Cavities are considered a chronic childhood disease. They’re actually the number one most common chronic disease your child can get.
At Dental Town DC, our team of dental experts ensures that you and your family get the best and latest in dental and oral health care. That’s why they’ve compiled this helpful guide that tells you what dental sealants are and why they’re so effective at protecting your child’s teeth.
Even small cavities are a big problem
When your child eats and doesn’t brush their teeth afterward, the starches and sugars from the food are left on their teeth for a long period of time. Bacteria feed on those sugars and starches, and produce an acid that breaks down your child’s teeth and causes decay. Cavities can actually form as early as when your child’s teeth first begin to erupt.
Cavities may alter the way your child’s other teeth develop. They can also negatively affect your child’s speech, diet, sleep, and quality of life.
You might think that cavities aren’t a huge problem if your child has them on their baby teeth. But, having cavities on their baby teeth increases their risk of developing cavities on their permanent teeth.
Sealants protect the teeth
Sealants are a protective, liquid coating that we brush on your child’s teeth. This liquid hardens over their teeth and forms a thin, plastic-like coating. The coating protects your child’s teeth, including the crevices, valleys, and grooves in their molars that are difficult to reach with a toothbrush.
According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dental sealants prevent 80% of cavities for two years after they’re applied. They continue to protect children’s teeth against 50% of cavities for four years after they’re applied.
Sealants have a high success rate for protecting children’s teeth, which is why about 60% of children between the ages of 6 and 11 get dental sealants. The cost of sealants is usually covered by dental insurance.
We recommend that your child get sealants as soon as their first set of molars emerge. This typically happens around the age of six years. When your child’s second set of molars comes in, at around 12 years old, you’ll want to have them come in for sealants on those teeth, too.
Of course, sealants aren’t a replacement for healthy oral habits. Your child should still brush their teeth twice a day, floss once a day, and visit us for a check-up and professional cleaning at least twice a year.
Find out how the dentists at Dental Town DC can help keep your child’s teeth cavity-free: Contact our office for a sealants consultation or schedule online today.