Does My Child Need Dental Sealants?

Dental sealants may be just as important as teaching your child positive brushing and flossing techniques, from an oral health standpoint. This quick, painless, and simple treatment can go a long way toward protecting your child’s teeth from some very common problems. 

At Vasona Family Dentistry in Los Gatos, California, Dr. Neda Zadeh and her team are pleased to provide dental sealants as part of our family dentistry services. Read on to learn more about this treatment and why it may be a good option for your child. 

How dental sealants work

Dental sealants are sort of like raincoats for your teeth, protecting them from the stormy weather of cavities. When bacteria in the mouth join with lingering food particles, acid can form that leads to cavities. 

Once we apply a sealant, acid and bacteria can’t stick around on teeth. This greatly reduces your child’s risk for cavities. Research has shown that dental sealants can lower the risk of tooth decay in molars by 80%.

Why your child might need sealants

Kids are a lot more likely to need and benefit from sealants than adults, given that children tend to be especially prone to cavities. In fact, school-age kids who don’t have sealants have nearly three times as many cavities as kids who do. 

By preventing cavities, dental sealants can stave off related problems in your child, too, such as:

• Infection
• Tooth and gum pain
• Problems eating, learning, or speaking

While most any child can benefit from dental sealants, they can be especially important if you have a family history of cavities or other dental health problems. Dental sealants also help prevent the anxiety many children experience having cavities filled.

In general, children should get sealants on their premolars and permanent molars as soon as they appear in order to protect their teeth during their most cavity-vulnerable years, ages 6-14.

The dental sealant process

The process for getting sealants is quick and painless. Once we have cleaned and dried the teeth in the treatment area, we place a special acidic gel on your child’s teeth. This gel creates a strong bond between the tooth and the sealant by roughing up the surface a bit. 

A few seconds later, we rinse that gel off and apply the sealant, then shine a blue light to harden it. From there, the sealant lasts for several years.

To learn more about dental sealants or get the care your child needs, call us at Vasona Family Dentistry or book a consultation via our website today.