Dental Sealants are an incredible advancement in dentistry that all children should have. Providing a layer between the tooth and any bacteria that comes into your child’s mouth, sealants seal the tooth, protecting it from cavities and decay. Once your child has most of their adult molars, we recommend the placement of dental sealants.
How Do Sealants Work?
Sealants are a liquid plastic that is safe for your child. It is painted onto the surface of their back molars, in the nooks and crannies, filling in any spaces that are susceptible to food getting stuck, or areas that could be easily missed when brushing.
This layer of sealant both hermetically seals in your tooth, and prevents decay causing bacteria from coming in contact with your tooth during the years that your child is most likely to cause damage to their teeth as they learn to make dental hygiene part of their day.
The placement of sealants is painless and will cause no discomfort. Using a small brush, we paint the sealant on, and then it will dry hard. The product is strong, and durable, it should stay in place for many years.
Are Sealants Safe?
There has been discussion about if sealants use BPA, which is found in many plastics and is known for not being safe. The American Dental Association stated: “ADA research, confirmed by direct communications from dental material manufacturers, indicates that BPA is not used as a formula ingredient in dental materials.”
The National Toxicology stated that, “Dental sealant exposure to bisphenol A occurs primarily with use of dental sealants [containing] bisphenol A dimethacrylate. This exposure is considered an acute and infrequent event with little relevance to estimating general population exposures.”
The ADA has found dental sealants to be safe and does recommend that all minor age patients should consider having sealants placed for the protection of their adult molars.
Please contact us if you have any questions about dental sealants.