As a parent, it’s not always easy to ensure your child is practicing perfect oral care habits. We’ve all experienced arguments over brushing and flossing, frustration over the use of soda and gum, and other common pitfalls.
Fortunately, there’s a simple way to help further protect your child’s teeth, even as he tries to skip the floss at night. Dental sealants provide an easy but powerful way to help prevent cavities from forming on your child’s teeth. For dental sealants in Wheaton, DPD Smiles has you covered!
Dental sealants are thin, invisible plastic resin coatings. They’re applied to the chewing surfaces of your child’s back teeth to protect against decay.
There’s a reason that most cavities develop on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. If you run your tongue over those molars, you’ll feel crevices and grooves that dentists call “pits and fissures.” These tiny grooves trap food particles, bacteria, sugar, and acid throughout the day. Not even brushing can remove everything hiding in the pits and fissures of your child’s back teeth.
Unfortunately, the combination of bacteria, sugar, and acid creates the perfect recipe for cavities and decay. Dental sealants stop this damaging process by sealing the pits and fissures with a strong, durable coating of plastic resin. As long as your child’s back teeth contain sealants, sugar, acid, and bacteria won’t have anywhere to hide. This dramatically reduces the likelihood of cavities.
Even if your child’s teeth are perfectly healthy, we recommend sealants for everybody. They’re safe, simple, and painless to apply, so why not take advantage of this powerful preventative measure?
The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends dental sealants for all children ages 5 to 14. Here at DPD Smiles, we typically apply sealants when your child’s first set of permanent molars appear around age 6, then again when the second set of permanent molars grow in.
If your child is especially prone to cavities, dental sealants are an essential preventative measure.
The dental sealant procedure couldn’t be easier. Tooth enamel doesn’t contain nerves, so your child won’t feel a thing as the layer of plastic resin is painted over their back teeth. No shots, drills, or pain involved!
After it’s painted on, the dental sealant dries quickly. We often use a special curing light to speed up the process and ensure the sealant is perfectly applied. There’s no downtime or recovery process to worry about; just positive results.
The DPD Smiles team is always here to answer any questions you may have. Call our office today to learn more about kids dental sealants in Wheaton and schedule your child’s next appointment.
