We believe that good health starts before your child is born. Good oral health begins before your child’s first tooth erupts. We recommend your child’s first visit by age two (yes, It can be done!) Our goal is to make dentistry a pleasurable experience for your child.
Prevention and nutrition are our objectives. With the use of sealants (plastic coating) on back teeth and regular check ups; we strive for cavity free kids. We also offer a gentle new “drill-less“ technology, frequently used in place of the drill.
What are sealants?
Sealants are a safe, painless, and low cost way to help protect your child’s back teeth from decay. Sealants have been used on children’s teeth for more than 10 years. A thin plastic coating (sealant) is bonded to the chewing surfaces of the molars and premolars. The sealant forms a hard shield that keeps food and bacteria from getting into the tiny grooves in the teeth and causing decay.
Why should children have sealants?
The chewing surfaces on the back of the teeth have tiny grooves that form as each tooth develops. This is where most decay occurs on children. That’s because the bristles of a toothbrush can’t get down into the grooves to remove food and bacteria that get caught there.
Which teeth should be sealed?
Usually the molars and premolars are sealed. Fluoride helps protect the smooth surfaces on the front of the teeth and on the sides of the back teeth. But only sealants can keep food and bacteria from getting into the grooves on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth.
When should children get sealants?
Sealants should be applied as soon as the first permanent molars (6-year molars) come on, between 5 and 7 years of age. The second molars (12-year molars) and the premolars should be sealed as soon as they come in, between 11 and 14 years of age. That’s because the greatest chance of decay occurs during the first year after the teeth come in. However, it’s never too late to apply sealants, as long as teeth are free of decay and fillings.
Click here to read about Wisdom Teeth and Other Impacted Teeth
