At our Smith Family and Cosmetic Dentistry locations in Sneads Ferry, Porters Neck, Jacksonville, Hampstead, Goldsboro, Surf City, New Bern, and Wilmington, NC, we offer tooth sealants for children that will promote optimal oral health as they grow and as their teeth develop. Whether your child is prone to cavities or you want to prevent them from getting cavities, this treatment is the perfect preventative measure to prevent cavities and keep their teeth strong and healthy.
How Tooth Sealants Can Play a Key Role in Children’s Oral Health in Wilmington, NC
Cavities are a common dental ailment among children and typically affect the chewing surfaces of the permanent molars. According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 80% to 90% of the cavities children get affect the molars, while 44% affect the baby teeth.
Dental sealants can easily protect against cavities, promoting optimal oral health in children and adolescents. A CDC report revealed that getting dental sealants can prevent 80% of cavities in children two years after treatment and 50% four years after treatment. This is a significant reduction in the development of cavities, which means less decay, fewer dental treatments, and stronger teeth in the long.
Why They Work
Sealants are so effective because they prevent cavities and the associated dental work involved with treating the cavity. Once a child has a cavity, different dental techniques must be used to address it, and these include drilling and filling, which address the decay but can also compromise the integrity of the tooth.
When you invest in sealants for your child’s teeth, even if they don’t have any cavities, you’ll be taking preventative steps to avoid unnecessarily affecting their tooth integrity at such a young age.
Preventing Cavities Long-Term
You can help prevent cavities by investing in tooth sealants for your child and taking steps to ensure their optimal oral health as they grow. Combining tooth sealants, excellent dental care, and a healthy lifestyle will work together to keep your child’s teeth strong, healthy, and cavity-free.
Some children are more at risk for cavities than others, including those with high levels of bacteria in their mouths, those who eat a diet high in sugars and starchy carbohydrates, those who don’t brush with fluoride toothpaste, those who produce inadequate saliva, and those with poor oral hygiene habits. These increased risk factors are easy to address with a healthy lifestyle, a clean diet, and attention to detail regarding oral hygiene.
Schedule Regular Dental Checkups
One of the best ways to prevent cavities is to schedule regular dental checkups for your child at least twice yearly. At these checkups, X-rays will be taken to ensure optimal tooth development, and the child’s teeth will be professionally evaluated and cleaned by dental professionals. We can also look for any early signs of a cavity and address it as quickly as possible before it worsens and requires more extensive repair.
Limit Sugar
Excess sugar consumption is one of the most well-known causes of cavities. When your child consumes excess sugar, that sugar will feed harmful bacteria in the mouth, contributing to tooth decay in the form of cavities. With excess sugar consumption comes the multiplication of excess bad bacteria in the mouth, which eventually leads to an increase of acids, which causes holes in the teeth.
Limiting the total amount of sugar your child eats or swapping refined sugary foods for foods with natural sugars will also help prevent cavities long-term. The following are some cavity-causing foods that can get stuck in or between the teeth that you should limit or remove from your child’s diet:
- Caramel
- Suckers
- Hard candy
- Chewy candy
- Soft breads
- Potato chips
- Carbonated drinks and sodas
Eat Fruits and Vegetables
Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables will also promote optimal oral health. Fruits and vegetables, especially those of the raw variety, actually clean the teeth while chewing.
Fiber-rich fruits and vegetables promote healthy teeth and gums. They also increase saliva production, which helps prevent the risk of cavities. Adequate saliva production is so important in preventing cavities because it helps prevent the negative effects of acids from affecting the teeth.
Brush and Floss Regularly
It’s also important that you brush and floss your child’s teeth regularly. Doing so will promote optimal oral health, reduce bad bacteria, and help prevent cavities. Make it a habit to have your children brush their teeth at least twice daily, and ensure they spend enough time brushing.
Supervise them to be sure they aren’t rushing through the process so that they can remove any food trapped between the teeth and eliminate any bacteria from the mouth. Invest in children’s toothpaste containing fluoride to protect the teeth from potential cavities between dental visits.
What Are Sealants?
Sealants are protective coatings that are applied over the surfaces of the back teeth to prevent cavities. They are made of various materials, including medical-grade glass ionomers and resins, and are applied to the backs of the teeth, after which they are cured to harden.
How Does the Treatment Process Work?
When you schedule a sealant appointment for your child, we’ll begin by cleaning the teeth to ensure their mouth is free of any bacteria that could get trapped between the sealant and the tooth.
The entire treatment process is quick, simple, and painless. After cleaning, we’ll dry the tooth and prepare it so the sealant bonds to the area. Once it’s painted on, we’ll use a dental light to bond, harden, and ensure that it blends seamlessly with the rest of the tooth.
Is There Any Downtime After the Treatment?
There’s no downtime after undergoing a sealant treatment in Wilmington, NC. Once the treatment is over, children can resume their normal daily activities and continue eating and drinking as usual.
We recommend that parents limit certain foods after getting sealants to ensure they last for the longest amount of time. These foods include but are not limited to, hard, sticky, or chewy candies or other hard foods that could damage the sealants over time.
How Long Will They Last?
The typical sealant lasts approximately ten years but can last longer when done right. However, scheduling regular dental appointments is important to extend sealant longevity, as examinations allow us to evaluate the sealant and its condition to determine if it is fully functional or needs repair or maintenance.
Is My Child a Good Candidate for Sealants?
The best candidates for sealants are children whose first permanent molars have come in, which typically occurs between the ages of five and seven. Children whose second set of permanent molars have erupted, which is typically between the ages of 11 and 14, are also candidates. If you’re interested in scheduling a sealant appointment for your child, we can evaluate their teeth to determine their treatment eligibility.
Investing in sealants for your child is an easy way to promote optimal oral health. If you have questions about this process or want to proceed to prevent your child from getting cavities, we can help. Contact one of our Smith Family and Cosmetic Dentistry locations in Sneads Ferry, Porters Neck, Jacksonville, Hampstead, Goldsboro, Surf City, New Bern, and Wilmington, NC, to learn more about our available services and schedule your child’s initial consultation today.