Dental Sealants For Children

Usually by early to mid-adolescence, all of your child’s baby teeth will have given way to their permanent set of teeth. It is quite common for the occlusal or biting surface of your child’s back teeth to have natural deep pits and fissures. Sometimes these deep spots can be hard to clean with regular brushing alone. Stuck on plaque and residual food particles in these deep textures easily promotes cavities.

Most of the time when cavities form in these areas they are often rather large and thus need to be repaired with large fillings. The larger a filling is the more likely it is to cause your child some problems later on in life.

If your dentist notices deep pits or stuck on plaque and food particles on the biting surface of your child’s back teeth during their dental checkup, then we might recommend protecting the biting surface dental sealants.

Dental sealants a basically a durable plastic-resin that the dentist paints onto the biting surface of molars and premolars. A special ultraviolet light is used to harden the resin, creating a protective layer. Even if plaque and food particles get stuck in the pits and fissures of the biting surface the dental sealants will keep bacteria from direct access to the tooth enamel.

Dental sealants can usually be applied immediately after your child’s regular dental checkup. The dental sealants are very durable and can help to protect the biting surface for two years or more.

If you are interested in having your child’s teeth protected with dental sealants, please call Dr. James Anderson at 816-454-3336 to schedule an appointment.