Dental sealants help protect your teeth.
DID YOU KNOW, on average, a child smiles around 400 times per day? That’s up to ten times more than the average adult! No matter how many times your little one smiles, we want to help them make sure theirs remains healthy throughout their childhood. One way to protect your child’s pearly whites is by applying dental sealants.
Dental Insurance Pays 100% for Sealants!
Most of the time here in Chattanooga Tennessee this is correct. Here at McOmie Family Dentistry, we have almost NEVER seen insurance that didn’t cover a dental sealant at 100%. There really is no reason not to do sealants on a child’s tooth. Sealants are one of the simplest and best preventive dentistry measures we can do. We do them every day and have prevented tens of thousands of cavities with dental sealants.
Dental Sealants Protect Teeth From Tooth Decay
A dental sealant—also known as a pit and fissure sealant—is a protective barrier placed on the chewing surfaces of teeth in order to seal out food and bacteria which result in cavities. These sealants are often made of a plastic-like material and applied in a thin layer to fill hard-to-clean recesses in teeth known as fissures in the premolars and molars, and cingulum pits found in canines and incisors. Don’t worry all of our sealants are BPA-free and they always have been. With a sealant in place it seals up the grooves and pits and this keeps those tough bugs out of the groove and keeps them from creating a cavity!
Application Of Dental Sealants Is Quick And Easy!
The application of sealants is a quick and comfortable process, and only takes one visit! Most of the time we do the sealants at the cleaning appointment. Here at McOmie Family Dentistry, our Dentists, Hygienists, and Assistants all have the correct license requirements met to be able to perform this service for our patients.
- First, the surface of your child’s teeth are polished and cleaned of any plaque or food debris.
- Next, each tooth receiving sealants will be isolated and dried.
- The teeth are then etched to allow the sealant to adhere more securely and then rinsed and dried to prepare for the sealant application.
- The sealant is then applied to each tooth and cured by a special light to bond the sealant to the teeth.
- Finally the new sealants will be evaluated and once hardened, will be safe to chew on!
This entire process takes under 1 minute per tooth often times they do a whole side of teeth and it takes just over a minute.
When Should Your Child Get Sealants?
Children should get dental sealants as soon as possible after their permanent teeth erupt. This happens at a different time in each child’s life, but most children have their first permanent molars around the age of 6. Then they keep getting permanent teeth until they are about 12. Of course, this is an average and we see kids that are earlier and kids that are later in development.
Children often develop dental caries (cavities) in the pits and fissures of these new permanent teeth because they can be very difficult to clean, even if they are brushing and flossing properly. If sealants are applied soon after permanent teeth erupt, food and bacteria don’t have the chance to settle in these crevices and your child can reduce their chance of cavities by 80 percent. Studies show that sealants can remain effective for many years if properly cared for.
We Can Help Protect Your Child’s Smile
Each and every smile is precious, and we are committed to ensuring your child remains happy and healthy as they continue to grow. If you have any questions about dental sealants, let us know in the comments below or call and make an appointment today! We’d love to answer any questions you might have about your family’s oral health care needs.
Sealants Are Not Only For Children
While our focus is on children in this blog post we know that adults can have deep grooves and deep pits in their teeth as well. We do many sealants on adults as well. Dental insurance usually doesn’t cover them on adults but at under $40 a tooth, it is cheaper than a deductible. The truth is every member of our staff keeps their sealants up to date. We see first hand the good sealants do and we want our teeth safe from cavities. More importantly, we want YOUR teeth safe from dental decay! Let us help you keep your teeth healthy!
Thank you for continuing to be part of our practice family! Give us a call at McOmie Family Dentistry (423) 899-1112
