How Do Dental Sealants for Kids Prevent Cavities?

young boy in the dentist's chair getting dental sealants to help prevent cavities

As you probably know, your child needs to brush his or her teeth at least twice per day and should floss once per day. Limiting sugary beverages and foods can also help prevent cavities, and it’s advisable that your child receives fluoride at every routine dental check up for the same reason. Another preventative step you may take is getting your child dental sealants on the teeth that your child can’t care for easily. At Growing Smiles Pediatric and Family Dentistry, serving Voorhees, Mount Laurel, and the nearby region of New Jersey, we provide this service and for a good reason.

General Information About Dental Sealants

A dental sealant is a thin, protective coating a dentist paints on the top of your child’s teeth. They’re for the molars that are hard for your child to brush and are the teeth that are more prone to tooth decay. The sealant either consists of a dental-grade plastic or other similar dental material that’ll adhere to your child’s teeth and shields them from decay.

How They Help

The sealant can prevent food particles from becoming stuck in the small, hard-to-brush grooves in his or her molars. These areas are more prone to bacteria forming. The bacteria then feast on the debris and produce an acidic waste that damages his or her tooth enamel. Brushing removes most of the food particles and bacteria, but it’s hard to reach the molars to remove the bacteria and food particles.

With the protective coating, your child still has to brush his or her teeth, but the coating protects from bacteria and debris remaining in the grooves.

Success Rate

Sealants have a high rate of success. Studies have shown that for the first two years after using it, sealants reduce your child’s risk of cavities by 80 percent. After four years, the dental sealants still protect your child’s teeth against cavities by around 50 percent.

Dental sealants are just another step you can take to prevent tooth decay in your child’s teeth. They work through a simple concept. Plus, the procedure doesn’t take much time and has a high rate of success.

Contact Growing Smiles Pediatric and Family Dentistry, serving Mount Laurel, Voorhees, and the surrounding New Jersey areas, to get dental sealants for your child’s teeth by calling us at: Voorhees – 856-770-1770 Mount Laurel – 856-778-0800

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