the future.
Are Sealants Painful?
Applying dental sealants is an easy procedure. It only requires a clean tooth and sealant material. Your child will not even need to be sedated, unless it is very necessary, regarding dental anxiety.
How Long Do Sealants Last?
The first application of pediatric sealant can last between 5-10 years. However, your child will require regular checkups in between. The checkups are to check for any chipping or peeling of the sealant.
Costs of Dental Sealants
Before you start worrying over the expenses of getting sealants for your child, check with your insurance. Most insurances cover the cost of dental sealants for children and anyone else under the age of 18 years.