Protect your child’s teeth from cavities with dental sealants. Our dentist recommends dental sealants for school-age children to help keep their teeth healthy and strong.
At Kiddie Cavity Care and Orthodontics, we want to help keep your child’s smile healthy and cavity-free. That is why we recommend dental sealants during the cavity-prone years between the ages of six and 12.
The chewing surfaces of your child’s back teeth need extra help to keep them free from cavity-causing bacteria. Your child’s teeth have natural grooves in the enamel that trap bacteria and food particles. These grooves are hard to clean with regular brushing and flossing and are the area most likely to show signs of decay, even with good oral hygiene. As soon as your child’s permanent molars erupt, our dentist may recommend protecting them with dental sealants.
Dental sealants are a preventive treatment that seals out the bacteria and defends your child’s teeth against decay. Sealants are thin coatings made from a special plastic resin. The sealant resin bonds to the surfaces of your child’s back teeth and fills in the grooves, preventing bacteria from getting trapped. Sealants can be white, clear or shaded to match the color of your child’s tooth.
Sealants are applied in our office in a simple and completely painless procedure. Unlike a filling, sealants require no drilling or removal of your child’s tooth structure. First, our dentist will thoroughly clean and dry your child’s tooth. Then we will apply a gel to the tooth’s surface to help prepare it to receive the sealant. Once the gel dries, we will brush on the sealant resin to seal your child’s tooth.
Your child can return to normal eating and brushing right away, all while enjoying the added protection of dental sealants. In some cases, our dentist may recommend sealants for baby teeth to prevent decay. Be sure to ask our dentist if you are concerned about grooves or pits in your child’s baby teeth.
Sealants last between five and ten years with proper care and good oral hygiene. Be sure to schedule regular dental checkups with our dentist every six months to ensure the health and strength of your child’s sealants. Sealants can be easily reapplied as necessary.
Dental sealants are a great way to protect your child’s teeth. For dental sealants, contact one of our locations today. We are proud to offer dental sealants in Temple Hills ((301) 245-3550) and Richmond ((804) 215-8749).
