Are Sealants Safe For My Child?
posted: Jan. 27, 2015.
Are Sealents Safe For My Child
Parents are understandably concerned about the dental health of their children, especially during the cavity-prone years of 6 through 14 years of age. Deep fissures and pits in the back teeth decay more easily because those crevasses tend to hold the food, plaque and bacteria that help cavities form.
Dental sealants, also called fissure sealants, can assist in the battle for good pediatric and adolescent health. However, parents worry about sealants as well. Are the plastic compounds contained within sealant materials safe?
What Do The Experts Say?
Both the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics back the use of fissure sealants on children's teeth. The thin coatings, when properly applied, confer a very high degree of protection to the treated chewing surfaces for a good 5 to 10 years. Then, if needed, they can be put on the teeth again. The procedure is fast and totally painless.
Beyond that, these professional associations assert that while small amounts of BPA (bisphinol A) form in the mouth when sealants contact saliva, the possible amount is tiny and easily swabbed out of the mouth. Pediatricians feel that the risk of children developing extensive cavities in the back teeth is far greater and less healthy than the possibility of any BPA resulting from the procedure.
This is how the dentist goes about sealing a child's teeth:
- He or she cleans and dries the tooth and puts cotton at its base to absorb any saliva.
- The tooth's surface is etched or abraded with a special solution to help the sealant stick to the tooth.
- The tooth is dried again, and the dentist "paints" the sealant on the grooves and pits of the tooth.
- To bond the sealant to the tooth, the dentist shines a special hardening light over the area.
- Finally, the tooth is dried again.
This final drying is what helps ensure that no possible BPA stays in the child's mouth.
Your Lee's Summit, Missouri dentists, Jamie Thurman-Taylor DDS and Mark Hartter DDS, are honored to provide families in the area with a wide range of cosmetic, restorative and preventative dental care, including dental sealants for children and adolescents. For an appointment and more information, call their office at 816-537-6161.
To learn more about dentistry for children visit our page!