4 Reasons To Consider Dental Sealants for School-Age Children

Dental technology has vastly improved the way we care for mouths and teeth. Along with treatments for cavities and infections, dentists can provide preventive care that will help stop some of those issues before they get worse. If you have a child in school, then you can seek out preventative dental care that comes with many advantages.

At a dental appointment, you can ask your child’s dentist about sealants for your child’s back teeth and molars. Sealants apply directly over the teeth to create a protective coating and to help prevent cavities. Along with the prevention of tooth decay, you will find many advantages of sealants for school-age children. Below are those advantages.

1. Protection From Cavity Development During Long School Days

A child will spend the entirety of their school day without any dental care. This means a child will eat lunch, enjoy snacks, and possibly have drinks with sugar content. They will not have a chance to brush or floss their teeth for hours after this exposure. In some cases, the lack of mouth care could extend if they attend after-school programs.

A sealant can prevent a tooth from sugar exposure and sticky food particles that could attribute to tooth decay. A sealant provides extra protection, but a child should have a water bottle with them at all times. Sips of water can help clear out the mouth and keep the sealants clean.

2. Protection From After-School Sports & Teeth Clenching

If your child plays after-school sports like soccer or football, then you may find some concerns with their oral health. Clenching teeth or hard-impact sports could lead to possible tooth damage like cracks or chips. Along with the use of a proper mouth guard, a sealant can provide extra protection for the teeth.

Instead of teeth making direct contact with each other when a child clenches, the layers of sealant will press into each other instead. If your child plays a lot of sports, then the sealant could wear down more quickly and you should consider regular inspections from a dentist to see if you need to add another layer.

Either way, the impact on sealant is much better than any direct damage to teeth. Even if a child still has baby teeth, the early loss of a baby tooth could impact the way adult teeth grow back into the mouth.

3. Protection From Improper Brushing Techniques

Even as children learn proper oral hygiene practices, they may not have quite mastered proper brushing techniques. They need to go deep behind their teeth and ensure they brush both the bottom and top set of molars. Children may not be perfect every time and this is where a sealant comes in. A sealant can provide children with that extra protection needed while they master brushing techniques.

At each dentist appointment, a dentist can go over proper brushing techniques, including the amount of time to brush and the best methods to cover every area of the mouth. The sealants act as a safeguard through this whole process and ensure a child’s teeth will not develop cavities as they master the best ways to brush.

4. Prevention of Drilling and Surgical Procedures

The main goal of a sealant is to provide preventive care to a child's mouth. The process itself does not need any surgery and is often done during a typical cleaning appointment. The use of a sealant with a child will help reduce the fear of the dentist at a young age. A child will not need to miss any school or go through the experience of undergoing invasive surgical procedures or enduring stressful cavity fillings.

When you get ahead of potential problems, a child will have a healthy smile throughout their school years.

If you’re interested in sealants for your child, make an appointment with us at Advanced Dental Care or give us a call with any questions you may have. We will apply sealants to every molar and ensure these teeth remain protected for some of their key childhood years.