Many dental experts have spoken about the benefits of dental sealants in preventing tooth decay in children. However, it is still something to ponder about for some parents. They are not sure their child would require sealants. Therefore, they do not act on it until their child shows some signs of a cavity.
Yet, some parents who are particular about the oral health of their children will want to know how dental sealants work. As well as how it would prevent a cavity from taking over their children’s smiles. You need to clear the doubts you may have about dental sealants before introducing them to your children.
Whatever type of dental sealant is applied to prevent tooth decay in your child, you should know that the essence of sealants is to achieve better oral health, and your child deserves that. Learn how you can use dental sealants to protect your child’s teeth from decay.
Understand How Dental Sealants Work
Although your priority is to establish a healthy smile for your child, you should never opt for something you do not know about. With Dental sealants, the chewing surface of your child’s teeth, mainly in the rear portion of the mouth, will be covered against materials that cause decay, such as food particles, germs in the mouth, and dental plaque.
Dental sealants will effectively protect your child’s teeth by forming coverage on top of the molar grooves. Thereby making it practically easy to maintain clean back teeth while also protecting the teeth from tiny particles of food and bacteria. These would have been trapped in the grooves if the sealant was not applied.
You can take dental sealants as an effective method of sealing out food particles, bacteria, and other cavity-causing elements. Having this understanding will help you opt for dental sealants on your child’s teeth since it will protect his or her teeth from getting tooth decay.
Ensure The Right Procedure
Knowing where the sealant must be applied is very important. Even though the dentist will carry out the procedure in the right way, it is pertinent for you to also be familiar with it. You should know that the sealants will make the surface of the teeth smooth and easy to clean.
When the dentist is applying dental sealants to your child’s teeth, you should not be worried about your child feeling pain. The procedure is normally brief and pain-free. The dental hygienist will simply paint the sealant directly on each of your child’s tooth.
The following are the right procedures involved in sealant application to prevent tooth decay.
First, the dentist will clean the child’s teeth. This must only be done on the teeth that are to be sealed. Afterward, the teeth will be dried off using absorbing materials such as cotton or rubber dams by placing them around the tooth.
After allowing the teeth to dry, the dentist will apply an acidic solution on the teeth that are to be applied with the dental sealant, to roughen the surface. The rough texture of the teeth will allow the sealant to firmly bond onto the teeth.
The teeth will be rinsed again and allowed to dry before the next step of the application. The area on the teeth where the acidic solution was applied will appear frosty and dull, almost like cut glass.
In the next step of the sealant application, the dentist will paint the tooth enamel using only a minute resin coating to seal the teeth. The sealant hardens by bonding firmly with the teeth, and this is a barrier to invading bacteria that causes tooth decay.
You do not have to feel uncomfortable if your child’s dentist fuses the sealant onto the teeth using a high radiating curing light. This is safe and will not bring any harm to your child. Over time, dental sealants blend with the natural color of the teeth as the coating gets whiter and clearer.
Dental sealants are durable and can be in good shape for many years. However, they can be examined once in a while by the dentist, who will ensure that there are no signs of damages. If sealants have eroded, then the dentist can re-apply them.
You will know the sealant has worked by the length of its durability on the surface of your child’s teeth. If, after applying sealant, tooth decay still occurs, it means your child’s teeth were not properly sealed.
Poor sealing can result from low clinical experience, uncooperative children, contamination by saliva on the teeth surface while applying sealants, and the use of less effective dental sealant materials.
To apply sealants accurately such that it becomes long-lasting with no form of damage, you must take your child to a professional pediatric dentist who is dedicated to his or her work. Also, the sealant should be applied only to those teeth that need it. Therefore, the dentist will isolate the teeth before sealing them.
Another way to apply the sealant successfully is by first cleaning the teeth thoroughly to eliminate dental plaque and tiny food particles. Sealants should not be placed on your child’s teeth if there is partial decay or sensitivity. This problem must be solved before sealants are applied. This is because of the gum tissues, which can later bring a problem to the crown.
Conclusion
Your child can also bid farewell to tooth decay while growing into adulthood if you get dental sealants for his or her molars and premolars. Most tooth decay starts from the back of teeth since these areas are difficult for the bristles of your child’s brush to penetrate.
Experts in the field of pediatric dentistry recommend the application of sealants on children’s teeth as soon as the moment they begin to grow permanent molars. If sealants are applied early, tooth decay will also be avoided from the beginning. If you care for your child’s smile, you should schedule a meeting with your dentist and ask about dental sealants for molars.