do-sealants

Why Does My Child Need Dental Sealants?

As providers of kids’ dentistry, we often get asked by parents whether a certain procedure is truly necessary for their child. We understand completely—you don’t want your son or daughter to have to sit through dental work unless it’s important for their health. Plus, you may wonder why a child needs intervention for baby teeth they’ll eventually lose.

Parents often wonder about the benefits of dental sealants for their children. If you’re not sure why your child might need them, read on to learn about what sealants are and how they help protect your child from decay and cavities.

How Dental Sealants Work

Dental sealants are thin, protective coatings that we paint into the grooves of the back chewing teeth. The sealants harden to fill the little pits and crevices of these teeth. If left unprotected, these grooves can trap food particles and bacteria. Sealants help prevent decay and cavities from forming in these hard-to-reach places.

Healthy baby teeth are important for your child’s oral health and development. In most cases, children benefit from keeping their baby teeth until they’re ready to fall out. This allows the child to eat with ease and maintain optimal nutrition; develop proper speech patterns; feel confident in social situations; and promote the growth of healthy adult teeth.

Getting dental sealants is a quick, easy, and common process in children’s dentistry. Even adults can benefit from them!

Why Dental Sealants Are Beneficial

According to the CDC, dental sealants prevent 80% of cavities in the back teeth. Preventing cavities from the get-go can cost less stress, time, and money than using a filling, crown, root canal therapy, or extraction to repair the damage done by tooth decay.

Dental sealants are an extra step to ensuring those hard-to-reach teeth are kept as free from decay as possible. This is especially helpful for kids who are still learning to properly brush their teeth and patients with very deep grooves in their back teeth.

More Questions About How to Prevent Decay?

Do you have more questions about dental sealants or other ways to prevent decay and cavities? Don’t hesitate to contact us at Red Oak Family Dentistry, your dentist in McKinney, TX.

We provide comprehensive dentistry for the whole family, so we’re always happy to discuss what’s best for the dental health of you and your loved ones. We hope to see you at our office soon!

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