Before School, Don’t Forget to Seal Those Teeth
Now that we’re finally getting past this dopey virus and our kids are headed back to real class this fall, you’ll be busy getting new backpacks, pencil sets, ring binders, and the like. But when making your back-to-school list, don’t forget something with Dr. Egger — having him protect their teeth with dental sealants.
Dental sealants are probably the single best way to prevent decay beyond good daily home hygiene. Dr. Egger places sealants on our younger patients’ teeth as a preventative measure.
What are sealants?
Sealants on your teeth are similar in concept to sealants on cement, your deck, or even something like ScotchGuard on your snow pants for skiing at Boyne Mountain. But rather than repelling water, dental sealants fill in gaps or crevasses in a patient’s molars. Dr. Egger uses an incredibly strong resin or glass ionomer and paints it on the chewing surfaces of the molars. The sealant goes down into the gaps and fills them in, bonding to the tooth enamel and forming a protective shield on those teeth.
Why does my kid need sealants?
While the genetic materials you’ve passed on to your children give them their eye and hair color, predisposition to height, and the like, you’ve also passed on things like teeth that have formed with deep crevasses or pits in them. While not inherently a problem, cleaning them is a problem. It’s almost impossible to get into the pits and get the food out. So, when that food sits in there, bacteria are soon to follow. And bacteria are the demons behind tooth decay. Sealants keep the bacteria out by filling in the pits and crevasses.
What ages should get sealants?
Dr. Egger believes just about all kids and teens with even moderate grooves in their molars should have sealants applied. This protects the teeth during the cavity-prone years, ages six to 14. Adults can also opt to have sealants applied to protect teeth that haven’t had a filling.
How are sealants applied?
Applying sealants is simple.
- First, the teeth are thoroughly cleaned.
- Each tooth to be sealed is dried.
- An acid solution is put on the chewing surface of each molar to create a rougher surface for the sealant to bond to.
- This is then rinsed, and the teeth again dried.
- Sealant is painted onto the tooth and a curing light is used to harden the sealant.
Sealants usually last 10 years or so, but they can last far longer. What counts is to have them in place during childhood.
Next time you schedule an appointment for your child with Dr. Egger, mention that you’d like to have sealants applied. Call us at (989) 773-3560 to make an appointment.